Last Updated on August 16, 2026

Affordable four-star hotel in a central location

From my 20th-floor room at Aloft By Marriott, I not only had a bird’s-eye view over parts of Manchester, but I could also appreciate the juxtaposition of the old and the new. Much has been written about the regeneration of this city, and visitors cannot fail to notice the constant presence of cranes and the proliferation of skyscrapers. The 22-floor hotel is itself dwarfed by the 47-story-high Beetham Tower alongside. From my windows, I also saw the remains of the Industrial Revolution, which took root in Manchester –  old railway arches, disused Victorian buildings and canals where barges once transported cotton to the mills of this city.

Aloft By Marriott is located in an area called Deansgate, which gleams in the distance from wherever you are in central Manchester. The tall, glass buildings reminded me of Canary Wharf in London, which suddenly seemed to appear a few decades ago. Yet this area of Manchester is also filled with old buildings and has a long cultural history. A couple of minutes’ walk from the hotel, I found Hacienda Apartments. Those who know their musical history will appreciate that this is where the famous Hacienda Club once stood, where Manchester’s acid house and rave scene developed in the late 1980s.

A little further on, I visited The Peveril in the Peak, voted by Time Out as the best pub in the UK, built around 1820, with its original Victorian features all intact. It was a fine spot to enjoy a pint on a hot Friday evening, sitting on an outdoor bench, leaning against its old, yellow and green tiles. The landlady of The Pev, as it is known affectionately by Mancunians, is a woman in her 90s, and she still lives above the pub. Sadly, I caught no sight of the legendary Nancy Swanick.

Aloft in Manchester is a new hotel – it opened in mid-June – and it was striking not only for its central location but also for how affordable it was. A four-star hotel with a well-equipped fitness room, a restaurant (yet to open) and a filling breakfast offers prices that made this Londoner gasp. On a Sunday night, visitors could get a room for £62. Add on a tenner and two people could have breakfast included. The hotel is brilliantly located for public transport, being situated almost above Deansgate Station and on a central road plied by Manchester’s yellow Bee Network buses.

My experience began with a friendly welcome at Reception, after which I caught my breath in the lobby, having enjoyed a 20-minute walk from Manchester Piccadilly station. The wall-sized mural of a steam train was apt since part of the hotel is set into an old railway arch. There was an eye-catching and mesmerising light installation, a sculptural series of interconnecting hoops that changed colour.

The idea of the Aloft By Marriott brand is to provide a tech-forward experience with social spaces rather than upmarket luxury facilities. Alongside the lobby is the W XYZ Bar that serves signature cocktails and craft drinks. There is also a small Re: fuel area where guests can purchase drinks and snacks, as well as a games room with a pool table and a few board games. While I do not have a pet, those who wish to travel with theirs can do so as part of the hotel’s pet-friendly ARF program.

On checking in to the Deluxe King Room, I found a spacious area decorated in a minimalist manner with a comfy bed, hanging space and drawers, two small side tables and chairs. The bathroom was small yet had a well-sized rain shower. The rooms are referred to as lofts, which is slightly confusing if you are expecting a New York-type loft experience. The colour palette was muted – taupe, grey and charcoal – which gave a somewhat austere effect, lightened with a pop of colour behind the bed where there was an attractive assemblage of framed prints all relating to Manchester.  

A rug would have warmed up the space well, but I expect that costs are being kept down by keeping the furnishings simple. At this price point, there can be no complaints. This is not the sort of hotel where you will find gowns and slippers or Nespresso machines, but it is the sort of hotel that is comfortable, affordable and is within walking distance to much of what you might want to see in the city. In addition, there is a sizeable breakfast room where a buffet selection includes the Full English along with continental offerings such as viennoiserie, cheese and charcuterie.

We spent three days walking the length and breadth of Manchester from Aloft By Marriott, feeling no need for the public transport so easily available alongside the hotel. There is a lot to see very close by. The AVIVA Centre is located on a canal and in its cavernous space we enjoyed a thought-provoking exhibition of Ai Weiwei’s installations.

On another day we walked a half hour to the Whitworth Gallery where we saw an excellent exhibition of Japanese prints by Hokusai and Hiroshige. Don’t miss having tea or lunch in the stunning extension that houses the restaurant. A long glass box is set into a park and must surely be one of the most beautiful locations for a museum restaurant in the UK.

We ate very well during our stay at Aloft By Marriott – all within walking distance of the hotel. Indian street food at Bundobust, really tasty Thai at Exhibition, and a wholesome bowl of ramen at New Wave Ramen. On a previous visit, we headed to the regenerated neighbourhood of Ancoats for a rather splendid tasting menu at the Michelin-starred Mana, the chef having trained at Noma.

Manchester is a fascinating city where visitors can trace the history of the city with its restored mills, now housing apartments and restaurants, and the red-brick towers that evoke the Victorian era during which the city flourished.  These are now cheek by jowl with 21st-century architecture and the vibrancy of a multi-cultural hub in a city flourishing once again. Aloft By Marriott is a hotel in the centre of the action that offers excellent value for money. On the weekend of our visit, Manchester was hosting Megacon 2026. Sharing a lift with a few elves and creatures from the gaming world on their way to the nearby convention centre was a magical start to the day.

FACT BOX

Our travel to Manchester was gifted by Avanti West Coast trains, which travel from London Euston to Manchester Piccadilly in just over 2 hours. Our Premium Economy Seats (travellers can buy a £40 upgrade on a standard ticket while on the train) provided us with a guaranteed table and plugs so that it is convenient to work on a laptop while travelling. The seats are more comfortable than in standard class and offer more legroom. First class seats are also available on the train, and at this level, food and beverages are included in the ticket price.

Aloft By Marriott, 325 Deansgate, M3 4LQ Manchester

Avanti West Coast trains can be booked online.

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Last Updated on August 15, 2026

A delightful Afternoon Tea at Dalloway Terrace in The Bloomsbury Hotel

Dalloway Terrace at The Bloomsbury Hotel is a great venue to take time out and indulge in a relaxing afternoon tea. Set back from the bustle and noise of Tottenham Court Road and Oxford Street, Dalloway Terrace is an oasis of calm, a delightful alfresco venue with outdoor seating under an awning with summery, floral decorations.

We visited the Dalloway Terrace for afternoon tea on a warm sunny afternoon. Glasses of Nyetimber Rosé MV, a sparkling wine from Sussex, were welcome after our journey into town. Light and refreshing, Nyetimber is always a good choice to begin a meal; we happily sipped whilst we tried to decide on a tea to accompany the afternoon tea.

The extensive tea menu, put together in collaboration with Ronnefeldt Tea, covered everything from black to white and green tea, as well as a good selection of herbal teas.

After deliberation and consultation with our friendly waiter, I decided on Pai Mutan melon, a white tea with a light and smooth flavour. My daughter opted for a herbal Verbena tea; it was delicate and light with a hint of citrus.

We had worked up an appetite; the arrival of the savoury elements was a great way to start. Individual plates contained a selection of sandwiches, a small poached salmon tart, and a dainty devilled egg mayonnaise-filled brioche bun. 

