THEGAYUK

Tag: UK

  • THEATRE REVIEW | The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time, Milton Keynes Theatre

    ★★★| The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time, UK Tour

    REVIEW | The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time, Milton Keynes Theatre width=

    Christopher Boone, a 15-year-old boy, discovers that his neighbour’s dog, Wellington, has been killed by someone (the poor dog having been stabbed with a garden fork), and sets off to find out who the culprit is. But Christopher has Asperger’s syndrome, which makes his perception and functioning very different to other boys his age and as the truth behind Wellington’s death starts to be revealed, it leads Christopher to embark on a remarkable adventure.

    The show is based on the hugely successful book by Mark Haddon and has been a West End and Broadway hit. Utilising a virtually empty stage, the presentation of the show was intriguing, using screens on the back and sides of the stage, almost framing the show in a cube, reflective of Christopher’s constraints in his functioning. Lights flicker like the firing of neurons in his brain, and black and white projections are used to show both his thought process and to set the scene. The show, like the book, is written from Christopher’s point of view and the presentation effectively places the audience members squarely into the centre of his mind and thoughts. The simplicity of the set is reflective of the way in which Christopher perceives the world and worked very well. There were pieces of carefully choreographed movement throughout, and the scene where Christopher arrives in London and is overwhelmed by the overstimulation of his environment is very well done. In this show, less certainly is more, and the monochrome set nicely mirrored Christopher’s rather binary thinking.

    But placing the style and presentation to one side, the most impressive aspect of the show was the central performance of Scott Reid. Reid’s portrayal of Christopher Boone was highly accomplished – mixing the complexities of the characters personality, his physical traits and a childlike innocence which combined to provide a rounded and believable performance

    The show, and in particular, the first act, is very well written, with a script which imports large chunks of text from the book to provide a faithful adaptation of the source material. Despite being bleak at times, the show was filled with gentle humour; and created a world with a myriad of characters that come in and out of Christopher’s life which nestle alongside the well-crafted moments of dramatic tension and emotionally powerful scenes.

    The show has won a slew of awards, including 7 Olivier Awards and 5 Tony Awards, and it is easy to see why. There is a lot of depth to the play, exploring the adult world of interpersonal relationships through a simplistic and innocent perspective.

    The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time is playing at the Milton Keynes Theatre until 16th September 2017

    • Review taken from Sheffield Theatre production.

  • Convicted murderer from the 80s, jailed for second attempted murder of lover

    A convicted murderer has been jailed for the attempted murder of ANOTHER MAN after dating app hook up goes hideously wrong.

    • Peter Lund was originally convicted of a murder of man in 1980.

    • He was released in 2015.

    • Now he has been jailed for the attempted murder of another man he found on a dating app.

    Peter James Lund (09/01/1954) of Pett Level Road, Winchelsea Beach, East Sussex has been jailed for attempted murder after being found guilty at an earlier hearing.

    Dating App Meeting Gone Wrong

    In December 2016, Lund travelled to Manchester to see a man he met on a dating app and spent the evening with him, after taking him to a Chinese takeaway in his silver Jaguar.

    A few days later, Lund and the man spent the evening together watching television and making plans for New Year’s Eve before going to sleep.

    At around 6.15am the next morning, Wednesday 21 December, the man awoke to an extremely sharp pain in the right of his neck.

    He opened his eyes to see Lund standing over him holding a knife and, when he asked him in disbelief what he was doing, Lund professed it was his sharp fingernails that had caused the pain.

    The victim panicked, shouting at Lund to get off him and pushed him away but, as he did so, his neck was slashed and a struggle ensued with Lund grabbing the man’s shoulder before reaching into his mouth and pulling at his teeth with force.

    The struggle reached the kitchen area where Lund took a knife while the man fled to the bathroom to mop his wounds with a towel.

    Covered in blood

    With them both covered in blood and unclothed, the fight spilled out into the communal corridor with Lund brandishing the large serrated knife and chasing the man as he ran up and down, banging on other doors trying to escape the attack.

    Lund tried to drag him back into the flat but he was disarmed by the man who quickly got into a lift and ran to a nearby petrol station to raise the alarm.

    Lund ran back inside, cleaned himself up and fled around three minutes later in his Jaguar towards Great Yarmouth where he was arrested by officers, after a short manhunt, on suspicion of attempted murder.

