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Alastair Reid Schanche

Alastair is a features writer at London X London. He joined the team in late 2022 hot off the back of a five-year stint in Shanghai where he wrote for Time Out and ran a very niche blog about Chinese food.

He’s unable to shake his addiction for Sichuan noodles, but will be found devouring London’s other glorious cuisines when he’s not warming seats at the Prince Charles.

The history of the Iguanodons at Crystal Palace Park and the rapid discoveries that put them out of date almost immediately.  We’ve written before about our love of the Crystal Palace Park Dinosaurs. They’re a wonderful part of the rich history of London.  Even the members of our team who didn’t grow up in the …

Read More about The Curious Story Behind Crystal Palace Parks Iguanodons and Why They Don’t Look Quite Right

Hold up that three-fingered salute, The Hunger Games is coming to a stage near you.  We’re always interested when we hear about a major motion picture getting made into a play for the London stage. There’s been My Neighbour Totoro, School of Rock, Matilda (originally a book of course) – next year we get Spirited …

Read More about Mockingbird Magic! The Hunger Games Will Make its Stage Debut in London Next Year

Christmas in London is a magical time… and we think there might be no better place in the capital to get festive than Covent Garden.  If you can’t tell, love to get Christmassy here at London x London (absolutely nothing to do with the multiple glasses of mulled wine we might have put away, we …

Read More about Covent Garden Christmas: The Capital’s Festive Hot Spot

Planning the ultimate Christmas Party in the capital? These are the top venues in London for epic shindigs this festive season. Christmas parties in London can go one of two ways. One is a sad affair with a few cocktail sausages and warm beer that leaves everyone with a sinking feeling of disappointment and feeling …

Read More about How to Throw a Christmas Party in London That’s Actually Good

London has featured in plenty of festive flicks. Explore the London Christmas movie locations you can visit in the city.  With the festive season fast approaching, we snuggled up on the London x London sofa and poured through hours of Christmas classics, one-upping each other wherever possible. The result? Our pick of London Christmas movie …

Read More about Let it Snow! Hunting Out London’s Christmas Filming Locations

When it comes to a good Christmas dinner, London has more than its fair share of offerings. Here are all our top pics in one festive guide.  London’s restaurant scene is always buzzing, but with the advent of Christmas they put things into hyperdrive, dishing out festive menus like Santa dishes out prezzies.  Among them …

Read More about Christmas Restaurants in London for Fully Festive Eats

It’s that time of year again… oh no it isn’t! Yes, it really is. The London pantomime season is upon us.  The panto is a cornerstone of Christmas entertainment. Love ‘em or hate ‘em there’s no denying they hold a special place in the festive season.  London being the theatre-obsessed city that it is, leans …

Read More about Unmissable Christmas Pantos in London: 2023 Guide

Looking for a wild way to up the Christmas spirit? This new immersive dive bar experience might be just the ticket. Christmas, for us at least, is always a boozy time of year, though with the opening of this pop-up dive bar it seems like we might not be the only ones. Allow us to …

Read More about Humbug: The New Immersive Bar Experience Where Santa’s Gone off the Rails and Christmas Hangs by a Thread

Plans to eat into Wimbledon Park golf course in order to expand the tennis club are making waves in the south London neighbourhood.  Trouble is afoot in Wimbledon. Well, we suppose whether you’d call it trouble depends on whether your heart lies with wide open, green public spaces or the game of tennis.  Plans have …

Read More about A Massive Expansion to Wimbledon’s Tennis Facilities is Causing Uproar Among Locals

It’s the most wonderful time of the year – isn’t that what they say? And part of that wonder is seeing the London Christmas lights switch on. Here’s your guide to where you can see the best London Xmas lights.  London never looks as glitzier as it does at Christmas. As the festive season sets …

Read More about Totally Magical Christmas Lights in London: The 2023 Guide