A cucumber sandwich is a staple of afternoon tea; the version at the Dalloway Terrace was a great example of this classic. The bread was soft and fresh, with the cream cheese adding more flavour to the sandwich. The free-range chicken and lovage sandwich with pesto mayonnaise went down a treat, so much so that when we were offered more, we couldn’t say no.

The arrival of the cake stand is always a highlight during an afternoon tea. With our teas refreshed, we were ready for something sweet.

Small scones were on the bottom layer, wrapped in a napkin and topped with two chocolate madeleines. The scones were a good size and well cooked; the raisin scone was lacking in raisins; we felt there weren’t enough to make a difference.

The scones came served with pots of clotted cream and homemade strawberry and gooseberry jam. I loved the jam; the combination of the gooseberries’ tartness and the strawberries’ sweetness worked really well. The chocolate madeleines were soft delicious and moreish.

Our waitress had helpfully described the pastries and recommended that we eat in an order starting with the cube of raspberry and lemon mousse and ending with the heather honey cake, the strongest sweet pastry.

The tiny cube of raspberry and lemon mousse was very tart, acting as a palate cleanser. My daughter thought it was delightful; I found it overly tart.

We moved on to the tiny tartlet of peach and tonka. The pastry was well cooked with a peach filling and smooth tonka topping. It was light with a delicate peach flavour.

Next, a juniper and blackberry éclair. A good-sized choux pastry éclair filled and topped with a smooth blackberry cream.

Lastly, the heather honey cake, a small, layered opera cake with a sweet honey taste. This was my favourite pastry, and an excellent end to the afternoon.

We enjoyed our afternoon tea experience and would happily revisit the Dalloway Terrace again. The service was excellent, and the afternoon tea is reasonably priced for one in a hotel in London.

With themed afternoon teas changing on a regular basis, the Dalloway Terrace is a delightful venue for a leisurely afternoon tea. Its location close to Tottenham Court Road Underground station is ideal for a great afternoon tea during a day out shopping or a pre-theatre treat. During the cooler months, there are heaters on the terrace so guests can enjoy this experience at any time of the year.

Afternoon Tea costs £55.00 per person, £70 including a glass of champagne. Vegan and children’s afternoon menus are also available.

Afternoon tea is available daily, weekdays 12 pm – 4.00 pm, weekends 11.00 am – 4.00 pm.

Dalloway Terrace at The Bloomsbury, 16-22 Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3NN

Tel: 0207 347 1221

For more information and to make your reservation, visit Dalloway Terrace

Check out our best of British restaurants- tried and tested

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Last Updated on August 14, 2026

Shellfish platter of dreams

At this time of year, when the mid-summer heat and long languid evenings are in full swing, my mind turns to shellfish. A plateau de fruits de mer holds a wealth of memories from my first visits to Paris in my 20s, to a towering display in Nice when I was pregnant (and couldn’t eat much of it), to cycling holidays with the kids on Ile de Ré where we often spent our summer holidays, stopping at seaside oyster shacks to refuel with briny morsels. It is the dish of celebrations – many a birthday commencing with a visit to the fishmonger and concluding with a shellfish platter constructed back home.

It is the most convivial dish – best eaten with a group of friends or family, everyone helping themselves, minimal cooking required, something for everyone’s tastes, and lots of fun. Even better washed down with a glass of something white and crisp, a Rosé, or why not push the boat out for champagne? All these memories came flooding back when I was invited to Faber, a seafood restaurant in Hammersmith.

While exiting the underground at Hammersmith is not quite Paris, nor Nice or the French seaside, I enjoyed Faber’s relaxed and elegant space, neutral colours adding to a calm vibe. There is a glass wall overlooking the street so the restaurant is filled with natural light. It was packed on a Monday night. I was delighted to have been invited to try the Shoreline Showcase, a £500 shellfish platter. I know, I had to read that twice, too. The idea is that you bring a group of five or six people and tuck in.

Sustainability is essential to the owner’s philosophy, as is using local produce. The oysters are Maldon, while the fish is caught by their partner fishing fleet. All the other ingredients are British. Their website has a map of the UK with 33 of their suppliers. Such is the determination to use only British products that they sourced chillis from Pembrokeshire to create a spicy sauce to serve with the oysters. You will not find Tabasco here.

Shellfish is big news at Faber, where 40 000 oysters are sold annually. On the menu, you will find a sharing oyster platter where 100 oysters (£320) include dressings of crispy wild garlic and ranch dressing, apple and Chapel Down granita, and Pembrokeshire Chilli Farm hot sauce. There are also naked oysters with mignonette.  The platter includes caviar, and Digby Sparkling wine is served.

The evening kicked off with well-chilled Digby Blanc de Blanc Brut, most refreshing on a hot night. Those gathered at our table all eagerly anticipated the feast to come. And it was a feast. An enormous, tiered tray arrived, eliciting gasps and applause.

There were Maldon oysters – naked and dressed with the same outfits as described above for the oyster platter; a colourful Lynn lobster and spring onion salad with croutons was served in the tail shell; Dorset cock crab and cracked claws were plentiful and fabulously fresh and sweet; Dorset cockles were briny, and palourde clams were as plump and sweet as the St Austell mussels, Devon diver scallops were served in a shell with asparagus – a great combination, being green and vegetal with a hint of heat, horseradish and soy.

A bowl of tender and spicy Cornish octopus teriyaki skewers was glazed with miso and chilli oil. There were two types of King’s caviar (Golden Oscietra and Imperial) served with crisps. Keta roe was served in a parsley oil with crème fraiche. There was a crab tartare and salmon sashimi with horseradish cream.

We ate, slurped, and winkled out crab meat – one of my favourite activities – that was sweet and very fresh. We dipped crab into mayo that was green with wild garlic oil. All this shellfish needed good bread, and we were served a very fine Coombeshead sourdough.

By the end of the meal our plates were piled high with shells. We had enjoyed an absolute blast of a treat. Bring a group, come hungry and tuck into a feast of the sea. If you want to try the Shoreline Showcase, pre-order ahead (48 hours). The menu at Faber is not exclusively shellfish, and while I have not yet had the opportunity to sample the other items – mostly fish – I can report that the à la carte menu changes according to what has just landed, and there is a daily landings board where the morning’s catch is served. If you would like to enjoy a smaller shellfish platter, there is one on offer for two people for £95.

Faber, 206 Hammersmith Road, London W6 7DH

Tel: 0208 1619800

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Last Updated on August 16, 2026

Esa-Pekka Salonen conducts a vibrant young group of musicians

If someone asked you what to expect from a programme called 20th Century Classics, what would you pick? I’d definitely include some Stravinsky, with The Rite of Spring the obvious choice. How about a bit of Shostakovich, or Messiaen’s Turangalîla-Symphonie? For something a little more playful, perhaps Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from West Side Story. Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra would be another obvious contender.

But what about the Second Viennese School? Maybe Berg’s Three Pieces for Orchestra or Schoenberg’s Five Pieces for Orchestra. And, of course, there is so much more. Classical music evolved extraordinarily quickly during the 20th century, branching out in radically different directions and challenging almost every convention along the way.