    When under arrest, an officer told Lund, ‘I’m not saying you have done it, it’s just on suspicion,’ Lund quickly interjected and admitted the attack, saying ‘I’ve done it!’

    Previous murder

    Manchester Crown Court, Crown Square, heard Lund had spent a large amount of his life in prison, having been convicted of murder in 1980 after he bludgeoned another man to death in his bed.

    He has today, Wednesday 30 August 2017, been jailed for 27 years.

    Harrowing

    Detective Constable Tom Munnery of GMP’s City of Manchester team said,

    “This vicious and savage attack on a sleeping man is absolutely stomach-turning with the only consolation being Lund will be in prison for a considerable time.

    “In what was clearly a harrowing situation, the victim thought fast to raise the alarm and ensure Lund was found and put behind bars.

    “Having to relive these events through the court case has been no mean feat but the bravery and strength shown by the victim is truly commendable. My thanks goes to him for his courage and my thoughts will remain with him as he recovers from the emotional and physical scars he has had to endure.”

    Extra reporting: Greater Manchester Police

  • Man who stabbed his boyfriend in the neck as he slept is jailed

    A convicted murderer has been jailed for the attempted murder of ANOTHER MAN after dating app hook up goes hideously wrong.

    Peter Lund was originally convicted of a murder of man in 1980.

    He was released in 2015.

    Now he has been jailed for the attempted murder of another man he found on a dating app.

     

    Peter James Lund (09/01/1954) of Pett Level Road, Winchelsea Beach, East Sussex has been jailed for attempted murder after being found guilty at an earlier hearing.

    Dating App Meeting Gone Wrong

    In December 2016, Lund travelled to Manchester to see a man he met on a dating app and spent the evening with him, after taking him to a Chinese takeaway in his silver Jaguar.

    A few days later, Lund and the man spent the evening together watching television and making plans for New Year’s Eve before going to sleep.

    At around 6.15am the next morning, Wednesday 21 December, the man awoke to an extremely sharp pain in the right of his neck.

    He opened his eyes to see Lund standing over him holding a knife and, when he asked him in disbelief what he was doing, Lund professed it was his sharp fingernails that had caused the pain.

    The victim panicked, shouting at Lund to get off him and pushed him away but, as he did so, his neck was slashed and a struggle ensued with Lund grabbing the man’s shoulder before reaching into his mouth and pulling at his teeth with force.

    The struggle reached the kitchen area where Lund took a knife while the man fled to the bathroom to mop his wounds with a towel.

    Covered in blood

    With them both covered in blood and unclothed, the fight spilled out into the communal corridor with Lund brandishing the large serrated knife and chasing the man as he ran up and down, banging on other doors trying to escape the attack.

    Lund tried to drag him back into the flat but he was disarmed by the man who quickly got into a lift and ran to a nearby petrol station to raise the alarm.

    Lund ran back inside, cleaned himself up and fled around three minutes later in his Jaguar towards Great Yarmouth where he was arrested by officers, after a short manhunt, on suspicion of attempted murder.

    When under arrest, an officer told Lund, ‘I’m not saying you have done it, it’s just on suspicion,’ Lund quickly interjected and admitted the attack, saying ‘I’ve done it!’

    Previous murder

    Manchester Crown Court, Crown Square, heard Lund had spent a large amount of his life in prison, having been convicted of murder in 1980 after he bludgeoned another man to death in his bed.

    He has today, Wednesday 30 August 2017, been jailed for 27 years.

    Harrowing

    Detective Constable Tom Munnery of GMP’s City of Manchester team said,

    “This vicious and savage attack on a sleeping man is absolutely stomach-turning with the only consolation being Lund will be in prison for a considerable time.

    “In what was clearly a harrowing situation, the victim thought fast to raise the alarm and ensure Lund was found and put behind bars.

    “Having to relive these events through the court case has been no mean feat but the bravery and strength shown by the victim is truly commendable. My thanks goes to him for his courage and my thoughts will remain with him as he recovers from the emotional and physical scars he has had to endure.”

    Extra reporting: Greater Manchester Police

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Late Company, Trafalgar Studios, London

    ★★★★★| Late Company

    THEATRE REVIEW | Late Company, Trafalgar Studios, London

    The title of a new play at Trafalgar Studios – Late Company – means that the family the Hastings invited over for dinner are late, and they are also late in apologising for the suicide of their teenage son.

