Stephen Emms

London

Writer at Freelance

Writer at Leytonstoner

Words @Guardian @bbc_travel @thetimes @timeout @lonelyplanet & founder @londonbelongs_ @kentishtowner @leytonstoner

Articles

Why now is the time to explore outer East London

2 weeks ago | bbc.co.uk | Stephen Emms

A few miles from East London's perennially hip neighbourhoods, an explosion of art and culture is transforming a once-neglected stretch into one of the city's hottest destinations. East London. Two words that, if you know anything about the UK's capital, often conjure up opposing opinions. There are those who mourn its supposedly waning hip factor – regaling stories of 1980s warehouse art shows or squat parties – while deploring the rampant commercialism of its supercharged epicentre, Shoreditch.
Why now is the time to explore outer East London

2 weeks ago | flipboard.com | Stephen Emms

The UK hotel chain asking guests to check-in as late as 5pm unless they pay extra feesMajor hotel chains in the UK are asking guests to check-in as late as 5pm and leave as early as 10am giving them just 17 hours in the room, a new …
Colonel Fawcett: 'elevated pub grub to be reckoned with'

2 weeks ago | kentishtowner.co.uk | Stephen Emms

Backstreet boozer the Colonel Fawcett, tucked away on Randolph Street near Camden Road Overground, has been going strong for just shy of 15 years. And it’s always balanced its foodie credentials with its reputation as somewhere to kick back at the weekend. You may be unaware of how influential the pub and its cooking were when it first opened.
Libertalia Brewing to open Calamity Tank in the former Mammoth bar

2 weeks ago | leytonstoner.london | Stephen Emms

Microbrewery Libertalia launched in Leyton Midland’s Tilbury Road in 2023 – and now their sights are set on the former Mammoth, the craft beer bar that closed last summer in E11’s railway arches. “We specifically wanted somewhere close to the brewery to keep that community going,” founder Matt says. “We’ve got a really good group of regulars, and when we heard it was closing, we realised it would be easier and faster for us to take it, and redo it in our own style.
World-class culture! Soho Theatre Walthamstow, Shake The High Road - and what to eat

2 weeks ago | leytonstoner.substack.com | Stephen Emms

It’s no overstatement to say that this is a massive week culturally — not just for Waltham Forest but for London itself. First up? The juggernaut that is the new £30million Soho Theatre Walthamstow, which officially opens tonight. I was fortunate enough to visit twice this week — firstly, on Tuesday for a preview tour of its cavernous interior, and last night, pictured above, for the star-studded launch party (I even met Sir Ian McKellen — but that’s another story).
New cafe special: Tun on Tilbury, Earl's on Cann Hall - and the latest on Farha

3 weeks ago | open.substack.com | Stephen Emms

With spring in the air, and long sunny evenings ahead, it’s evidently a fecund time for new cafes in the area. Today’s issue celebrates a handful of these arrivals in both Leyton and Leytonstone, including — hot off the press — the new “sandwich shop” from hit cafe Back To Ours in Cann Hall Park, right on the border of E11 and E7.
KERB to launch new Francis Road market - and Calamity Tank roars into E11

1 month ago | open.substack.com | Stephen Emms

It’s serendipitous that today’s issue glows with positivity — right at the start of the longest bank holiday weekend of the year. The hot news in Leytonstone? Why, the former Mammoth bar, tucked away in the railway arches by the Overground, is soon to reopen as Calamity Tank. The best way to describe it is a local craft beer destination with a difference: find out exactly why this will be the area’s quirkiest new arrival in my in-depth interview with its three founders below.
Win's Bakery: inside Leyton Midland's latest hotspot

1 month ago | leytonstoner.london | Stephen Emms

Step inside Leyton Midland’s newest arch on any given Friday afternoon and the boys – Jack and James, pictured above – will be very busy indeed. Under its curved aluminium ceiling, dozens of uncooked pasties lie on wooden benches in neat rows, while moveable metal shelves of both cooked and uncooked pies await their fate. The former will end up out west at Queen’s Park Farmers’ Market, while the latter are sold straight from the oven right here in Leyton, when the bakery opens weekly on Saturdays.
Warum die ruhige Küstenstadt Portrush in Nordirland jetzt das perfekte Reiseziel ist

1 month ago | cntraveller.de | Stephen Emms

Portrush: Die Stadt in Nordirland ist das ganze Jahr über ein gutes Reiseziel. Im Winter, wenn der Wind eisig weht und keine Menschenseele weit und breit zu sehen ist, ist es in Portrush besonders schön. Ein wenig fühlt es sich an wie das stürmische Ende der Welt, wenn man an der Spitze des Hafenarms steht und am Horizont den Übergang zwischen Himmel und Meer nicht mehr ausmachen kann. Portrush ist einfach zauberhaft.
9 cheap hotspots to eat in London’s top neighbourhoods

1 month ago | nzherald.co.nz | Stephen Emms

Chuku's is a Nigerian tapas restaurant in Tottenham, London. Photo / SuppliedA tough exhange rate means your Kiwi dollars don’t go as far as they used to in the UK. Fortunately, lifelong Londoner, Stephen Emms knows where to find a delicious meal on the cheap when visiting LondonAs a lifelong Londoner, I’ve seen the capital’s food culture change beyond all recognition in the last four decades.