Whoever programmed Monday’s 20th Century Classics Prom created a phenomenal showcase for that night’s orchestra: the combined forces of the Juilliard Orchestra and the Royal Academy of Music Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen and joined by violinist Vilde Frang. Perhaps the music was deliberately chosen to allow these brilliant young players to have their moment. In Igor Stravinsky’s Symphony in Three Movements, there was some wonderful playing from Dohyun Lee at the piano, complementing the vigorous, rhythmically precise strings led by Katya Moeller.

Next came Berg’s Violin Concerto, with the young Norwegian violinist Vilde Frang as soloist. In a delicate and sensitive performance, she engaged brilliantly with the orchestra, turning to play in dialogue with each section as appropriate.

The highlight of the evening of 20th Century Classics for me, though, was Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra. It is a powerful work that illustrated the immaculate ensemble playing of this specially assembled group. Shimmering upper strings in the first movement interrupted the powerful cello and viola opening, with compelling, declamatory brass weaving through the music. The second movement saw pairs of instruments creating a mosaic of sounds. The poignant slow movement led into the Interrupted Intermezzo, full of pastiche and humour. The Finale is a brilliant dance: a whirlwind of sound displaying the virtuosity of these exceptional young players.

A joyful, fast-and-furious performance of the Galop from Stravinsky’s Suite No. 2, played by the whole orchestra, brought the evening to a close. We drifted out into the summer warmth of London feeling optimistic about the future of classical music, as represented by this talented young ensemble. Would I have picked this particular programme? My own ‘perfect 20th Century Classics’ would have kept the Bartók but given the audience a different experience in the first half. But then we might have missed the brilliance of musical communicator Vilde Frang, whose violin playing offered a ready international language and the opportunity to showcase a young pianist and harpist in the Stravinsky. It’s an evening of music that’s worth listening to – and with BBC Sounds we all have that opportunity.

Listen to Esa-Pekka Salonen conducting Stravinsky, Berg and Bartók on BBC Sounds.

For more 2026 Proms, check the programme here

BBC Proms 2026
Royal Albert Hall
Kensington Gore,
South Kensington,
London SW7 2AP

Looking for another 20th Century Classic? Check our review of CATS, currently showing at the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre

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Last Updated on August 13, 2026

Four-star elegance near the Eiffel Tower

Located in the upmarket 7^th arrondissement, the four-star Inwood Hotel La Bourdonnais is a short walk from the Eiffel Tower and a host of museums and boutiques that make a great weekend getaway to Paris. Its name derives from the street on which it is situated, which honours the explorer Bertrand-François Mahé de la Bourdonnais, an eighteenth-century mariner and explorer. The hotel that bears his name is a homage to the spirit of adventure of his time, when ships set off on voyages of discovery. This is reflected in plush interiors, with warm colours and rich fabrics, plus an eclectic mix of objects from globes, old books and ceramics.

The hotel boasts a central location and is very close to a metro station. Once installed at La Bourdonnais, we went everywhere on foot.  There are many top tourist sights in the neighbourhood. The Eiffel Tower was a few minutes’ walk from the hotel, so close in fact that the north-east side of the tower closest to the hotel is called La Bourdonnais. Within a few minutes’ walk, we reached the Seine, where we walked for miles along the quais through the neighbourhoods of Paris.

We had come to Paris to see the blockbuster Matisse exhibition at the Grand Palais, which was an enjoyable 30-minute walk from the hotel. This Belle Epoque building served as an exhibition venue during the 1900 Universal Exposition. It was closed for several years for restoration and finally reopened in 2025. It now hosts a top-drawer selection of temporary exhibitions in its vast galleries, and in winter, there is a beautiful ice rink where skaters can experience the magnificent glass ceiling.

Not to be missed in the 7^th arrondissement is the Rodin Museum, where visitors can enjoy Rodin’s studio as well as the sculpture garden where The Thinker sits. Musée du Quai Branly is also nearby, with an extensive collection of indigenous art from Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas. It also has a beautiful garden and restaurant. Military enthusiasts will enjoy Les Invalides, which houses the military museum of France, and where visitors will find the tomb of Napoleon.

Once you have had your fill of museums, the 7^th arrondissement is a haven for food lovers. Don’t miss a visit to Le Bon Marché, which is a food hall of dreams. Imagine the best of Harrods and Selfridges food halls and then transpose that to Paris. The neighbourhood around La Bourdonnais is jam-packed with eateries, but I would advise strolling down rue Saint-Dominique, which is particularly well-endowed with restaurants, from the Michelin-starred Le Violon d’Ingres, where we ate a celebratory dinner, to less expensive eateries and a particularly impressive array of top-quality patisseries, including Pierre Hermé. Browse, eat, and enjoy the gorgeous clothing boutiques on this street.

Returning to La Bourdonnais in the evening, we found a convivial atmosphere in the area, which was lively at night with bars and restaurants aplenty. Being so close to the Eiffel Tower, we strolled up to the Champs de Mars park, which was packed at 11 pm on a hot summer night, families and groups all out to enjoy the hot weather and the spectacle of the illuminated tower that scintillates on the hour.

The hotel has its own cocktail and spirits bar, Minuit Express, which was closed for a private party on the night we stayed, but a glimpse the next morning revealed an inviting set of rooms with plush furnishings, the perfect place for a rendez-vous.  

Our Executive room on the 6^th floor had street-facing windows from where we could see the Eiffel Tower. Parisian hotel rooms are often bijoux, but this one was spacious. The décor was luxurious with thick piled carpet and shades of straw, beige and gold, with abstract animal motifs on the headboard and leather tiles up the accent wall. It was elegant without being flashy. The air conditioning was excellent, which has become an essential feature during the repeated heatwaves that the city is experiencing during the summers. The gold theme continued in the bathroom, where marble panels were trimmed with gold.

The lounge alongside the lobby was a welcoming and elegant space to return to after a day out in the city. Comfortable seating areas with plush chairs and sofas. Bolsters were covered in peacock fabric; ceiling mirrors reflected side tables that held attractive lamps and paraphernalia of adventure – a globe, ostrich egg, old books, and a nostalgia-inducing old-fashioned telephone – you have to be a certain vintage to remember these. Iced water and iced tea were particularly welcome as we arrived back rather overheated.

Breakfast set us up well for another day of sightseeing. It was served in the front area of the bar, and we took a seat by the window, which afforded us a great spot for people watching while we tucked into the buffet fare with its selection of fruit, yoghurts, cereals, charcuterie and cheese, boiled eggs, breads and viennoiserie.

La Bourdonnais is a boutique, 4-star hotel with an enviable location in the heart of Paris. The neighbourhood has a number of the capital’s star tourist sights along with lovely quiet streets filled with boutiques, bars, cafes and restaurants. The hotel’s central position makes it easy to get around on foot, which is the best way to explore the city. Gazing up at the illuminated Eiffel Tower in the evenings, you will feel the pulse and magic of the city, no matter whether you are visiting for the first time or are a frequent visitor.

