THEGAYUK

Tag: Essex News

Get the latest LGBT+ Essex news from THEGAYUK. Breaking news, features and interviews from the gay community in Essex, England, UK.

  • RESTAURANT REVIEW | Tom, Dick and Harry’s, Loughton

    RESTAURANT REVIEW | Tom, Dick and Harry’s, Loughton

    ★★★★ | Tom, Dick & Harry’s, Loughton

    Tom, Dick & Harry’s are not people you work with, or people you went to school with or who met at the local pub last year. Tom, Dick & Harry’s are actually the names of the three escape tunnels in The Great Escape. It’s also the name of a restaurant and bar located in Loughton.

    With perhaps the nicest staff this side of Mile End, Tom, Dick & Harry’s (TD&H) is perhaps the place to be, and be seen, in and around the Loughton area. Just a few minutes walk from the Central Line, it’s also perfect for those who want to get out of London to try a new dining experience in an area where you’ve not yet been to. Granted, there is not a whole lot to do in Loughton, but visiting TD&H is definitely worth a visit.

    A beautifully designed restaurant, intimate and cosy while at the same time with a metropolitan feel, TD&H offers an all-day destination dining experience. And the food is cooked and prepared by real professionals, people with a passion for food, and served by people who have a passion for their customers, who want their customers to enjoy their experience.

    On the Sunday when we paid a visit, we were told by the chef that the menu changes daily, depending on what they can source from the local butcher or whatever is freshest and available each day. We were lucky to have on the menu the Sunday Roast club menu – for this is what my friend ordered. Roast Rump of beef (Angus crossbreed) was served with, of course, a Yorkshire pudding, horseradish, gravy, with the three C’s (cabbage, carrots and cauliflower), with huge potatoes – and it was a nice size portion. My friend absolutely loved it. While he enjoyed the meat dish, I had fish, which I hardly ever order – The Grilled Tuna Steak was very good. Perfectly cooked and sized, with spring onions, almonds, and greens – the Tuna was delectable, but it was the unusual, and extremely delicious tomato and pepper paste that won my taste buds over – wow! The entire dish was a perfect combination of everything, and with my side order of large potatoes, it was a perfect meal.

    The starters, or as TD&H call them Nibbleinis, where there were quite a few choices, but we settled for three of them. My spicy chorizo, tomato and chickpea stew, was, as expected, good, but not very hot. My friend had the Fried crisp Cornish squid with togarashi pepper with lime, and on the side was a strange looking small bowl of squid ink in mayo (and sesame, lime and fish sauce), which was an average portion. Warning, the squid ink isn’t to everyone’s liking! We also sampled the nice Burrata (glob of cheese), salsa verde, with pine nuts, it was a bit heavy, but the pine nuts made it stand out. All the above were high priced at £8 each. TD&H also cater to larger parties where the price of carvery will vary according to size.

    The dessert selection was all about creams, chocolates, and dairy dairy dairy. I had the Vanilla cream pears and blackberries dish, but the cream was too much – I wish there had been more berries and pears.  However, the dark chocolate mousse, candied peanuts, with ice cream was very tasty. Both desserts were £7 each.

    Have a read through their Signature cocktails menu. Specifically designed for the restaurant by its manager and drink connoisseur Gabriele, he has assigned names to various drinks. We had the Tom Hardy – “I liked you better when you were drunk” – which almost perfectly matched the actor’s personality. It was unexpectedly sweet what with vodka, grapefruit lemon, basil and brown sugar – muddled & stirred (£12). The Sex Bomb (Tom Jones) was just superb, with honey, honey cognac, lemon, and champagne, served in a wine glass (£14) – refreshing and went just right with the meal.

    Wine must be taken with the meal, and TD&H have an amazing, but not quite overwhelming, wine list which includes whites, reds, champagnes and an amazing selection of Roses – wine that goes practically with every meal.

    The early Sunday evening we were there the restaurant remained jam-packed, with a lively piano player off to the side playing very nice mellow tunes.

