Emmie Harrison-West

Edinburgh, Newcastle upon Tyne

Deputy Chair at The British Guild of Beer Writers

Award-winning (& losing) writer ✍️ Lover of good beer & girl power ✊ Deputy Chair of The Guild of @britbeerwriters (my views!) 🍻

Articles

My date couldn't believe what I pulled out of my purse

Nov 2, 2024 | metro.co.uk | Emmie Harrison-West

Sorry, but I've always thought that the cinema is a dire choice for a date (also not sorry - go out for dinner, coffee, or a walk. It's not that hard, people!). The worst dates I've been on have been to the cinema (even worse than the man I met on Tinder called Tony Stark who - genuinely - had never seen Iron Man or Game of Thrones).
Older Oasis fans need to stop hating on younger listeners who got tickets | Metro News

Aug 31, 2024 | metro.co.uk | Emmie Harrison-West

With Oasis tickets selling out on Ticketmaster, fan Emmie Harrison-West says we shouldn't be demonising young fans who got tickets.
I'm calling last orders on fragile male egos in the pub

Aug 29, 2024 | metro.co.uk | Emmie Harrison-West

I often wonder what it's like to go to the bar and order a beer as a man. It must be so easy. I imagine it's nice to not have other men put their arms on your waist to - literally - manhandle you out of their way. Or to have bar staff act as if you just don't exist, begrudgingly serving you after a bloke (even if you were there before them). I can't help but wonder if men get judged for their body, or looks.
When a cyclist knocked me over at a red light and called me a “stupid b*tch”, it made me ashamed to ride a bike

Aug 29, 2024 | cyclingweekly.com | Emmie Harrison-West

"It’s on red, idiot!" I shout, eyes wide and arms raised at the squeaking blur that rushed past me at the crossing. It was so fast, that my hair actually whipped into my face - forcing me to step back onto the curb. Upon hearing my cry, the delivery driver on his (haphazard, homemade, and most likely not legal) e-bike flipped the bird at me over his shoulder - seemingly uncaring that he ran a red light.
Oasis fans need to stop crying their heart out about young girls liking the band

Aug 27, 2024 | metro.co.uk | Emmie Harrison-West

Whenever people ask me what moment in time - in all of history - I'd go back to if I could, I always say one thing. Oasis. Knebworth, August 1996. The era of acid house and Brit pop royalty. Of cigarettes and alcohol. After over 4% of the population tried to get tickets, a massive audience descended on Knebworth Park from half a world away (don't groan, there's worse to come) for two days of stone-cold swagger from the best rock band of all time.
I was alone on the Tube when a man threatened to shoot me

Aug 14, 2024 | metro.co.uk | Emmie Harrison-West

'Are you a virgin?' I heard echoing down the empty carriage. 'S-sorry?' I said baffled, looking up - I was entirely alone, except for one man. I'd bristled when he was the only person to get on my otherwise empty carriage, only mere minutes earlier, but I'd kept reading my book. 'Are you a f**king virgin?' he repeated, standing up. Eyes wild. His body shuddered in short, sharp motions as he started speed-walking towards me. 'I'm going to shoot you, I have a gun,' he shouted.
My date couldn't believe what I pulled out of my purse on our first date

Aug 10, 2024 | metro.co.uk | Emmie Harrison-West

Sorry, but I've always thought that the cinema is a dire choice for a date (also not sorry - go out for dinner, coffee, or a walk. It's not that hard, people!). The worst dates I've been on have been to the cinema (even worse than the man I met on Tinder called Tony Stark who - genuinely - had never seen Iron Man or Game of Thrones).
Thank god that Kate Winslet is flying the flag for belly rolls

Aug 7, 2024 | metro.co.uk | Emmie Harrison-West

Posing for a photo, any photo, I automatically suck my stomach in. I unconsciously push my chest out, straighten my back and deflate my lungs so there's literally no air left in my body. Then, I breathlessly smile - the words 'hold your tummy in' ringing around my head. I'm all tits and teeth, with (hopefully) an hourglass figure for the photo. And not a fleshy roll in sight. I've been doing it for as long as I can remember, and sadly still tend to do it now, aged 31.
We're being told our periods give us superpowers

Jul 29, 2024 | metro.co.uk | Emmie Harrison-West

'S**t, I'm on my period for camping.'I was comparing my social calendar with my period tracking app, like I'm sure most people who bleed do. It was then that I realised that my period coincided with a camping trip for a pal's birthday. I was gutted. I had horrific visions of having diarrhoea in a portaloo and coming on in my sleeping bag. The thought of only having a baby wipe wash to deal with gushes of blood, or having hot flushes and cramps in a tent, made me feel nauseous.
‘I get so many messages from women saying thank you for thinking of us’: Building a cycling clothing brand for sizes 6 to 20

Jul 16, 2024 | cyclingweekly.com | Emmie Harrison-West

Our bodies change over our lifetime - whether we consider ourselves to be cyclists, or not. Women’s bodies especially. Age, pregnancy, the menopause, and stress can all play a part in the transformation of our body over time. Except, while our bodies fluctuate, you could argue that cycling clothes do not - and have not. Even in a saturated market, it often remains the same strict uniform, with little leeway on sizing, comfort, and accessibility.