    Debora (an amazing Lucy Robinson) and Michael Hasting (Todd Boyce) have invited Bill Dermot (Alex Lowe) and his wife Tamara (Lisa Stevenson) and their son Curtis (David Leopold) over for dinner to their fancy and art-inspired home. Curtis and Debora & Michael’s son Joel were friends in school, however, Michael committed suicide after being constantly bullied and taunted by the other kids in school (including Curtis) for being gay and a bit feminine. So Debora (and less so Michael) have invited the Dermots over for dinner on the one year anniversary of Michael’s death. It’s a dinner where Debora wants to have the ‘conversation’ – to get everything out in the open and to have an open and honest discussion with Curtis to determine the reasons and motive for doing what he did to Michael, and most importantly to find out why. But the dinner doesn’t go according to plan, it’s brought up bad emotions and feelings that Debora and Michael were trying to get over. But it turns out that Debora was never really there for Joel, and that Michael’s job as an MP took him to Ottawa a lot of the time, and Debora was always focusing on her art and not really on Joel, so Bill and Tamara subtly advise Debora and Michael that they missed the warning signs because they were too involved in themselves. But no matter who the finger is pointed to, Joel is gone forever, and no yelling or conversation will bring him back. And it’s mostly Debora who longs for closure, and perhaps she’s feeling a bit guilty over Joel’s suicide.

    Late Company throws heavy emotional dialogue at the audience right and left, and it’s delivered by an excellent cast. Robinson as Joel’s mom has the showiest part. She’s angry and upset and wants closure. Stevenson is also very good as the mother whose son is still alive, she just can’t put herself in Debora’s shoes but she is willing to do as much as she can to help ease the pain. And Leopold is a wonder as the son who doesn’t have much to say during the dinner but near the end, he comes into his own. Gay playwright Jordan Tannahill was only 23 when he wrote Late Company in the wake of a peer’s suicide, and he has written a timely and evocative play that’s very relevant today in a world of constant bullying and peer pressure and what seems like the lack of rules on social media. Late Company is a short 75 minutes but it packs a wallop during this time and at the end, you will find that your heart has dropped into your stomach. A must see!

    Late Company is playing at Trafalgar Studios until Saturday, September 16th.

  • Fresh hopes for the iconic Black Cap in London

    There are new hopes for the reopening of the Black Cap, the iconic gay pub and cabaret venue on Camden High Street, which closed its doors in April 2015.

    Members of the Black Cap Foundation community campaign group to reopen the venue met representatives of Kicking Horse, who own the freehold of the Black Cap site. Representatives of Camden council and the GLA culture-at-risk team were also present.

    All sides agreed to work together to identify a new, third-party leaseholder to reopen the Black Cap as an LGBT+ venue with cabaret performance at its heart as soon as possible.

    Black Cap Foundation director Alex Green said:

    “We’re thrilled at this agreement. This is a crucial step towards our goal of reopening the Black Cap, and we welcome the cooperation of the freeholders and the support of Camden council and the GLA in making that a reality.

    “We’ve always believed the Black Cap’s unique, irreplaceable legacy of community and culture is worth fighting for, and can’t wait to see how it will be reinvented next.” 

    A spokesperson for Kicking Horse said:

    “We very much hope to find the leaseholder with the right vision, experience and resources to begin a brand new chapter for this world-famous venue.”

    The Black Cap has been a space for the gay community since before partial decriminalisation of homosexuality in 1967. Known as the ‘Palladium of Drag’, it has hosted residencies by groundbreaking performers such as Lily Savage, Mrs Shufflewick and Regina Fong, after whom the pub’s first-floor Shufflewick Bar and Fong Terrace are named. More recently, it was home to the Family Fierce, who showcased acts from RuPaul’s Drag Race.

    Since the 2015 closure, the Black Cap Foundation has maintained a weekly Saturday afternoon vigil outside the pub, celebrating the venue’s past and sharing stories with local residents while campaigning for its reopening.

    The Black Cap’s new leaseholder will take on a 25-year lease for the five-storey building at 171 Camden High Street. The site has Asset of Community Status and sui generis planning use class and requires significant capital expenditure.

     

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Loot, Park Theatre, London

    ★★★★ | Loot

    THEATRE REVIEW | Loot, Park Theatre, London

    The late playwright Joe Orton wrote Loot more than 50 years ago, and it is now being revived at London’s Park Theatre in Finsbury Park.