    Everyone at every table looked happy – probably because the food and ambience were so good (even the man celebrating his 50th birthday party in the back looked happy!). But also credit to the staff, they were very attentive, took their time, were patient when asked questions, were always smiling, and were even concerned when the table next to us left more than half their food on their plate. It’s the kind of service that’s hard to find in other restaurants. Perhaps being in Loughton the staff are not as rushed and cold as most staff in restaurants in London are? Who knows. But TD&H may not particularly attract a London crowd, but it’s perfect and just right for the people of Loughton and it’s surrounding areas.

    https://tomdickandharrys.co.uk
    Open Saturday from 10:00 to 00:30
    Open Sunday from 12:00 to 22:00
    Book online or call 0203 327 3333 for reservations
    153 High Road
    Loughton
    IG10 4LF
    T. 0203 327 3333

  • This man is wanted in connection to a homophobic verbal assault in Southend

    This man is wanted in connection to a homophobic verbal assault in Southend

    Investigators are seeking this man in connection to a homophobic verbal assault on two men on a train in Southend.

    The British Transport Police are looking for a man in connection to an alleged homophobic hate crime against two men aboard a train in Southend, Essex, on the 7th May.

    British Transport Police report that at around 7.40pm, a man approached two men and verbally assaulted them with homophobic comments as he sat next to them. He then continued to mock them by rubbing one of the victim’s thighs and making offensive remarks about gay people.

    The victims then left their seats and got off the train at Chalkwell because they felt unsafe.

    Detective Sergeant Hayley Whyte said, “Everyone has the right to travel without fear or intimidation and nobody should be subjected to offensive or homophobic language. I am keen to speak to anyone who was on the service and saw this incident.”

    Officers would like to speak to the men in these images as they believe they may be able to help them with their enquiries.

    Text 61016 or call 0800 40 50 40, quoting 380 of 1 June, if they look familiar or you have any information that could help our investigation. Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

  • Outside of London, Birmingham is the randiest place in the UK

    New stats gathered by THEGAYUK, show that outside of London, Birmingham is the randiest place in the UK.

    Birmingham’s gay scene is thriving

    It seems as though gay and bisexual men in Birmingham can’t get enough of online hookups and chat sites. So much so, it is only second to London for online searches for gay hookups, gay chat and dating sites. Of course, Birmingham has one of the largest gay scenes in the UK, alongside Brighton, Manchester and of course, London.

    Analytics show that the Birmingham chat page is one of the most popular entry points to THEGAYUK.com for English cities, whilst Glasgow tops the list for Scottish cities. Cardiff is the number one for Wales, but 13th overall for the UK and Belfast is number one for Northern Ireland, but number 24 overall for the UK.

    The top ten list looks like this:

    1. London
    2. Birmingham
    3. Manchester
    4. Leeds
    5. Glasgow
    6. Bristol
    7. Liverpool
    8. Sheffield
    9. Nottingham
    10. Edinburgh

    Previously Essex had topped the list, but now doesn’t even register in the top 100 of visitor locations. Instead, Grimsby brings up the bottom of the league table at number 100 randiest place in Britain.

    Overall visitors from England make up 77% percent of all searches, Scottish visitors make up six percent of searches, the Welsh make up three percent and guys from Northern Ireland make up 1 percent.

     

  • Essex Pride: Ramped up security at this year’s event

    Organisers of Essex Pride have promised to provide extra security following on from terror attacks in London and Manchester.

    Security at Essex Pride

    Essex Pride organisers have said there will be “tight” security at this year’s pride event and that the whole event will be manned by an experienced security team following on from the terrorist atrocities in London and Manchester. Essex Police will also be in attendance during the event which takes place on the 24th June in Chelmsford.

    Speaking about the attacks a statement on the Essex Pride website states,

    “Following the recent terrorism attacks in London and Manchester, we at Essex Pride have all those affected and their families in our thoughts. We would like to give our reassurance that the security arrangements at Essex Pride will be tight and that we take your safety at the event seriously.

    “We are appalled by the recent events but feel it is important to not give in to these types of threats.

    “We will be continuing to work with the police and the authorities to make sure Essex Pride remains safe, as we did last year after the Orlando attacks. We know this reassurance will ensure you have a safe and enjoyable day at Essex Pride.”

    The organisers have said that those who bring bags into the event will be required to go through bag search lines and have suggested that patrons avoid bringing bags to speed up the process of entry to Chelmsford’s Central Park on Saturday.

     

     

     

  • Michael Barrymore is suing Essex police

    TV star Michael Barrymore is suing Essex Police, seeking a reported £2.5 million in compensation.

