Jordi Sinclair

Dating and 'hook-up' apps are here to stay whether we like them or not. But if you're sick of the same ol' same ol', here are six alternative dating apps in London right now that you might not know existed.   The Ann Summers Rabbit app Yep, that's the same Ann Summers that's a market leader in vibrators... amongst many other things. Rabbit offers a lot – and I mean A LOT – more than most dating apps. Predominately aimed at women, it comes with some awesome extras such as cool date suggestions, a 'tell me more' option to take the conversation further and special offers from sponsors, so it can be a little bit daunting at first. It works with sexual health awareness charity Brook and dishes out any advice you may need via the 'Ask Brook' function 24/7. Plus the 'Rabbit Files' option lets you rate someone's profile accuracy as a safety measure to help out fellow users too. Once you get the hang of navigating around, it's actually really easy to use. There are a lot of paid extras if you want a fuller experience, though the free version works just fine. Clocked Aimed at over-21s, Clocked's free version gives you three matches per day that disappear at midnight, creating a sense of urgency. You'll just need to sign in with Facebook, answer a few quick questions and boom – you're ready to start 'clocking' people. Developed by Londoners for Londoners, it completely understands the minefield we have to go through by keeping it simple and easy to use. The free version also gives you

As a veggie, I know how frustrating it can be sometimes for my dates who fear they'll be in for another tofu-packed evening. Although we're incredibly spoilt for choice in London when it comes to great vegetarian restaurants, here are some other cool options that go beyond your regular run-of-the-mill.  A high-protein vegan cooking class Tell your date they can expect to get their hands dirty... at a cooking class with Urban Kitchen. The amazing Toral runs her Bermondsey-based class for chefs of all abilities. It's a lot of fun, interactive and gives you a great insight into all of the ingredients used as well as the benefits of healthy eating and using organic products. The class lasts for the best part of three hours and costs £65 per person. A vegetarian supperclub Sick of going to the same old restaurants together? Try a supper club. Tabl are one of London's top supperclubs and have some great veggie nights that seem to sell out really quickly. April nights are sold out, but some of the top events coming up in May include a vegan raw dinner in Hackney and a variety of veg-centric plate tasting nights. Vegan speed dating Single but ready to mingle with someone who shares your love for fungi? Vegan speed dating is now a thing. You can now spend your evening getting to know others who will never drag you to a barbecue restaurant against your will, forcing you to eat beans and sweet potato fries for dinner (not that this happened to me or anything). Tickets are £14.95 with th

Despite his experiences of heartbreak, sex and dating blogger Jordi Sinclair has learned to always look on the bright side of London life. I've gone through breakups all over the world – lucky me, right? I've cut the cord in Koh Samui (what a wonderful two-week holiday that was) and cried floods by the river Arno in Florence, but as far as heartache goes, there's no better place in the world to go through it than in London. So, it's time to dust yourself, play the 'Dawson's Creek' theme song  and have a sob on the city's shoulder. Here are eight reasons it's the place to be when you're newly single. 1. There's always a distraction While most cities are ghost-towns during the week, London just doesn't let you stay in. There is always something cool going on so you don't have an excuse to stay home feeling sorry for yourself. 2. It's got the Thames Because sometimes you just want to sit next to a stretch of water, plug in a little Boyz II Men's 'End of the Road' and watch the world go by. 3. There's PLENTY more fish in the sea 'But they were one in a million'. Great! That means there are ten others just like them in London alone. 4. There are thousands of pubs Drinking can help heartbreak, or numb it at least. And there's plenty of delicious anaesthetic here.   A photo posted by VagaLondon (@vagalondon) on Feb 17, 2016 at 5:55am PST   5. It's easy to get a change of scenery How amazing is it that you can move from one side of London to the other and feel like you're in a c

'Tis the season where some singles wouldn't mind having someone next to them to snuggle up with (after all, it does help to save on our extortionate winter gas bills). So as the seasons change, so do our dating habits. Here are just a few subtle (and not so subtle) changes Londoners might make when it comes to dating in hot and cold weather: 1) Hold me closer, tiny dancer! We snuggle more in winter. Fact. In summer, we basically turn the light off, roll to opposite sides of the bed, sweat for eight hours and complain about how bad we slept the next day. 2) Love is in the air Nothing says 'winter romance' more than having someone to slob on a sofa with all weekend and watch hours of 'Game Of Thrones' in the same clothes you've worn all weekend and not be judged. In summer it's more about flings. Being unattached and fancy-free lets you swan from one rooftop barbecue to the next without a care in the world. 3) Princess LAYER In winter it's a complete lottery in terms of what someone looks like underneath the mountain of layers they're wearing. In summer you pretty much know exactly what you're going to wake up next to while nursing a hangover. 4) Let's take it outside During winter it's 'why don't you just come over and we'll get some take-away and watch "Elf"' for the 600th time.  In summer it's 'let's go to a trendy pop-up outdoor cinema and watch "Elf"' and pay 20 quid each instead. 5) Hair-raising! In winter there's a lot of unimpressive beanie hair going on during dates. I

  A photo posted by @bgarcez on Sep 4, 2015 at 3:11pm PDT   You've seen them as they get on at the same stop every day for the last year. Time stops as the doors behind them close in slow motion and everyone else just seems to fade into the background. Over the days/weeks/months you notice they read the books that you like, drink the same size coffees you do and you've gone as far as to call them your future girlfriend or boyfriend whenever you've mentioned them to pals. But before you know it, they're sharing that morning commute with their new – and real – other half. Bummer. There's no point waiting for the New Year's resolutions to step up to the next person that catches your eye. The time is now – so here are five (non-creepy) ways to help you pull on London public transport:   1. Give yourself a reason to chat On your next travels, bring along a puzzle like a crossword or sudoku or maybe even a word-search as a joke and ask them if they can help you with the diagonal ones. Sure, it's cheesy, but any excuse to chat is better than not doing anything at all. 2. Cause a scene You need to get yourself noticed. Offer your seat to someone who needs it more than you (as you bloody well should anyway), but even if that person doesn't need it, offer it to them anyway and they will see that you are a genuinely nice person. Pulling the fire alarm or having your bag stuck in the door are definitely NOT the type of scenes you want to cause. 3. Work the tube Stand next to somebody