Hôtel La Bourdonnais, 111-113 Avenue de La Bourdonnais, Paris 75007

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Last Updated on August 12, 2026

Nostalgic Pub Food in Covent Garden

Covent Garden Market has as many bars and restaurants as shops these days, and lurking at one end of the lower courtyard is Mr Fogg’s Market Tavern. It’s dark and intimate inside with hidey-hole booth seating; one might almost be inside the galleon of a pirate ship. 

It was my first time in a Mr Fogg’s; they have around half a dozen venues in central London, each one themed on Phileas Fogg’s Victorian-era travels in the Jules Verne novel Around the World in Eighty Days. This Covent Garden branch pays homage to Ireland, in honour of Mr Fogg’s stop in Queenstown (now Cobh) in County Cork. There are a few nods to the novel inside, an audio track narrating the book in the loo, and a cocktail named after Fogg’s valet Passepartout. 

We visited on a quiet midweek summer evening, although I am making a mental note to bring back various friends and relatives who gravitate to Covent Garden whenever in London. It can be such a bind to feed and water out-of-town visitors determined to hang out in the West End when they’ve not pre-booked, but I think I’ve now found a tucked-away, yet central place to take them. 

The evening menu we ordered from is much simpler than the broader selection of mains offered in the day. By night there’s basically fish and chips, more chips with various toppings and sauces, plus a selection of small plate dishes almost devoid of vegetable matter unless you opt for Caesar salad (Portobello mushrooms on the website were not on the table menu). In for a penny, out for a pound, this wasn’t going to be the most nutritionally responsible supper, but certainly food you might crave after several drinks with the convenience of not needing to go anywhere else.

My first drink was a pineapple-flavoured Pirate Punch served in a half pint beer mug. If you order four to share, the various punches are served in larger Toby-style character jugs. This was a refreshing drink that didn’t seem overly alcoholic despite featuring two types of rum. My husband, who didn’t yet get my Guinness memo, went rogue ordering beer whilst I was off exploring the dark corridors and private table spaces nearby.

Styled as a deep cellar dockside pub, Market Tavern was rather charming. For whilst it apes a crusty old sailor’s boozer, it was spotlessly clean and smart. We were seated at one end of the Guinness saloon, close to a wooden Guinness counter displaying how many pints of the brown stuff have been served. Every thousandth pint is rewarded with a complimentary round; for the 10,000th, it gets more exciting: an all-expenses-paid trip to Dublin to visit the Guinness brewery itself. Only open since late July, they’re already on 1192.

The focal point of the evening menu is Fish and Chips, available in two sizes. We ordered the small one and found it a sensible size. We were pleased by the texture of the peas and tartare sauce, noticeably better than run-of-the-mill versions found in some pubs. The haddock was a good ratio to the crispy beer batter. Alongside we had Irish Spice Bag dip, inspired by the modern Chinese-Irish takeaway favourite of chips shaken in a bag with a seasoning mix. The dip is similar to a fruity HP sauce but with more texture and less sharpness. 

The oval tin plates added to the 19th-century vibe, as did much of the ephemera and trinkets on nearby shelves. It reminded me of my Victoriana-obsessed grandmother’s house; she’d have loved the wooden captain’s armchairs, lanterns and pewter.

The Irish Spice Bag dip came in handy with the Mac & Cheese Bites. These came with a bright red Bloody Mary sauce which I found a bit sour. The breadcrumbed hunks of macaroni were as big as plums and went very well with the fruity Irish Spice Bag dip.

Our other small plate was Mini Pie’n’ Mash, a steak and ale pie with a comforting dollop of smooth mashed potato in a pool of dark gravy. The pastry was pleasingly suet-y, and the meaty chunks were tender. The small plate version would be good by itself if you’re watching portion sizes or it was getting too late to eat much, but if you’re especially keen, it wouldn’t be overly piggish to order two. 

The small plates are offered individually or on a deal in threes. We felt that three between two people was only enough if you were full of Guinness; someone with a bigger appetite might tackle three by themselves, so it was kind of hard to judge up front whether you’re over- or under-ordering – such is the ambiguity of any small plates menu. As it was, our fish and chips plus two small plates was a sensible quantity for us.

I might have managed dessert, but instead we savoured our drinks. In any case, they only do ice cream at night, although there was more choice in the day or on Sundays alongside roast dinners.

For our second drinks, we picked a half of Guinness for my husband and an Elskling cocktail for me. Comprising gin, elderflower, lavender, apple, lime and peach bitters, I’d take issue with the menu description of “delicate”; it was flipping punchy. I was wild about the sparky flavour, cloudy-gold colour and presentation in a Nick and Nora glass; I wish I’d had it first as the perfect appetite sharpener. If I were still attending language classes at nearby City Lit, I fear I might develop a bad habit of falling into Mr Fogg’s straight afterwards for one of these on my way home.  

My husband and I reflected that Mr Fogg’s Market Tavern reminded us of the type of place we used to drink in, mostly standing up, with friends in the 90s and that it served the kind of food we’d have merrily gobbled up had it been available then. I realised by the time we left that it had once been a Davy’s Wine Bar, and I had surely been here before. 

So, if you come to Mr Fogg’s Market Tavern in the evening, I wouldn’t make it your destination for a three-course sit-down meal. However, if you want something quickly hearty before a show nearby, or to socialise with friends and scoff something after a couple of drinks, it will hit the spot. The prices are very reasonable and the food noticeably better than more obvious pub-chain alternatives. For somewhere so central and lively, it’s intimately tucked away. Worth remembering. 

Mr Fogg’s Market Tavern
Lower Ground
The Piazza
27 The Market
London
WC2E 8RD

Tel: 020 7095 0361

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Last Updated on August 11, 2026

An Exciting Line-Up of Operas for the Autumn

The London Opera Season for 2026–27 is framed by the chill wind of cuts at the Royal Opera House, with the loss of 64 jobs. On the back of the Arts Council cuts to Glyndebourne’s touring funding and Welsh National Opera, as well as the reshaping of English National Opera as a two-city company, let’s hope that the new government’s 10-year plan includes some sustainable funding for opera.

The Royal Opera

Despite the upheaval, The Royal Opera enters the new season with a sense of creative confidence. There is a new Parsifal, the final instalment of Barrie Kosky’s Ring cycle with Götterdämmerung, and a solid selection of classics beyond the two Wagner productions.

Main Stage Royal Opera

Don Giovanni
10 September–15 October 2026

Kasper Holten’s 2014 production of Mozart’s exploration of the world of the amoral Don G returns for its fourth revival. We said, “I really enjoyed Kasper Holten’s take on Don Giovanni. It’s a production with some … terrific dramatic moments. Don Giovanni becomes an existential hero who owns his fate, taking responsibility if not seeking penance for his sins.” With a strong cast that includes Gordon Bintner as Don Giovanni, Roberto Tagliavini as Leporello, Aigul Akhmetshina as Donna Elvira, Bogdan Volkov as Don Ottavio and Rachel Willis-Sørensen as Donna Anna, this will be a hot ticket. See our review.

