The Road To Freedom
With the long-awaited return of physical retail and outdoor dining starting in the UK this week, we asked some trusted LCW friends to share the spots in the capital they are most looking forward to getting back to. Discover our definitive guide of top picks for the coming weeks…
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Christopher Raeburn
Fashion Designer, RÆBURN
1. I’ve been a proud member of the Horniman Museum for many years. It’s a space that never fails to fascinate and inspire me. During lockdown I enjoyed taking in the stunning gardens and supporting the Sunday farmer’s market but it will be great to be able to go back inside, and I look forward to waving hello to their famously overstuffed walrus.
2. The Wellcome Collection (opens 18 May) on Euston Road always offers something unexpected with their mix of science and art. It’s a brilliant place for the curious and I could spend afternoons in perhaps the best gift-shop any museum in our city has to offer. The re-opening of their Being Human exhibition is high on my list of exhibitions to return to and I look forward to getting lost in the meditative work of artist Sop’s The Den.
3. RÆBURN is all about craft, creativity and community and the whole team are so looking forward to warmly welcoming the public back into our space again. We’ve already started lining up dates for our popular lab tours and our mascot animals look forward to greeting you. The team are always happy to talk you through our archive and current offerings. When you’re in the area, there are some great local outdoor watering holes we like to support, such as the Deviant and Dandy brewery.
RÆBURN LAB is open from Friday 16 April. Keep in the loop for upcoming community based family-friendly activities by signing up to their newsletter.
Image: Christopher Raeburn/ Ben Broomfield
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Lulu Lytle
Co-Founder, Soane Britain
1. There are so many places I long to visit once we can break free! Locally it will be the Admiral Vernon Arcade at Portobello Market where some of the very best antiques dealers are based.2. I dream of spending hours in a book shop again, something I shall never take for granted after the last year. Although I really like Abe Books for buying second hand and out of print books online, I cannot wait to return to the ever inspiring John Sandoe Books in Chelsea.
3. Antiques fairs and auction houses have always been favourite haunts of mine so I am very much hoping that some of these will be opening their doors again in the coming weeks.
4. Further afield I am particularly excited to return to Egypt and to meet some of the brilliant artisans working with Malaika Linens.
Soane Britain is open by appointment only. Visit their website for further details.
Image: Lulu Lytle
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Nicolas Rouzaud
Executive Pastry Chef, The Connaught
1. I’m looking forward to visiting Selfridges, around the corner from The Connaught on Oxford Street – I’ve never been a great fan of online shopping, I don’t have the patience to wait for deliveries. They are always so creative with their window displays!2. I’ve missed swimming and I’m looking forward, when the weather gets warmer, to visiting the Parliament Hill Lido – originally built in 1939, it’s one of the oldest and most famous lidos.
3. The V&A will be the first museum I visit when they re-open. It’s such a superb showcase for arts from around the globe and I can’t wait to enjoy a coffee in the John Madejski Garden.
4. Around the corner from The Connaught Patisserie in Mayfair, the Gagosian art gallery is tucked into a hidden corner just north of Berkeley Square, and such an inspiring space I’ve missed visiting.
The Connaught’s Jean-Georges terrace is open from Monday 12 April. The Connaught Patisserie is open for takeaway only and is now delivering across London. Visit their website for further details and to make a reservation.
Image: Nicolas Rouzaud/ The Maybourne Group
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Daisy Knatchbull
Founder, The Deck
1. The Service is a little café that has opened in the middle of Savile Row and is supporting my caffeine habit in a big way! It’s so nice to run over between fittings for a juice, coffee or bite to eat.
2. Fallow is literally my favourite restaurant in Mayfair – delicious food, nice small tables, buzzy atmosphere and outdoor dining for when the sun shines!
3. The Deck of course! Our new flagship on Savile Row. Pop in for a coffee or cocktail to browse cloths, styles, and chat with our team in our cosy atelier.
4. Little House Mayfair is perfect for external meetings, quick lunches, and late night dining. It has a cool atmosphere, with half price drinks in the evenings for under 30s!
The Deck is the first women’s tailor to have a shopfront on Savile Row and is open from Monday 12 April. Visit their website to book an appointment.
Image: Daisy Knatchbull/ The Deck
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Rosh Mahtani
Founder & Designer, Alighieri Jewellery
1. Jikoni is the most amazing restaurant on Blandford Street, the owner and chef, Ravinder Bhogal has become a good friend of mine. She’s created the most charming atmosphere, telling the story of her childhood in Africa. The food is absolutely incredible.