    Michael Barrymore is suing Essex police for a reported £2.5 million in damages after they arrested him in connection with the death of a man, at his home in March 2001.

    Butcher Stuart Lubbock, 31 was found dead at the star’s Essex home in March 2001. In June 2001 Police arrested Barrymore, his partner and another man in connection to Lubbock’s death but no charges were brought forward. The same three men were arrested again in 2007 but the case was dropped again after three months. No one was charged.

    In 2009 the IPCC found multiple failings with the original police investigation.

    Essex police accepted liability, but only on a technicality. They admitted that they sent the wrong arresting officer to Mr Barrymore’s home meaning the officer was not making an arrest “on a firm suspicion of guilt” reported Sky News.

    Mr Barrymore’s legal team will argue that the entertainer suffered “devastating” damage to his reputation following on from the investigation.

    Mr Barrymore was a household name in the 80s and 90s after the hit game show Strike It Lucky, became a firm family favourite. He went on to have a string of highly successful shows such as My Kind Of People and Kids Say The Funniest Things

  • Service helping people living with HIV get back into work relaunched

    The Terrence Higgins Trust has relaunched its Work Positive campaign which aims to help people living with HIV back into work.

    CREDIT: ©-monkeybusiness-Depositphotos
    CREDIT: ©-monkeybusiness-Depositphotos

     

    The UK’s biggest HIV charity Terrence Higgins Trust has relaunched a service that aims to help people living with HIV in London, Essex, Brighton, Shrewsbury and Cambridge to get back to work.

    According to the charity, 25 per cent of people with HIV are out of work, and the Positive programme aims to provide work experience, mentoring, peer support, employment coaching and training for people with HIV who have been unemployed for two years.

    With funding from the Big Lottery Fund the service will relaunch for the sixth year. It is accepting application until 7th August

    Micael, who completed Work Positive last year, said,

    “I’d tried other back to work schemes before but I wasn’t getting anywhere and when I left for the day the support stopped, but with Work Positive I was made to feel like a real person, who could contribute to society.

    “Ruth gave me the opportunity to get out and get work, but the programme also gave me the wider support I needed to live a happy and healthy life, like helping me eat well – and on the morning of my graduation I was offered a paid job!”

    Ruth Burns, Work Positive co-ordinator at Terrence Higgins Trust, says,

    “The Work Positive Programme has gone from strength to strength over the last six years. Every year we see our participants transform into confident professionals who are a real asset to the workplace.

    “We want this year’s scheme to be just as successful, and we encourage anyone with HIV who feels they need a boost onto the career ladder to apply.”

  • And The Most Attractive British Accent Is?

    And The Most Attractive British Accent Is?

    The UK has a multitude of accents from Glaswegian to Brummie. But which one has been voted the most attractive?

    Is Alan Cumming’s accent the sexiest?

    Research carried out by YouGov in April, has shown that “Scottish” accents are the most attractive in the UK, leaving RP (received pronunciation – that’s the standard British accent – think BBC newsreaders and the home counties) in second and Welsh in third. The accents were voted, 20 per cent, 18 per cent and 11 per cent respectively.

    Unfortunately for those living in the Midlands or Essex, the Brummie accent and the Towie accent didn’t place well – each received just 1 per cent of the vote.

    Far outweighing the preference was the ‘don’t knowers’ and ‘don’t carers’ – 29 per cent of whom said they couldn’t give a flying monkey’s what accent was most attractive.

    Don’t Know 29%

    Scottish 20%

    RP 18%

    Welsh 11%

    West Country 10%

    Northern Ireland 8%

    Mancunian 3%

    Essex 1%

    Brummie 1%

    The research doesn’t expand on which Scottish or Welsh accents are the most attractive.

    What do you think – use the poll below

  • Man Successfully Sues “Homophobic” Service Provider Who “Outed” Him

    An Essex man has successfully sued a service provider who consistently “outed” him and used hounding “homophobic” gestures to taunt the victim.

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  • Essex Is The Randiest Place In The UK

    According to statistics gathered by TheGayUK, Essex tops the list for randiest County in the United Kingdom.

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  • Essex Is The Randiest Place In The UK

    According to statistics gathered by TheGayUK, Essex tops the list for randiest County in the United Kingdom. (more…)