Alcina
15 September–3 October 2026

Handel dominated the London opera scene in his lifetime, with many of his productions staged at the Covent Garden site. It is completely fitting that The Royal Opera continues to mine this rich seam of repertory with a return of Richard Jones’ Olivier Award-winning production starring soprano Lisette Oropesa, mezzo-soprano Emily D’Angelo and soprano Mary Bevan. We said, “Whilst there are lots of lovely moments, Jones’ postmodern take on Alcina doesn’t quite resonate with the underlying structures that seem to demand a more unified approach.” See our review.

Parsifal
1–17 October 2026

Evgeny Titov’s new production of Parsifal, Wagner’s final opera, has been described as being “bold, dreamlike and disturbing.” With Jakub Hrůša in the pit and a stellar cast including Stanislas de Barbeyrac, Ekaterina Gubanova, Christian Gerhaher and Brindley Sherratt, be prepared to fight to get a ticket!

Carmen
29 October–21 November 2026

After last year’s triumphant Damiano Michieletto production of Bizet’s classic opera with Russian mezzo-soprano Aigul Akhmetshina and Freddie di Tommaso starring, this year it is the turn of Italian-American mezzo-soprano Ginger Costa-Jackson to take on the title role with Russell Thomas as Don José. Costa-Jackson is no stranger to the role, having performed it at the Hamburg State Opera, Shenzhen Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège, Vancouver Opera, Manitoba Opera, English National Opera and the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, so she should be on top of it! We described the staging as “innovative and entrancing.” See our review.

Un ballo in maschera
30 November–18 December 2026

A surreal new production of Verdi’s political drama Un ballo in maschera, directed by Philipp Stölzl, has Jakub Hrůša conducting and features Charles Castronovo, Malin Byström, Aleksei Isaev, Anita Rachvelishvili, and Kseniia Nikolaieva in the leading roles.

The Magic Flute
13 December 2026–17 February 2027

David McVicar’s classic production of Mozart’s The Magic Flute is back with Dalia Stasevska and Julia Jones conducting. We said, “this production still delights; it has retained its magic for me, and added a layer of intellectual intrigue.” See our review.

Götterdämmerung
21 January–7 February 2027

Barrie Kosky’s Götterdämmerung, the final opera of Wagner’s epic Ring cycle and probably the season highlight, is located “in a contemporary world of dream-like turmoil.” Antonio Pappano conducts with a cast that includes Elisabet Strid, Andreas Schager and Mika Kares. We’ve reviewed some of the previous Kosky Ring Cycle and are anticipating another sell-out production! If you want a taste of what’s to come, check out our feature on Rheingold.

In parallel to the main house, the Linbury Theatre continues to function as a laboratory for smaller-scale and contemporary work.

Linbury Theatre

4.48 Psychosis
17–25 October 2026

We enjoyed director Ted Huffman’s “powerful if bleak” recent new production of Tosca at Glyndebourne. His take on Philip Venables’s operatic adaptation of Sarah Kane’s visceral play 4.48 Psychosis debuts on the Linbury Stage with Naomi Woo conducting. I’ll be there!

Good Sometimes Queen
23–29 January 2027

Lotte Betts-Dean and Jennifer France star in Brett Dean’s two dramatic song cycles in a new staging by Ola Ince that explore “the fates of Mary, Queen of Scots and Shakespeare’s Ophelia”. With the Doric String Quartet providing accompaniment, this is selling fast!
Tickets and information regarding the Royal Opera are available here.

Royal Opera House, Bow Street, London, WC2E 9DD

English National Opera at the London Coliseum

Arts Council England and ENO have created a new business model for the company, with a new base in Manchester, while continuing to own, manage, and produce work at the London Coliseum. As well as creating a regional presence for the company, ENO’s Artistic Director Annilese Miskimmon has created a season that features four operas by contemporary female composers to try to redress the gender inequalities in the art form.

The season opens in London with Angel’s Bone in October 2026, and includes Tosca, La Traviata, Iphigénie en Tauride, Trial by Jury paired with The Zoo, and Breaking the Waves, delivering a blend of new work with classics.
 
Angel’s Bone
16 – 31 October

Grammy-nominated composer Du Yun and librettist Royce Vavrek’s Pulitzer Prize-winning opera Angel’s Bone “combines genres and musical styles into a story of exploitation, as a struggling couple imprison two wounded angels for their own gain.” Starring Scottish mezzo-soprano Allison Cook and British baritone Rodney Earl Clarke with the Kantos Chamber Choir and the Orchestra of ENO, this is a must-see for fans of contemporary opera.

Tosca
30 October – 11 December
Annilese Miskimmon’s new production features Grammy Award winner Axelle Fanyo as Tosca, Chaz’men Williams-Ali as her lover Cavaradossi and Christopher Purves, a brilliant Alberich in the Royal Opera’s Das Rheingold, as the evil Scarpia. Ben Glassberg conducts after his successful La bohème in 2022. Miskimmon has located the opera in a “concert hall in an unidentified European state overtaken by civil conflict.”

Iphigénie en Tauride
6 – 14 November
Gluck’s Iphigénie en Tauride comes to the ENO for the first time in a new production by Olivier Award-winning director Lyndsey Turner, performed in its original French. An excellent cast features Christine Rice as Iphigénie and Jacques Imbrailo as her brother Oreste. With Baroque specialist David Bates conducting and making his ENO debut, this is one for fans of early music.

Adriana Mater
28 November – 12 December

Kaija Saariaho’s opera, Adriana Mater, is a collaboration between Saariaho and the writer and war correspondent Amin Maalouf in an “exploration of resilience, healing, and what it means to be free.” The score brings together traditional orchestration with electronics, and with ENO’s Music Director Designate André de Ridder collaborating with Annilese Miskimmon on the new production, it may well be a precursor of ENO’s new artistic trajectory.

Making her ENO debut in the title role is Kristina Stanek, with Caspar Singh bringing his affecting tenor voice to the role of Adriana’s son, Yonas. We loved Leigh Melrose’s Alberich in The Rhinegold, and in this production he takes on the role of the militia leader, Tsargo.

To Die For [A Comedy]
29 November

British-Russian composer Elena Langer’s subversive black farce is a “witty satire of celebrity obsession” and, in a collaboration with the Nederlandse Reisopera, the ENO presents its UK premiere for one night only.

Originally commissioned by the Stanislavsky Theatre in Moscow, the opera was cancelled after the invasion of Ukraine, deemed insufficiently patriotic.

Directing is Sam Brown, Artistic Director of the Nederlandse Reisopera, and conducting is English conductor Adrian Kelly, Artistic Director of the Buxton International Festival.
 
Tickets and information regarding the ENO are available here.

London Coliseum, St Martin’s Lane, London WC2N 4ES

English Touring Opera at the Hackney Empire

ETO are back at their Hackney Empire London base with a couple of interesting-looking productions.

Orpheus & Eurydice
16 October

Director Jenny Ogilvie’s take on the classic Orpheus & Eurydice myth has a new orchestration from composer Leo Grant, with William Morgan and Galina Averina in the title roles

Dido and Aeneas/Ariadne
17 October

A double bill telling the tale of two abandoned women featuring Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas and Elena Langer’s new Ariadne and starring Samantha Price and Jessica Cale. Bring your hankies!

