The Dark Horse is Camden’s latest gem. Just a stroll from Primrose Hill and Kentish Town, this no-nonsense pub from Le Bab founders Stephen Tozer and Ed Brunet serves up reimagined classics like fish and chips, lamb shank hot pot and rarebit crumpets. Weekends bring Sunday roasts and full English breakfasts, while the bar delivers craft beer, simple cocktails and quality wines. In celebration of the area’s legendary music scene, there will be weekly live gigs.

87/88 North Yard, Camden Stables Market, Chalk Farm Road, Camden, NW1 8AH

Visit TheDarkHorsePub.com

Tired of roast dinners? Thai pop-up Rice Paddy is back at the King & Co in Clapham with a new menu inspired by chef Paul’s travels through south-east Asia, especially northern Thailand. Expect bold flavours and flame-cooked dishes like chicken toast, curried beef noodle soup, Hat Yai fried chicken and zingy salads, all made with locally sourced British produce. Highlights include khanom pang na gai (chicken toast) and khao soi nuea (curried beef noodle soup), offered alongside BBQ meats, spicy dips and a warm butter cake with pandan custard. 

100 Clapham Park Road, Clapham, SW4 7BZ; until 18th January

Visit TheKingAndCo.uK

The Compton Arms is thought to have once been George Orwell’s favourite pub. He would surely have approved of its new collaboration with Rake. Led by Jay Claus and Syrus Pickhaver – veterans of Quo Vadis, BRAT and Acme Fire Cult – Rake is all about whole beast butchery, sustainable Cornish fish and seasonal produce. Its menu at the Compton includes beer-battered cockles and clams, ribeye with onion rings for two, baked oysters rarebit-style, and a squid-topped beef and ale pie. Sundays mean roasts, while desserts like treacle tart or deep-fried berry pie hit a nostalgic sweet spot. The pub is also a stronghold for Arsenal fans. On match days, you will see Cumberland hotdogs in a potato roll with a French dip gravy and English mustard for dunking.

The Compton Arms, 4 Compton Avenue, Highbury, N1 2XD

Visit ComptonArms.co.uk

Following its acclaimed premiere in Stratford-upon-Avon, this political thriller from the RSC and Good Chance theatre company is now at Soho Place for a limited 16-week run. Set during the historic 1997 Kyoto Climate Summit, Kyoto delves into the high-stakes negotiations that led to the world’s first legally binding emissions targets. Directed by Stephen Daldry and Justin Martin, the production stars much of the original cast, including Tony-nominated Stephen Kunken as Don Pearlman, a sharp-tongued American oil lobbyist standing in the way of progress. With time running out and global agreement hanging by a thread, Kyoto delivers a glimpse into one of the most pivotal moments in climate history.

4 Soho Place, Soho, W1D 3BG; until 3rd May

Visit SohoPlace.org

The acclaimed Four Hands dining series kicks off 2025 by bringing together Michelin-starred chefs Atul Kochhar and Tom Kitchin. At Atul’s Kanishka restaurant, this one-night-only event is built around a seven-course tasting menu that blends Kitchin’s ‘nature to plate’ ethos with Kochhar’s modern Indian flair, highlighting seasonal Scottish ingredients. Dishes include haggis canapés, Loch Creran oysters, monkfish moilee and rosemary lamb seekh, with a rich chocolate chikki dessert to finish. Tickets are £120. 

Kanishka by Atul Kochhar, 17-19 Maddox Street, Soho, W1S 2QH; 23rd January 

Visit EventBrite.co.uk
 

As it’s January, here’s another fitness-focused listing. Notting Hill’s Bodyism, renowned for its top-notch instructors and holistic approach, has everything you need to take care of yourself – from bespoke training and a nourishing café to relaxing treatments. Now, alongside its world-class personal training, Bodyism Notting Hill has launched enhanced services through the new Bodyism Notting Hill App, including clinical testing, wellness assessments, personalised nutrition plans, recovery analysis and a cutting-edge recovery room. Memberships start from £500 per month, but right now you can give a one-month trial a go.

222-224 Westbourne Grove, Notting Hill, W11 2RH

Visit Bodyism.com

Third Space’s luxe new gym in Richmond might just get you moving this year. Expect state-of-the-art facilities, including an Eleiko strength area with a two-lane track, recovery gadgets like Normatec boots, a 20m pool and four studios offering everything from reformer Pilates to Sweat X and Metaburn. Designed with Richmond’s natural beauty in mind, the space features sculptural arches, natural stone and green-toned interiors. The group has more openings planned for 2025, so watch this space.

4 Golden Court, Richmond, TW9 1EU

Visit ThirdSpace.London
 

Launching on 14th January, The Conversation is a 15-week series at St Martin-in-the-Fields that will together 15 of the UK’s brightest minds to tackle today’s biggest issues – from global conflict to the climate crisis. Curated by Peter Florence, former Hay Festival director, the line-up features literary heavyweights like Hanif Kureishi and Robert Macfarlane, historians Bettany Hughes and Tom Holland, war correspondents Lindsey Hilsum and Fergal Keane and scientists like Maggie Aderin-Pocock. Each evening includes a one-hour interview followed by intimate table discussions with the guest.

 Various locations; 14th January-22nd April

Visit StMartin-In-The-Fields.org