What To Do This Weekend 11.01.23

The Oarsman in Marlow is hosting an extended wassailing Twelfth Night celebration this January. Available until the end of the month, highlights on the pub’s special menu include fish soup with rouille and croutons, venison faggot with pickled pear, and caramelised apples with vanilla ice-cream. As with the ancient wassailing tradition, guests can try a selection of ciders and wines – specially delivered from local orchard Harrow & Hope. 

46 Spittal Street, Marlow, SL7 1DB

Visit TheOarsman.co.uk

Following a sold-out run at Chichester Festival Theatre, The Unfriend opens at the Criterion on Sunday. This is a dark comedy from writer Steven Moffat and director Mark Gatiss, the award-winning team behind BBC’s Sherlock. The cast includes Reece Shearsmith (Inside No. 9), Amanda Abbington (Sherlock) and Frances Barber (Silk). While on holiday, Peter and Debbie befriend Elsa, a lusty, Trump-loving widow from Denver. She’s less than woke but kind of wonderful. They agree to stay in touch – but no one ever really does, do they? When Elsa invites herself to stay a few months later, they decide to look her up online. Too late, they learn the truth. What began as a casual holiday friendship is now a threat to the lives of their children, and Peter and Debbie must face the ultimate challenge in the modern world: how do you protect all that you love without seeming a bit impolite?

218-223 Piccadilly, St. James's, W1J 9HR; until 16th April

Visit TheUnfriend.com

This new immersive experience transports guests to 1920s Birmingham to meet the Peaky Blinders. With the help of the show’s creator Steven Knight, a Camden warehouse has been transformed into the Shelby’s family warehouse where Tommy has a potentially lucrative plan up his sleeve. Guests can walk around the sets – including original pieces from the series – and take part in character interactions. Wander at your own pace, order drinks at the 20s-inspired bars and enjoy a soundtrack of songs by Arctic Monkeys, Nick Cave and The White Stripes. Expect impromptu performances and other surprises. Tickets start from £49.50. 

Camden Stables Market, North Yard, Camden, NW1 8AH

Visit ImmersivePeakyBlinders.com

On Saturday 14th January, Malaysian kitchen Gopal's Corner is hosting London’s biggest ‘Pongal Feast’ at Market Halls Oxford Street. At a celebration embracing Veganuary, Tamil Heritage Month and Thai Pongal (the Tamil harvest festival), guests can expect feasting, live music and Tamil-inspired entertainment at various sessions throughout the day. Gopal’s Corner will serve banana leaves with four vegan or vegetarian curries and all the trimmings, including poppadoms, dried chillies, relishes and vadai (a spicy savoury snack). There’s Pongal rice pudding for dessert, too. Tickets cost £15.

9 Holles Street, West End, W1G 0BD

Visit Eventbrite.co.uk

Sam Mendes’s latest has just hit the big screen. Set in 1980s Margate, Empire of Light tells the story of Hilary (Olivia Colman), a cinema manager who has suffered a breakdown and is battling personal demons. When a young Black man Stephen (Michael Ward) gets a job at the cinema, despite differences in their ages and backgrounds, the two embark on a romance. It’s not a smooth road in a Thatcherite society rife with racism and plagued by political and social upheaval, but both are determined to have a slice of happiness. Also stars Colin Firth.

Visit Picturehouses.com

Dan Flavin is the man who gave us fluorescent tube installations. This new exhibition at the David Zwirner gallery features some of the American artist’s most famous creations, which were first on display in 1970s New York – and considered way ahead of their time. Set across two floors, the exhibition also includes nine of Flavin’s signature colours, showcasing his minimalist approach to light and sculpture. Don’t miss the cool ‘sculpted’ windows.

24 Grafton Street, Mayfair, W1S 4EZ

Visit DavidZwirner.com 

Japanese noodle house Koya Ko has collaborated with the European chef duo behind Tata Eatery for a special at Koya’s Hackney café in Broadway Market. Inspired by the Tata team’s Iberian heritage, the special is a hot bowl of homemade udon noodles topped with salted cod, fried straw potatoes, egg and onion. Add on sides like vegetable tempura, fried chicken with negi-onion sauce, and spicy yakko (tofu with pickled wakame) – then wash it down with a Japanese beer. 

10 Broadway Market Mews, Hackney, E8 4TS

Visit Koya.co.uk