Tickets and information regarding the ETO are available here

Hackney Empire, 291 Mare St, London, E8 1EJ

Glyndebourne Autumn Season

Glyndebourne is in East Sussex rather than London, but because it is so close, we like to include the autumn season in our round-up! It’s a great way to have some of the Glyndebourne experience at a much reduced price. The autumn season runs from 14 October to 13 December with revivals of Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro and Rossini’s The Barber of Seville. Glyndebourne is also presenting the world premiere of Spark, a new youth opera by composer Lucy Armstrong and librettist Olivia Bell.

The Marriage of Figaro
14 October – 08 November

We really enjoyed director Mariame Clément’s Figaro last summer, with the French director being the first woman to direct the opera at Glyndebourne. Conductor Bertie Baigent leads a fresh team of singers for this outing of the opera with four season debuts. Prize-winning Uzbekistani bass Jasurbek Khaydarov is in the title role; Chinese soprano Mei Gui Zhang plays Susanna. American soprano Olivia Boen sings the Countess with Russian baritone Anton Beliaev as the Count.

We said, “With elegantly designed revolving sets that guide the audience from chamber to garden, the production offers a visually rich, room-by-room journey that stays true to tradition. In an era of constant reinvention, this faithful approach feels surprisingly fresh.”

See our review.

The Barber of Seville
15 October – 07 November

Last year’s revival of Annabel Arden’s 2016 production with director Sinéad O’Neill at the helm “hit the operatic sweet spot.”

This production has Chinese mezzo Hongni Wu as Rosina, Dr Bartolo sung by Italian baritone Fabio Capitanucci, Chinese tenor Anle Gou as Count Almaviva and Catalan baritone Lluis Calvet i Pey as Figaro. Watch out for Irish soprano Ailish Tynan who returns as housekeeper Berta!

We said “a cast and band singing and playing their socks off and clearly having fun with a production that has found its feet.”
See our review.

Spark
14 – 15 November

Directed by Fiona Dunn, Spark is a “heartwarming tale of loss, friendship and keeping the spark of imagination alive.” For this world premiere by composer Lucy Armstrong and librettist Olivia Bell, professional soloists and the Glyndebourne Sinfonia are joined by the Glyndebourne Youth Opera.

Glyndebourne, Lewes, East Sussex, BN8 5UU

Tickets and information regarding the Glyndebourne Autumn Season
are available here.

Waterperry Opera Festival at Wilton’s Music Hall

The Elixir of Love
8 – 19 September

John Wilkie’s new English adaptation of the Donizetti favourite stars Madeline Robinson as Adina, Xavier Hetherington as Nemorino, Matthew Kellett as Dulcamara, James Geidt as Belcore and Maria Wotherspoon as Giannetta. Performed with piano accompaniment in the intimacy of Wilton’s Music Hall, this will be “an intimate staging of one of opera’s most enduring romantic comedies.”

Wilton’s Music Hall, Graces Alley, London E1 8JB

Tickets and information regarding the Waterperry Opera Festival at Wilton’s Music Hall
are available here.

Oxford International Opera at the New Theatre

Tosca
24 and 26 September

In an ambitious strategic move, the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra has created Oxford International Opera with the first production bringing Puccini’s drama to the New Theatre in Oxford. It’s something of a coup to have booked a cast featuring stars such as Sir Bryn Terfel, Carmen Giannattasio and Saimir Pirgu. Definitely worth a trip down the M40!

New Theatre, 24-26 George St, Oxford OX1 2AG

Tickets and information regarding the Oxford International Opera at the New Theatre
are available here.

The autumn/winter London opera season this year has a blend of new and classic works that showcase the diversity of the art form. Hope to see you at some of these productions!

The post London Opera Season 2026-27 – Previews appeared first on London Unattached.

Last Updated on August 10, 2026

A botanical afternoon tea made for summer

This year’s Summer Edition of the Orchard Room’s InfiniTEA Experience promises lots of botanical elements and bottomless Champagne for those who like bubbles with their cakes. We went along to the launch of the new afternoon tea menu to try it out. The restaurant is in the Conrad London St James hotel, conveniently situated just across the road from St James’s Park tube station. In preparation for the large tea ahead, I got off the train and went for a brisk and sunny walk in the park before heading to the Orchard Room.

The attention to detail in the Orchard Room makes for a stunning-looking table. Our spirits were lifted by the sprays of summer blooms in pinks, oranges and yellows. Even the crockery – Wedgwood’s Wild Strawberry fine bone china – is a charming talking point. My companion’s excited response to the styling, colour palette and musical playlist at the Summer Edition tea was simply “Bridgerton”.

For those who have something special to celebrate or are simply feeling indulgent, there’s the option to add free-flowing Bollinger Special Cuvée Brut NV or Bollinger Rosé to the afternoon tea.

Normal tea is, of course, available at the Orchard Room but we were treated instead to botanical and herbal infusions from single-origin supplier Nazani Tea. First up was a hibiscus tea served cold. Grown on the Greek island of Paros and packed with vitamin C, this was reminiscent of a light cranberry juice. Second was nettle, picked in Armenia, served hot and a surprisingly good accompaniment to our rich meal. Apparently, it’s a natural anti-histamine so I might stock up for next year’s hayfever season.

Do not front load with lunch before coming to the Orchard Room for tea. We started with a generous five savouries. The selection included a smoked salmon and lemon eclair. The choux was good but the contents were a bit too far along the salty spectrum for my taste. The English pea and mint tart was a picture in green, combining crushed and fresh peas as well as the shoots. We particularly liked the Parmesan crisp, and both agreed that more mint would have lifted this tart to another level. The third item on the plate was a very good Coronation chicken roll served in sweet brioche.

The two finger sandwiches we tried were classics. We liked the freshness of the cucumber and mint sandwich with just a light slick of cream cheese. A lifetime of suspicion had surrounded the egg sandwich for my companion to the extent that she had never tried one before. This was going to be the day, and I’m pleased to say that the Orchard Room’s organic egg, truffle and watercress sandwich won her over. “It’s actually quite delicious,” were her exact words.

Scones and cream and jam, what could be better? Our scone selection was kept warm in white linen while we made shortish work of the savouries. I like my scones traditional, so started off tasting the Jersey butter scone and the raisin scone, both heaped with cream.

Things had gone a bit rogue on the jam front with the addition of a strong rose flavour to the raspberry jam, obviously playing on the botanical theme but perhaps a step too far. We’d also been given lemon curd, a favourite, and this went well with the blueberry lemon scone. I’m ashamed to say that we did not try the fourth scone, the dark chocolate stracciatella, as we were in need of room for the next course.

Finally, we made it to the cakes and pastries, a lovely-looking plate that married beautifully with the botanical theme. Here the flavour of rose really did shine in the raspberry and English rose delight: a concoction that tasted a bit like Turkish delight if it was reinvented as a cream. Another favourite was the cornflower blueberry cheesecake, a mix of crunch and creaminess with a strong punch of blueberry. The apple, pistachio and basil slice was a summery treat and topped with welcome fresh apple balls. The sunflower honeycake with honeycomb tuile and bee pollen was sticky and a little dense, perhaps better suited to an autumn menu.