2. I used to go to Alfie’s Antiques every weekend, it’s a treasure trove of jewellery and antique furniture in Paddington. I always find a myriad of inspiration in its labyrinthine building.
Alighieri is available online and in selected retailers. Visit their website to find out more.
Image: Rosh Mahtani
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Calum Franklin
Executive Head Chef, Holborn Dining Room
1. Perilla in Stoke Newington is my favourite restaurant in London. So much hard work has gone into the experience here, the details in the food, drinks, restaurant design and service are clear but it feels effortless and completely at ease and this makes for the most wonderful lunch or dinner.
2. Tim Little shoe shop on the King’s Road in Fulham, so I can blow all my money on the most beautiful boots.
3. I miss watching slightly obscure films in the Curzon cinema and I love buying a tub of ice cream from Gelupo and sneaking it in.
4. The Guinea Grill pub is my favourite pub, run by the best landlord in London, Oisin Rogers.
5. The Painted Hall at the Royal Naval College is just round the corner from my house and I like to come and sit in here and stare up at the ceiling. It makes me think a lot about what can be achieved through dedication and practice.
Rosewood‘s The Macallan Manor House terrace is open from Monday 12 April. Visit their website for further details and to make a reservation.
Image: Calum Frankin/ Rosewood Hotels
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The Best of Al Fresco
Like most people, we’re eager to get back to our favourite restaurants, many of which are now open for outdoor dining. Fortnum & Mason’s brasserie, 45 Jermyn St. (left), located next to their iconic Piccadilly store, is the perfect spot for an elegant post-lockdown lunch. A short walk away, pay a visit to Corinthia’s secluded courtyard, which has been transformed into a Mediterranean garden by David Collins Studio. Executive Chef André Garrett’s Mediterranean menu is sure to evoke fond memories of European travels. Continue your culinary adventure with a trip to Pantechnicon, which opened last September, and experience cuisine inspired by Nordic and Japanese creativity and craftsmanship.
With wider pavements and more traffic-free streets, we’re excited to check out the capital’s new al fresco drinking and dining hot spots. Don’t miss a visit to Chelsea’s Pavilion Road, home to some of London’s finest gourmet specialists and artisan shops. We recommend The Sea The Sea’s outdoor terrace, which will be serving up a seasonal menu of small plates and seafood platters from April 12. Further north, take a trip to Exmouth Market in Clerkenwell. Make sure you visit Morito, (below) a tapas and meze bar and one of our personal favourites. It’s now possible to dine outdoors, so make sure you book your table to secure a spot.
Images: 45 Jermyn Street; Morito
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Culture Fix
With the welcome news that commercial galleries can reopen from this week, here is a selection of the best exhibitions to visit across the UK. For those of you in London, don’t miss the second chance to catch The Gee’s Bend Quiltmakers at Alison Jacques Gallery, which opened just before the most recent lockdown. The first solo exhibition in Europe devoted to three generations of women artists living in Gee’s Bend, Alabama, this impressive survey spans over 100 years of quilt making, celebrating African American artists from the Southern states and shining a spotlight on their contributions to this crucial chapter in the history of American art.
Image: Alison Jacques Gallery
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Fred Baier had a lifelong approach to furniture-making, exploring the relationships between geometry and function, making and concept, and marrying technical innovation with a conceptual approach to production. Discover the impressive oeuvre of the British furniture designer throughout the course of his long career in the New Art Centre’s exhibition, Fred Baier: form swallows function, on until 3 May. The gallery’s indoor spaces reopen from 12 April, but for those who prefer to stay outdoors, the galleries are designed so that work exhibited can be enjoyed from the outside too.
Image: New Art Centre
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From 26 April, residents of Scotland will be able to visit Archie Brennan: Tapestry Goes Pop! at Dovecot Studios in Edinburgh. The exhibition tells the story of Edinburgh native Archie Brennan in the first major showcase of his work. Bringing together over 80 tapestries as well as archive material, this is a chance to delve into the world of a master of modern tapestry.
Image: Dovecot Studios
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In Bruton, Somerset, Make Hauser & Wirth presents Antipode, a group exhibition featuring Akiko Hirai, Studio MC (Jessica Coates and Michel Müller), Adi Toch and Andrea Walsh. As the title suggests, Antipode explores the opposing outcomes and unexpected counterpoints that surface through each maker’s intimate understanding of their material and the conceptual exploration of the vessel. Expect works that stretch the traditional boundaries of metal, clay and glass, intuitively referencing the functional and sculptural within each maker’s practice.
Image: Make Hauser & Wirth
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