    Loot is a farcical comedy that’s hilarious but it’s upstaged a bit by the life of Orton. He was only 34 when, at the peak of his fame, he was murdered by his boyfriend Kenneth Halliwell in their flat in Islington exactly 50 years ago because Halliwell was very jealous of Orton’s success. Orton had just had real success in the West End with both Loot and Entertaining Mr Sloane, and was even celebrating being notorious for when he and Halliwell served six months in jail for defacing books from the Islington public library.

    But back to Loot,  it’s a laugh a minute play about a funeral with a corpse which unfortunately does not get any peace in the afterlife. There’s also a bank robbery as well as a cunning nurse who will do anything to get her hands on as much money as she can.

    Mrs McLeavy (Anah Ruddin) has just died and her husband McLeavy (Ian Redford) and son Hal (Sam Frenchum) are in mourning at a funeral home. Nurse Fay (Sinéam Matthews) was hired to take care of Mrs McLeavy, but she’s got more up her sleeve than cotton pads and plasters. But Hal has just robbed a bank, in cahoots (and then some) with undertaker Dennis (Calvin Demba), and the money is in the same room as Mrs McLeavy. But self-proclaimed water inspector Truscott (Christopher Fulford) seems to be getting very interested in everyone’s business, starts to ask lots and lots of questions, while Hal and Dennis run amok trying to figure out where to stash the stolen money – and this is the beauty of Loot. Poor Mrs McLeavy’s corpse keeps on getting switched with the money and eventually her body is a prop where McLeavy and Truscott bewilderingly take no notice. And eventually Fay wants a piece of the action or else she will tell the cops. The corpse winds up in literally many hilarious places and positions which will keep you laughing for the duration of the show’s 90 plus minutes.

    Kudos go to Ruddin for playing the corpse. She, along with the hilarious script, are the real stars of the show. Matthews as nurse Fay and Redford as McLeavy are also brilliant but it’s a testament to Orton who had bucketfuls of talent taken away from him at such a young age, one can only imagine what else he would’ve accomplished. And we’re lucky we are no longer at the behest of Lord Chamberlain who heavily censored this show when it was originally shown, and when some of the audiences walked out because of the way the corpse is treated in the show. And we finally get to see Loot the way Orton originally intended it to be watched, in full.

    Loot play at the Park Theatre in Finsbury Park until 24th September

  • Police are searching for this man after a “homophobic” attack outside a Newcastle pub

    Police have released an image of a man they want to speak to, after a cleaner was attacked outside a Newcastle city centre pub.

    At around 8.45AM on the morning of Monday, July 17, police received a report that the 36-year-old man had been assaulted by a male passing the Union Rooms pub on Westgate Road.

    There has been a verbal altercation between the pair during which homophobic abuse was hurled at the cleaner. He has then been punched in the face.

    Victim left with broken teeth and needing stitches

    Enquiries are ongoing into the assault that left the victim with broken teeth and stitches in his bottom lip. It has also been recorded as a hate crime.

    Now police are releasing an image of a man they want to speak to about the assault. He could help officers with their enquiries.

    The man, or anyone who recognises him, should contact police on 101 quoting log 225 17/07/17 or by emailing the OIC on 8231@northumbria.pnn.police.uk.

  • Man jailed for 26 years after Hyde Park murder

    A man who violently attacked and killed a gay man in Hyde Park has been jailed for 26 years.

    Hani Khalaf, 22 (8.11.94) of no fixed address was sentenced on Thursday, 24 August at the Old Bailey with a recommendation he serves a minimum of 26 years for the murder of Jairo Medina.

    Khalaf had been found guilty on Friday, 11 August after standing trial for the murder of 62-year-old Mr Medina.

    The jury heard how on a summer’s night in August 2016 Mr Medina, a Colombian national, was brutally attacked, robbed and left to die.

    Mr Medina, who worked as a residential carer and was described by his colleagues as the best carer they ever had, left his home in Chelsea on 11 August 2016 telling his brother he was popping out to get some fresh air and would be back later.

    He took a bus to the Marble Arch area and was captured on CCTV at around 23:00hrs in a convenience store in the company of Khalaf.

    The two bought some items, left the store and then made their way into Hyde Park. It is unknown precisely what happened while Mr Medina and Khalaf were in the park but at some point Khalaf turned on his victim.

    Mr Medina suffered severe injuries after being punched and kicked by Khalaf, resulting in numerous broken bones including fractured ribs and trauma to his head.