If you’re looking for an afternoon tea that looks as good as it tastes, the Summer Edition might just be the one for you. The team at the Conrad London St James have managed to make the Orchard Room feel like an indoor flower garden. The standard afternoon tea costs £62 with the addition of the Bollinger for £35 (or £45 for the rosé). Anyone looking for a healthier afternoon can add the Wellbeing Tea Experience, including the hibiscus and nettle infusions that we tried alongside other flavours, for £15.

The Orchard Room

Conrad London St James

22–28 Broadway, London, SW1H 0BH

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Michelin Bib Gourmand dining in a country pub setting

It’s always fun to get out of London and explore its neighbouring counties, especially to experience the joy of a country pub. We set off for Essex from South London on a sunny Friday, and within an hour we were deep in the Green Belt and sitting in the Galvin Green Man. Dating back to 1341, this historic pub is a rural sibling to the Galvin brothers’ stable of London restaurants. It’s also been awarded Michelin’s Bib Gourmand, so we went with high hopes for a good afternoon.

The Galvin Green Man is a big venue with many distinct areas, each offering a different atmosphere and experience. These range from an enormous garden, a dining terrace, private dining rooms upstairs and a cosy country pub complete with beams and a pub classics menu. We spent a long Friday lunchtime in their airy and spacious restaurant at the back of the pub.

There is a big range of drinks, soft and hard, available here. Not being the designated driver, I went straight for the Pineapple Punch. This mix of Planteray ‘Stiggins’ Pineapple Rum, Taylors Velvet Falernum, lemon, pineapple, cinnamon syrup and Angostura bitters sounded irresistible, and it was. It retained all the best bits of a Pina Colada but was a far less saccharine cocktail.

My companion (and driver) had to be on good behaviour so was restricted to a single refreshing pint of Estrella Galicia, one of her favourite lagers.

Wine lovers who can’t agree on which bottle to order will be pleased to know that the Galvin Green Man has a wide choice of wines on tap. I was tempted to keep ordering Pineapple Punches, but that would have been dangerous. Instead I ordered a glass of Chardonnay, Pays D’Oc, which promised hints of honey, stone fruit and citrus with a nice minerality – a good match for my fish main. A slight gripe: I wish it had been served colder.

And so we were primed to start eating. My friend was exploring the comprehensive à la carte menu and Golden tempura curried monkfish caught her eye. I watched jealously as this dish was placed in front of her – lightly battered monkfish tail, sitting on a bed of classic celeriac remoulade (yum) and served with a saffron mustard sauce and bright green herb oil.

Meanwhile, I decided to try the Galvin Green Man’s Michelin Bib Gourmand set menu. Three courses come in at a reasonable £36 and, for the less hungry, two courses cost £32. I enjoyed my starter of their take on carpaccio – very thinly sliced sirloin of aged beef, horseradish (this could have packed a bit more heat), wild rocket and a grating of Parmesan.

My friend’s 10oz aged ribeye was a big success, cooked to a point of perfect pinkness and packed with beefy flavour. All the accompanying items – the pea purée, Portobello mushroom, confit cherry tomatoes and red wine sauce – were of excellent quality. She had asked to swap the fondant potatoes that usually come with this steak for a side order of Crisp garlic potatoes. I ended up eating a great deal of these, a perfect mix of crunchy outside and waxy middle. We also shared the Fine beans and crispy shallots.

I was continuing with the set menu and picked the Whole Cornish megrim sole, lemon, capers and beurre noisette. The fish was good but no match for my friend’s stellar steak. I was mystified by the addition of sour grapefruit segments – a flavour match that didn’t quite work for me.

Choices choices. The Michelin Bib Gourmand menu presented me with two options, both of which I craved equally. In the end, I forwent the Baron Bigod cheese with truffled Green Man honey and went for the sweet dessert. The Fior di latte ice cream and big fat macerated Kent cherries were a delightful combination boosted by a crunchy chocolate soil.

Continuing on her voyage through the à la carte menu, my companion chose the Eton mess. Tonka bean meringue, cream, Essex strawberries and fruity squares of strawberry jelly all made for a satisfying twist on this classic summer dessert. We liked the “hedgehog” style presentation too.

The Galvin Green Man is a relaxed and welcoming place to drink and eat, indoors and out. Service is helpful and charming. The people who work here want their guests to have a good time. Well worth a venture out to the Essex countryside.

Galvin Green Man

Main Rd, Howe Street, Great Waltham, Chelmsford CM3 1BG

Telephone: 01245 408 820

Check out our Best of British Restaurants in London

The post Galvin Green Man – Howe Street near Chelmsford appeared first on London Unattached.

Last Updated on August 9, 2026

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s beloved feline fantasy is back in a dazzling new production that prowls, pounces and ultimately leaves you purring with delight.

It can’t be easy bearing the responsibility of bringing one of the most successful and iconic musicals of all time back to the London stage (where it ran for 21 years from 1981 to 2002). There are those who have never seen the point of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s CATS; who harbour an almost visceral dislike of it and will not be swayed no matter what tweaks are made.  And then there is the loyal and deeply devoted fan base who will by default dislike any changes made to the original.  So in many ways it is an enterprise doomed to make nobody happy. And yet director and choreographer Drew McOnie has just about pulled off the impossible with his lovingly refreshed production of CATS at the Regents Park Open Air Theatre.

In the interests of full disclosure, I am firmly Team CATS.  Back in 1989 it was the first musical I ever saw in the West End, and I went on to see this original production three times in its original home, the New London Theatre. Nothing I had seen in theatres before prepared me for the sheer delight of John Napier’s outsize junkyard set (designed to make the human audience feel cat-sized); the rotating stage that also included the front rows of the stalls; or the performers in cat costume slinking down the gangways and in amongst the audience, pausing to eyeball those seated at the end of rows. You may roll your eyes and argue that none of this sounds ground-breaking – but considering that CATS first opened in 1981 (the year Ronald Reagan was shot, and Charles and Diana got married!), it is easy to underestimate just how ambitiously innovative the original production was and how it has impacted stagecraft. It was truly the first megamusical that became a global brand.

CATS is unusual in many ways, not least because its original lyrics comprise a collection of poetry published in 1939.  In the 1930s, renowned English poet TS Eliot wrote a number of letters and poems to his godchildren, beautifully describing his own cats (including one named Jellylorum) and a series of fictional feline characters, which was later published as the collection Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats.  Anybody familiar with Eliot’s other works will understand how extraordinarily different these poems are, imbued with a lightness and wit almost entirely absent from his other darker poems. They are strongly driven by rhythm and metre and hugely reward being read out loud.  It was this, together with their playful tone, that moved Lord Webber to start setting them to music in the late 1970s.   They were originally intended and performed as a song cycle, but original director Trevor Nunn and choreographer Gillian Lynne were later brought on board to shape them into a full theatrical production, expanding some songs, adding a few, and overlaying Lynne’s iconic choreography. Ignorance of this genesis, I think, underlies one of the most persistent criticisms of CATS (its lack of storyline). It’s not a story set to music – it is essentially a collection of sung poetry set to dance.

