Following its grand opening, Eat My Pizza has begun making waves across Leytonstone and East London with its innovative pizza creations.

With its fusion of traditional Italian cuisine and modern East London flair, a carefully curated menu featuring signature pizzas, small plates, and a range of local and Italian beverages the restaurant has managed to impress many and become the top rated restaurant in Leytonstone in the short period between it’s soft launch and grand opening.

ABOUT THE RESTAURANT

Eat My Pizza isn’t just a pizzeria – it’s a neighbourhood spot designed for the local community.

Housed in the historic Barclays Bank building, we’ve transformed this 1900s space into a welcoming eatery where locals can relax and enjoy a laid-back, yet top-quality, dining experience.

Our menu blends authentic Italian dishes with modern, locally inspired twists, offering something for everyone. From beloved classics to our signature pizzas and small plates like veal meatballs and baked artichokes, each dish promises bold flavours and fresh ingredients.

OUR MISSION

Eat My Pizza is the creation of a passionate team with a track record of popular East London restaurants, including FIGO restaurant.

Our mission is to create a welcoming space that combines the rich heritage of Italian cuisine with the innovative and unique flair of Leytonstone.

A place where locals can get together and enjoy a glass of good wine over some of our smaller dishes after work, allowing the space to fit within the customer’s needs – whether this is a three-course meal or a relaxed evening with friends or loved ones.

OUR SPACE

Housed in a beautifully restored 1900s Barclay’s Bank building, Eat My Pizza features:

– Chic ceramic tiled floors

– Stylish red banquettes

– Cozy booths with glimpses of our open kitchen

– An airy dining room with long opening hours from 9 AM to 11 PM

– Ultra-modern bar Juxtaposed against vintage style furnishings and colour palette

WHIZZING along the water holding on for dear life wasn’t exactly what I had in mind for a peaceful cruise to the Norwegian fjords.

We boarded the RIB (rigid inflatable boat) just a hundred metres or so from the MSC Virtuosa, our cruise liner home for the week — kitted out in waterproof overalls and goggles as we soaked up the views of the fishing villages and wildlife surrounding the seaside town of Maloy.

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This is just one of the dozens of excursions MSC Cruises offers on a week-long Norwegian Fjords voyage.

I’m one of 6,000 guests on board the sold-out ship — 330 metres long and 19 decks — with Kelly, my wife, and our daughters Savannah, 13, and Scarlett, ten.

We are first-time “cruisers” and I have to admit I was slightly overwhelmed when I first boarded as there’s just so much to do on and off the enormous ship.

The day trips, expertly organised by the cruise team, offer a hassle-free way to see the highlights of the surrounding areas on one of four port stops.

And they really do make a Norwegian Fjord cruise the experience of a lifetime.

At our first stop, in Haugesund, the breathtaking Langfoss waterfall awaited us, voted one of the top ten most beautiful waterfalls in the world.

I had expected a tranquil trickle of water surrounded by tourists posing for Instagram photos.

But instead we were greeted by a ferocious torrent of water falling from 600 metres above our heads.

For our day-long visit to Flam we jumped on a coach to the Stegastein viewpoint where tourists can walk out on a special gangway suspended some 650 metres above the fjord below.

Our final stop took us to Kristiansand which is on the southern tip of the country.

We hadn’t booked an excursion for this stop so were free to explore solo.

Picking up a map, we headed to the local nature park.

A wrong turn paid off, leading us to most beautiful lake where swimmers were taking advantage of the good weather.

Wide of the mark

Do remember your swimming kit when you leave the boat as there are plenty of beaches and lakes to enjoy a quick dip.

The delight of a cruise holiday is that you are taken to the heart of some beautiful spots — without the hassle of airports, trains and hire cars.

All those preconceptions of cruises being for the retired are wide of the mark.

Our fellow holidaymakers were families and couples of all ages and with so much flexibility this is a perfect solution for a multi-generational holiday.

Our room on our “home from home” the MSC Virtuosa had a double bed, bunk beds for the kids and a balcony offering fresh air and incredible sea views.

Not that we spent much time there as there were five swimming pools, Jacuzzis and a staggering 21 bars to enjoy — five of them serving tipples outside.

If you do want to take full advantage of those bars it’s best to purchase a drinks package before you board as it can work out a lot cheaper.

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For dinner we were assigned to the Il Campo restaurant and to avoid overcrowding, passengers are offered one of three sitting times.

Or you can head to one of the speciality restaurants, including the Butcher’s Cut steakhouse.

Mexican, Vietnamese, tepanyaki and sushi are also on offer.

If you just fancy grabbing food at your convenience, the Marketplace Buffet serves breakfast, lunch and dinner and late-night snacks until 1am.

Evenings are spectacular with passengers encouraged to dress up for theme nights including White Night and Sunshine Night.

Attire is superp-smart for the Gala Night with some passengers even donning tuxedos and cocktail dresses.

Booking is essential for evening entertainment in Le Grand Theatre where we saw stunning singing and dancing with Abba and Michael Jackson tributes standing out.

And special mentions go to stand-up comedian Tucker, who had us in stitches, as well as hypnotist Chris Caress, whose power of persuasion saw several guests lose all their inhibitions.

We may have been first-time cruisers this time round — but we will back for more.

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The Clifton Suspension Bridge Trust are celebrating the prestigious award of Accredited Museum status by Arts Council England, a UK-wide benchmark recognising that the Trust meets the highest standards of management, education, care and access to their historic collections.

