By Sarah James 1. I can do with a month off, it will be easy! 2. It's only been 4 days! I feel like I've not drunk for at least 3 months. 3. I'm bored of staying in the house, I'm going to go to the pub, I can drink sparkling water and watch other people drink! 4. F/ck that! Back to the house, it's safe there. 5. Suddenly I stop drinking and I seem to have been struck down...

By Jonathan Hatchman, Food Editor, @TLE_Food Last year was a great success for restaurant openings in London. With plenty of successful new openings, as well as a rise of completely new dining trends – 2016 is already looking set to become even better than its successor. Here’s a selection of the restaurant openings that we’re most excited for, already scheduled to open across the next 12 months. Pharmacy 2 - Vauxhall First opened during artist Damien Hirst’s peak in the...

Car servicing and repair company Kwik Fit has devised an innovative way to help you shed the festive pounds. A team of their technicians are trialling a fitness scheme in a London garage which will quite literally help people lose their spare tyres. The crew has teamed up with a personal trainer to devise a system – Fit Kwik – using only car and van tyres. The free 30-minute sessions will include tyre flips, lifts and throws, during which participants...

Ever thought about 'doing a Joey from Friends' and wearing all your clothes to avoid being check-in luggage fees? You're not the only one. Because that's actually happened. A survey by Norwegian Air of 50 London Gatwick ground staff has revealed the most bizarre attempts to avoid checking-in their hand baggage when their bag is oversized or overweight. The survey revealed the following top 10 ways in which passengers tried to get out of paying: A passenger wore three pairs of...

By Shilpa Ganatra, Travel Editor, @TLE_Travel Over a decade ago, when I were a lass studying at LSE, no student wanted the Bankside halls of residence. They were one of the newest and nicest, but it didn’t make up for the tumbleweed blowing through its SE1 postcode. Now, it’s a different matter. Aided by an influx of businesses, the Southwark area is in the midst of a rebirth. It boasts the best Nandos in London, some fantastic lunch restaurants and...

By Leslie Byron Pitt @Afrofilmviewer To utilise the vernacular that Dope uses, the soundtrack to Rick Famuyiwa’s fourth film is well…Dope. A quick glimpse of the film credits should have a viewer spy the names of Sean “Puffy” Combs and Pharrell Williams as executive producers. The film is filled with so many nineties hip-hop gems, it’s hard not to nod your head. There’s so much music, that the non-diegetic sound becomes wall-to-wall. It becomes distracting. Almost enough to forgo the...

A map released by the Environment Agency during the recent floods in Leeds highlighting 'severely affected' areas runs an almost identical course to the proposed HS2 route, raising questions about the feasibility of the multi-billion pound project. Phase 2 plans for the high speed railway follow parts of the Aire and Calder Navigation on approach to Leeds train station, but most of the proposed land for development was under water this weekend as the river overflowed. Pictures from Woodlesford Lock show...

By Bea Patel, TLE Property Editor and Director of Shop for an Agent The landmark factory building at the Terry's Chocolate Works site in York will re-open next year as ‘The Residence’. Apartments will range from one bedroom to stunning luxury duplex penthouses surrounded in a historic setting. Developers converting the Grade II listed building into unique apartments revealed the new name - The Residence - at an exclusive event organised by Carter Jonas, the appointed agents on the scheme...

The only problem with a more accessible world is that our bucket list just keeps getting longer and longer. As tempting as it would be to slot in a holiday for every week of next year, but wary of budget etc, here are just some of the highlights on next year's calendar. Booking fingers at the ready? January: Aurora Borealis - Lapland You've probably seen pictures - where green, blue and purple hues dance across a pitch black sky - but trust us...