The premise is that we are witnessing the annual gathering of the Jellicle cats under a full moon, where their matriarch Old Deuteronomy will choose the cat worthy of being reborn into a new life (a.k.a. ascending to the Heaviside Layer, a symbolic place of rebirth, transcendence and renewal.  (Incidentally, Eliot’s terms Jellicle Cats and Pollicle Dogs were his playful poking fun at the English upper classes fussing over their “dear little” cats and “poor little” dogs!) To be in with a chance of rebirth, various cats are presented to the kitty convocation (and the audience) in the form of humorous songs about their exploits.  Just before dawn, Deuteronomy must choose the cat who gets a chance of a new life – but the fun happens along the way as each candidate cat sings their own praises (literally) or is sung about by the other cats, interspersed with joyous full cast numbers like Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats and the emotionally raw Memory. 

Three things struck me returning to the show after 25 years: the brilliance and intricacy of Lord Webber’s score; how deeply rooted the lyrics are in real London locations (Tottenham Court Road, Royal Albert Dock etc); and just how physical and dance-driven the show is. And the cast is more than equal to the task of doing justice to both the music and the movement.  The score sparkles and the offstage band is absolutely wonderful.  The sound quality is outstanding, and often it is hard to believe this is a live band and not a backing track, especially given that it is an outdoor venue.  Gillian Lynne’s original choreography was based on classical ballet but combined with modern jazz and contemporary dance, a way of turning human dancers into believable, expressive, otherworldly cats.  For the new production, McOnie has reworked the choreography to incorporate more elements of contemporary and street dance – even breakdancing – while moving away slightly from the dancers emulating real cats. I was not a great fan of a breakdancing Mr Mistoffelees (impressive as Jet Yau’s dancing was), but I can see that the shift in emphasis might bring a younger audience into the theatre. Overall, the dancing, whether as a solo, a duet or the full cast numbers, was crisp, precise and beautifully executed.  There are some lyrically beautiful scenes where the full cast lies down in a circle or to form an ascending line which slowly unfurls as they stand up. Elsewhere there are impressively choreographed high-energy sequences which are often where the more aggressive contemporary moves have been introduced.  Look out for a standout athletic performance by Diante Lodge as that “fiend in feline shape” Macavity, and look out for the ring of fire!

The vocals too are generally very strong from the entire cast, both when singing as a chorus and as solo numbers. Standout performances and moments include Elliot Broadfoot’s charmingly large and affable Bustopher Jones; Briana Craig and Danny Nattrass as the cheeky flatcap-wearing cockney pair scoundrels Rumpleteazer and Mungojerrie; and my personal favourite Gary Wilmot as Gus the Theatre Cat.  Gary also plays Growltiger in a play-within-a-play, “Growltiger’s Last Stand”, which is occasionally cut from the production, but I was thrilled to see it has found its way back.  Not only are the words beautiful, but the staging was cleverly done, with a sail barge magically appearing on stage surrounded by Chinese junk sails.  It also features one of my favourite comically feline moments of the night where Griddlebone is distracted by a shiny cat toy.  

Jaydon Vijn’s Rum Tum Tugger is the love child of a swaggering young Mick Jagger and Timothée Chalamet, giving his character the perfect blend of sass and feline insouciance; while Melanie La Barrie adds a wonderful gravitas and empathy in her role as the matriarch Old Deuteronomy – she has such a lovely warm timbre to her voice. But the jewel in the vocal crown was definitely Taziva-Faye Katsande, who performed the role of Grizabella on the press night (Rachael Wooding is listed in the programme).   Katsande’s talent for expressive physical storytelling was put through its paces in her portrayal of sad Grizabella, the ex-glamour cat fallen on hard times and shunned by the rest of the Jellicle tribe. She also gets to perform the show’s runaway hit “Memory”, a song that demands vocal control and range to move from the quiet, almost spoken bridge and shift gear into the dramatic climax and iconic high notes.  Katsande not only smashed the vocal performance but also evoked real emotion – dear reader, I had goosebumps.

I was sad to see the demise of John Napier’s original costumes: the tabby-stripe or tuxedo leotards; iconic furry headpieces with anatomically correct cat ears; leg warmers; and soft cotton ropes tied around performers’ waists as makeshift tails. In the new production, only Gus the Theatre Cat for some reason retains his furry headpiece.  The others are replaced with much smaller smooth caps adorned with ears that don’t really look very cat-like.  Sami Fendell’s new leotards are also less colourful and less cat-like, which makes some characters harder to distinguish (somewhat offset by the fact that more cats wore distinctive items of clothing); and the tails were giving me faintly ratty vibes.  Although I understand that part of the production refresh was to make the characters less “people pretending to be cats” and encourage the audience to identify with distinctly human characteristics in each cat, I found cats with long human hair plus cat ears vaguely unsettling. I am also not sure the addition of glitter to many of the cat costumes was an improvement, other than making for pretty twinkles in the twilight.  

Rather than Napier’s maximalist original set, which would have been completely impractical outdoors, Sami Fendall’s minimalist set is nothing more than a giant stylised crescent moon serving as a backdrop to all the action as well as providing nooks and crannies for the dancers to perch on and creep out of.  There is also a glowing full “Jellicle moon” that rises and sets during the show – particularly effective in Act 2 once the sun has set. Although the set means that some of the most charming bits of staging from the original production are missing (the tossed giant boot, or the impromptu junkyard locomotive), it does focus attention far more on the performers and the mesmerising dance sequences. Lighting design by Jessica Hung Han Yun is outstanding and also comes into its own in Act 2, using spots, smoke and silhouettes to great dramatic effect. I also loved the effect of flashing lights through perforations in the moon, mimicking flashes of lightning at appropriate times. 

I had been worried that my intensely happy and magical memories of seeing CATS previously might be marred by a revamped production, but I am thrilled to find that the magic is still very much there and that the “Now and Forever” slogan from 20 years ago still holds true.  The stage may change, the costumes may vary, the actors come and go –  but at the heart of CATS lie an outstanding musical score by arguably the greatest living composer of stage musicals; and brilliant lyrics by one of the 20^th century’s greatest poets. The outdoor setting is inspired, and it is hard to deny the appeal of seeing a play that so frequently references the moon under a real moonlit summer sky.  The new production walks the narrowest rail (to quote Mr Mistofelees) between nostalgia and novelty – whether you are a CATS lover or not, it will remind you of what a magical and transformative experience live theatre can be. This cat lands firmly on all four feet.

CATS is on at the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre from 25 July till 19 September, after which it goes on national tour until summer 2027. The runtime is 2h15m including an interval, and tickets can be booked here, starting from £15.

Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre
Inner Circle
Regent’s Park
London
NW1 4NU

Box office tel: 0333 400 3562

Looking for more theatre? Check out our off-West End theatre previews July-December 2026.

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