    Vicious and violent attack

    A post-mortem examination on 13 August at Westminster Mortuary gave cause of death as blunt force trauma.

    As Mr Medina lay dying on the ground, Khalaf stole his rucksack and fled the scene. He rifled through the bag, emptying and dropping a wallet as well as taking a mobile phone. He left a trail of abandoned items as he hastily made his escape, heading in the direction of Speakers Corner.

    At 00:44hrs on 12 August Khalaf boarded a bus from Edgware Road and got off moments later further along the road.

    Shortly before 02:30hrs Khalaf was captured on CCTV again in Edgware Road, making his way back to Marble Arch but by this time had changed most of his clothing, keeping his shoes, belt and watch.

    The next sighting of Khalaf was at 05:11hrs as he boarded a bus to Streatham and travelled all the way to the end of the line. Nine minutes after arriving in Streatham he boarded a bus heading in the opposite direction, where he eventually got off at Regent Street shortly before 07:00hrs.

    Whilst Khalaf was riding the bus network, a Hyde Park groundsman came across Mr Medina’s body near the mosaic to commemorate The Reformers’ Tree at around 05:45hrs. Police were called and Mr Medina was pronounced dead at the scene. A murder investigation was launched.

    Approximately 12 hours after the vicious attack Khalaf made his way to a mobile and computer shop in Kilburn where he tried to sell Mr Medina’s phone. The store tested the phone but refused to buy it as it had a cracked screen and Khalaf left.

    Detectives carried out enquiries and established that Mr Medina’s phone had been activated in the store. They were able to obtain CCTV footage of Khalaf there.

    Six days later Khalaf was arrested for an unrelated matter. Officers immediately recognised him as the person who was with Mr Medina prior to his death and Khalaf was arrested for murder.

    A forensic examination of Khalaf’s clothing revealed Mr Medina’s DNA on his watch and belt. Khalaf’s DNA was also found on the rucksack abandoned at the scene.

    Khalaf was subsequently charged.

    Detective Chief Inspector Nicola Wall, of the Homicide and Major Crime Command, said,

    “Jairo Medina was a kind and gentle man who dedicated his life to caring for others. On that evening in August last year, he went out to socialise in the Hyde Park area. There he encountered Hani Khalaf, who was to viciously assault and rob him before leaving him to die in a remote part of the park. We are pleased that such a dangerous individual is now in custody for what he did and hopefully this may be of some comfort to Jairo’s family and friends.

    “We believe that robbery was the motive behind the murder. In the very early stages of the investigation we realised that Jairo was an openly gay man who liked to socialise in and around Hyde Park. Our investigation received a lot of support and assistance from representatives of the LGBT community who work alongside the local police in Westminster. I would like to acknowledge their support in helping us achieve justice.”

  • Man given lifetime ban from entering Manchester’s Gay Village

    A man who robbed and left his victims unconscious has been slapped with a lifetime ban from entering Manchester’s gay village and handed a long jail sentence.

    A man who targetted victims in Manchester’s gay village has been jailed today after pleading guilty to six counts of robbery and one count of theft from a person at an earlier hearing.

    Mason Shaw (01/07/1996) of Sharples Hall Street, Oldham was sentenced to 8 years and 9 months with an extended licence of 4 years and 3 months. at Manchester Crown Court.

    Shaw has also been given a lifetime Criminal Behavioural Order, preventing him from entering Manchester’s gay village.

    In September 2016, police received their first report that Shaw had robbed a man in Oldham.

    Between this incident in September and 10 December 2016, Shaw has committed a further six robberies, targeting people predominately around Manchester’s gay village.

    The court heard how Shaw would seek out people from this area, isolating them from the crowd, before strangling them until they lost consciousness.

    At this point he would rob them before leaving his victims to come around.

    Detective Constable Jonathan Barnett of GMP’s City of Manchester borough, said,

    “Shaw has committed a number of robberies, clearly targeting members of the gay community, brutally taking their possessions from them.

    “I cannot imagine what Shaw’s victims must have gone through, being robbed and abandoned in such a terrifying way.

    “Given the nature of these robberies, I am grateful that we’ve been able to secure such a long sentence for his heinous crimes.

    “Today’s result hopefully goes some way to reinforce that violent crime, of any kind, will not be tolerated in Greater Manchester.”

