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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.

Looking for the best Christmas Markets in London? Don’t miss these fabulously festive affairs – guaranteed to get you into the Christmas spirit.  Red alert. It’s that time of the year folks. You know, when we crack out the mulled wine, tuck into the mince pies and start our transformation into our very best festive …

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The birth of a wild beaver in north London bodes well for all of us. We’ve got some dam fine news for you today folks. A beaver has been born into the wild in London for the first time in 400 years. The news is the result of a successful rewilding programme launched by Enfield …

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We explore the history of an astonishing discovery – that of London’s Roman amphitheatre.  Did you know London had a Roman amphitheatre? No one did until 1988. It was discovered, almost totally out of the blue underneath The Guildhall. The discovery shed new light on The Guildhall’s already very historic past, and on the city …

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Hyde Park’s Winter Wonderland – AKA the festive event of the season – returns. Here’s everything you need to know.  We might be biased, but we think London at Christmastime is absolutely unbeatable. The Christmas lights go up. The big shopping spaces begin competing to see who can erect the biggest tree. And Hyde Park …

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Chelsea is full of great places for breakfast and brunch. Forget the rest, here are the places you should be eating at.  Chelsea. One of London’s most iconic neighbourhoods and, for better or for worse, home to Made in Chelsea, the reality TV show that glamorised brunching in style around the capital.  The folks on …

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The who, what, why, when and how of the 2023 Lord Mayor’s Show. Pomp and ceremony – nowhere does it quite as well as London, as the Lord Mayor’s Show serves to remind us. This annual event is a longstanding London tradition that you should experience at least once.  With the Lord Mayor’s Show returning …

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We pick through the murky origins of one of London’s oldest institutions – Lincoln’s Inn. Maybe you’ve heard of London’s Inns of Court. Made up of Gray’s Inn, Inner and Middle Temple Inns and Lincoln’s Inn, they’re a key part of Britain’s legal system. In fact, you can’t be a barrister in the UK without …

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From the boozy options to the masterclasses, here are the best pottery painting studios in London. A good creative pursuit can be a real joy, and in this city you’ve got heaps to choose from. One that’s really grown in popularity in recent years is pottery painting. In response, some really good studios have sprung …

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Here’s the lowdown on what’s happening with TfL and whether you’ll get refunded for your parking fines.  Here’s some interesting news for those of you who choose to drive around the capital, and more specifically those of you who’ve been given parking tickets by TfL in recent years. Transport for London may have to pay …

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There are some great bars out there. These particular places have been getting the recognition they deserve.  London is a fine city to be a fan of cocktails. We’ve long said that it rivals the competition elsewhere in the world in a big way and we’ve recently been proved even more right in our convictions.  …

Read More about Five London Cocktail Bars Have Been Listed Among the World’s Top 50. Here’s Where…