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Summer's lease hath all too short a date
- William Shakespeare
Truer words have never been spoken. With London's ambivalent weather holding court, summers in the city are akin to a limited edition of high-end luxury that you want to grasp and sample in every way. As the sun gets its hat on, sometimes with a cloudy cover, this summer is all about quintessential British things to do. We are skipping a day at Royal Ascot and strawberries and cream at Wimbledon, for picnics infused with champagne and gin by the Thames, to sipping cocktails shaken and stirred in the glowing twilight. What comes in between is a day spent at a blockbuster exhibition, reliving the life and times of two iconic women—Frida Kahlo and Marilyn Monroe—at Tate Modern and the National Portrait Gallery, to indulging your Bridgerton fantasies while being served at Westminster Abbey. London has its own map, and you never know where—and to whom—it may lead you.
Tea time in Britain is incomplete without a shortbread or a biscuit from Fortnum & Mason. The swanky department store at Piccadilly has launched its Biscuiterium, allowing visitors to browse, taste and obsess over 70 varieties of biscuits – and introduces the rather posh picnics on the waters of the iconic River Thames this July.
Launching for the first time ever this summer, Fortnum's on Thames invites guests to step aboard a beautifully restored vintage boat for a two-hour private picnic experience through the scenic stretches of Henley-on-Thames. Taking place during the Henley Royal Regatta and Henley Festival seasons, the exclusive experience is hosted aboard Christobel, a charming vintage vessel dressed in Fortnum's iconic Eau de Nil and adorned with bespoke stripes by design house Colours of Arley.
On board, guests will enjoy a quintessentially British riverside escape, complete with Fortnum's picnics. Alfresco dishes range from smoked trout with black garlic creme fraîche and Coronation cauliflower tacos, to Fortnum's classic Scotch egg and elderflower jelly with fresh berries and Champagne - all served by the famous Fortnum's Red Coats.
Experiences begin from £1,000 per charter for four guests, running during the Henley Royal
Dates: Regatta and Henley Festival, July 1 to 12.
How To Book: Through the Fortnum's concierge team.
London's most illustrious landmark—one that has played host to kings, queens and aristocrats, all assembled beneath its Gothic arches for extravagant coronations, grand betrothals and weddings—has stood at Westminster Abbey ever since William the Conqueror was crowned there back in 1066.
Now, this magnificent space is throwing a rather different kind of bash. Don't get your Bridgerton fantasies up just yet – getting a ticket is perhaps as difficult as getting an invitation to the ball.
For just one night, this historic spot will host a special dinner in honour of English Wine Week, which runs from Saturday, June 20, to Sunday, June 28.
To find it, you’ll need to venture underground to the Cellarium — the Abbey’s fourteenth-century medieval undercroft, which once catered to Benedictine monks. On June 22, its vaulted interiors become the setting for a special dinner: a three-course meal with English wines from Balfour Winery. Tickets are priced from £78 onwards and are bookable in advance.
If you have been browsing across London, it’s likely you’ve come across murals celebrating the trailblazing Mexican artist and style icon Frida Kahlo across the city. One of the most recognisable cultural figures in the world—whose image adorns everything from t-shirts to canvas bags and coffee mugs—Kahlo is now the subject of Tate Modern’s much-anticipated major exhibition, devoted to one of the most indomitable artists of our time, running from June 25 until September.
Frida: The Making of an Icon will showcase over 30 of Kahlo’s most iconic works, introducing her “many selves” — the dedicated wife, the intellectual, the modern artist, and the political activist. Alongside treasured garments, jewellery, photographs and memorabilia, there are over 200 works by her contemporaries and the artists she has inspired across later generations, celebrating her lasting impact on those who continue to reimagine and reclaim her remarkable story.
The exhibition, already one of the biggest pre-selling shows of the year, also allows visitors to experience a bespoke menu created in collaboration with Santiago Lastra, founder of Michelin-starred Mexican restaurant KOL.
Where To Book: Tate Modern, London.
In celebration of the Hollywood star’s 100th birthday, and in association with the Marilyn Monroe Estate, Marilyn Monroe: A Portrait explores the life, career and legacy of Marilyn Monroe through portraits created by some of the greatest photographers and artists of the 20th and 21st centuries.
Bringing together works by Andy Warhol, Pauline Boty, Marlene Dumas, James Gill, Rosalyn Drexler and Audrey Flack, alongside over 20 era-defining photographers—including Cecil Beaton, Philippe Halsman, Bernard of Hollywood, André de Dienes, Eve Arnold—the exhibition foregrounds Monroe’s collaborative approach to image-making and her creative agency.
Also, the display includes her personal belongings, such as scripts and clothing, to enrich understanding of the woman behind the image. The exhibition which opened on June 4 runs until September 6.
Where To Book: National Portrait Gallery, London.
No city does cocktail theatre quite like London, and Lyaness remains one of its most inventive stages. Lyaness, the award-winning cocktail bar located within Sea Containers London on the South Bank.
Renowned for its innovative approach to cocktails, it is also the first bar globally to receive the prestigious 3 PIN status from The Pinnacle Guide.
Sample its latest cocktail menu, Collaboration 2.0, which offers the Lobster Frappé, Pink Belly Gimlet, and Cherry Cannon Punch.
Location: 20 Upper Ground, Sea Containers, London.
London’s gastronomic map keeps expanding past the obvious — and right now, that means getting a real taste of Mexico without leaving King’s Cross.
Decimo at The Standard, London, enters a new chapter under Head Chef Paola Arenas, placing authentic regional Mexican cuisine at the heart of the restaurant. Drawing on her upbringing in Milpa Alta, near Mexico City, Paola brings ancestral techniques, fresh-pressed tortillas, vibrant salsas, open-fire cooking and deeply personal flavours which aguachiles, tacos, sopes, enfrijoladas and gorditas made with traditional masa, alongside tuna tostada mains.
Location: 10 Argyle Street, London.
London’s wine bar scene has quietly become one of its best-kept indulgences, and Isla is a fine excuse to discover why. Sample organic and biodynamic wines, seasonal Mediterranean-inspired sharing plates, and a relaxed terrace experience in the heart of King’s Cross.
Menu recommendations include pumpkin fritti with kumquat, stracciatella on anchovy toast, flying fish lemon sole with brown butter and blood orange. Keep space for dessert! The line-up includes orkshire rhubarb with stem ginger ice cream, apricot jam doughnuts, and pistachio éclair with dark chocolate.
Location: 10 Argyle Street, London.
It’s been five years since handbag designer Anya Hindmarch launched her scoop shop specialising in eccentric flavours of ice cream. The Ice Cream Project is a celebration of ice cream and sorbet with a twist — drawing on household ingredients found in supermarket aisles and the freezer, think store-cupboard essentials, cult drinks, favourite biscuits and even classic condiments.
From Euthymol toothpaste ice cream and Jacob’s Mini Cheddars, to Kikkoman soy sauce, Aunt Bessie’s Christmas pudding, Capri-Sun Orange, Tunnock’s Caramel Wafers, McVitie’s Ginger Nuts and Lurpak Salted Butter — there’s a flavour here for every kind of curiosity.
Location: The Anya Village, 16 Pont Street.