    This article has been amended. A previous version noted a different address and a different extended license.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Between The Sheets, Underbelly, London

    ★★★★ | Between The Sheets

    Between The Sheets, Underbelly, London

    London’s most famous burlesque entertainer – Miss Polly Rae – is hosting a new show at London’s Underbelly Festival on the Southbank. It’s Between the Sheets, and between you and me it’s fabulous!

    Polly Rae, along with a cavalcade of other naughty acts, perform a variety of skits while scantily clad in a show that’s fun, and dare we say it, titillating. There’s so much on offer in the show for both men and women as Rae’s performers delight the late night audiences with the ability to do a variety of stunts while simultaneously taking their clothes off.

    Come and watch the amazing duo of Duo Visage (Beau Sargent and Sam Smith) combine their spectacular artistry, along with their perfectly lithe bodies, as they do spectacular stunts on the stage in a venue where every seat in the house is good. Then there is Tom Cunningham and Myles Brown, two very good-looking men who take off all of their clothes in one very cute skit while in another scene they most memorably perform a romantic and sensual dance with each other that’s both erotic and emotional and very memorable. We are then treated to the very funny Lilly Snatchdragon who provides comic relief in between the flesh-baring performers. But it’s Kitty Kitty Bang Bang who impresses us the most with her fire eating skills along with her splashing around in a very large cocktail glass semi-filled with water. Did I also mention that she’s scantily clad while doing this? And the gorgeous Beau Rocks rounds out the cast of Between the Sheets, and rounds out just simply describes her and her amazing body and personality.

    Playing for a limited time only, Between the Sheets will literally thrill you out of your seat with a spectacular show which takes place in one of London’s best venues. Kudos to Miss Polly Rae for bringing this sort of burlesque show back to London in a visually stunning and hilarious romp. It’s a night out that you will truly not forget.

    There are three more shows left of Between the Sheets – all on Fridays: August 25th, September 8th, and September 29th.

     

  • Afternoon Tea Review | Lost and Found, Birmingham

    ★★★★ | Gentleman’s Afternoon Tea and Tipples

    Afternoon Tea is a delightful, British experience which we do not often do. The fresh sandwiches, the warm scones, the ever-flowing tea and the high-end service is something of a treat nowadays. The Gentleman’s Afternoon Tea at Lost and Found takes all you know about tea and cranks it up a notch – and all for just £18.95 per person.

    To start off our afternoon marathon, we were greeted with a glass of prosecco each with a raspberry, and Josh provided us a warm and friendly service throughout. The menu for the Gentleman’s Afternoon Tea consists of meaty, bulky and monster sandwiches which were packed with flavour and you could taste the freshness with every bite. Crispy chicken and chorizo on a ginormous baguette halved was spectacular – fresh rocket and well-cooked chicken with just the right amount of chorizo that let the southern style chicken take centre stage. The glazed ham and homemade chutney baguette was very rich on the palate and the sweetness of the chutney really complemented the meat with an added crunch from the lettuce. The egg, mustard and cress sandwich was a really nice light and fluffy mix to the board. My favourite thing that went in my mouth, though, was the scotch eggs – what a highlight! The egg was cooked perfectly and freshly which had the yolk running and put your knife through, with delicious batter and pork paste full of flavour and the combination together sent fireworks. The feta cheese and caramelised onion pastry was another delicate yet fierce competitor for the palate. The pork scratching on chilli jam was okay, I found the scratching too hard to chew and it was just one on each ramekin with loads of chilli sauce underneath – not sure how I feel about this one. The scones were average, did not really stand out as a feature, but popcorn Tiffin was superb. The teapot was very big which meant we probably got about 5 cups each which was enough to go with until the food-athon was over.

    You can opt for any of the Afternoon Teas and attach a Tipple, where you select from one of the three cocktails to spice up the experience for an extra £5. It is definitely worth doing that.

    In the end, it was too much and we had to admit defeat – doggy-bagging half of the crispy chicken and chorizo baguette and two Tiffin cakes. I must say, I had the sandwich for my lunch the day after and it was equally as tasty and fresh as the day before. It shows that good ingredients and care is put into the afternoon tea platters. Presentation wise, it could have been more ornate considering the grandiose nature of Lost and Found with its botanical themes in the décor. I was half expecting some leaves to contribute to the aesthetics, but the whole tea was served on one slate board. It looked great, but I could have done with separating the cakes from the sandwiches for practicality.