To celebrate the new Museum Accreditation status, the Trust is relaunching the Visitor Centre located on the Leigh Woods side of the bridge as the ‘Clifton Suspension Bridge Museum’ and unveiling a new brand.

Open to the public 7 days a week, the museum welcomes tens of thousands of visitors each year. Inside, visitors can discover objects from the museum collections and learn how the bridge was constructed and is maintained today. Free and ticketed tours run throughout the year, in addition to children’s activities for families and school groups.

The Museum Accreditation application process took approximately three years, during which time the Trust’s Archivist worked to ensure important documents, drawings, photographs and objects were properly catalogued, preserved and made accessible to the public. Many of the items can already be viewed online, with more exciting projects to follow before Christmas.

Bridge Master Trish Johnson said, “We are thrilled to announce Museum Accreditation for our heritage site. This award represents our commitment to preserving the rich heritage of our bridge. Ultimately, we aim to continue sharing captivating stories for present and future generations.”

Museum Archivist Dr Hannah Little added, “We are really pleased to achieve Museum Accreditation. While Clifton Suspension Bridge is familiar to many, our museum and its collections are less well known – these tell us how the bridge was seen, built and used in the past, enabling people to see Bristol’s famous landmark in new and different ways. It is important to preserve and share these objects and stories for the benefit of the public.”

“TRY taking a picture with your phone camera and zoom in,” says our guide as we crowd around a piece of chewing gum stuck on the pavement, squinting to see it better.

Sure enough, when I pinch and stretch the photo on my phone screen, I can make out a kitchen scene, with a tiny kettle and three-point plug.

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By painting on to blobs of trodden gum instead of anything more permanent, artist Ben Wilson keeps within the confines of the law here in Bristol, explains Luke, our guide.

I’m on the Blackbeard to Banksy walking tour, a street-art amble which crams in 1,000 years of history into two hours.

We go from miniature to massive as further along, Bristol’s tallest murals loom down from tower blocks on Nelson Street.

There’s the giant figure of a banker in pin-striped suit and bowler hat, pouring red paint down the side of a tower block and mother and baby, like a modern vision of the Madonna and Child, on the building next to it.

If you’re wondering how anyone got away with spray painting on this scale well, they didn’t.

These works were created with the council’s blessing as part of a street art festival in 2011.

Today the city’s colourful urban art is celebrated as a star attraction, but the authorities haven’t always seen it that way.

Drinking hole

Before he was quite so famous, Bristolian graffiti artist Banksy went under cover — quite literally — to escape the attention of council workers at their desks in the offices opposite.

He put up a scaffold and tarpaulin to stencil his 2006 work, Well Hung Lover, on to the side of a building in Frogmore Street.

In a cheeky jibe at the oblivious city officials, it shows a suited man searching out through a window, flanked by his wife, while her naked lover clings to the ledge undetected.

As well as art, our walking route also takes in historic pubs where pirates like Blackbeard once plotted, including Bristol’s oldest drinking hole, The Hatchet Inn, dating back to the 1600s or earlier.

Gruesome urban legend has it the front door is covered in the skin of hanged criminals underneath the many coats of black paint you see on it today.

Then, winding our way back towards the present day, we stop by the empty plinth from which Black Lives Matter protesters toppled the statue of slave trader Edward Colston in 2020 before dumping it in the dock.

Now you can find the bronze figure lying ingloriously on its back, still tainted with red paint at M Shed museum (free to visit).

The artistic fun doesn’t end there, though.

I check in to Mercure Bristol Grand Hotel, a Grade-II listed late-19th century building, which is a stunning landmark in its own right, with its beautifully-ornate wrought-iron and stained glass porch.

Inside, it’s bright and modern with original work by street artists.

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St Nicholas Market is around the corner and a great place to pick up gifts and grab a bite to eat from one of the enticing food stalls.

Or head to Chez Marcel on Broad Street, a few doors down from the hotel, which serves savoury and sweet crepes.

The crepe complete (ham, emmental and egg) washed down with a dry Breton cider is just as delicious as any I’ve had in France and all for less than £20.

It’s a city where you can travel the world with your taste buds and sample a different country’s cuisine at every meal.

At Sri Lankan mini-chain Coconut Tree, I try cheap and cheerful small plates including “hoppers” — bowl-shaped pancakes filled with coconut and onion relish.

And at upmarket Indian restaurant Nutmeg in Clifton, I have roast duck in a spiced creamy coconut sauce.

For cocktails, Cargo Cantina, in a harbour-side shipping container, mixes a mean Mexican margarita and Cafe Cuba in Stokes Croft has mojitos that are bursting with fresh mint.

With top-notch food and drink, pirate pubs and art around every corner, what more could you want from a city break?

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Members of DanceSydrome, a charity set up in Lancashire in 2009, have been invited to Japan to share their bespoke approach and methodology in how they support people with learning disabilities to be leaders, as part of a pioneering project to promote inclusion in Japanese society.

DanceSyndrome transforms lives, creating change and giving joy, hope and opportunities to people with learning disabilities, and their families. Through the medium of inclusive dance, the organisation empowers those with and without learning disabilities to believe they can achieve their ambitions in life, and that having a disability should never be a barrier to following your dreams.

At DanceSyndrome, people with learning disabilities co-lead inclusive dance sessions and take visible Dance Leader roles to inspire people to see what can be achieved when we all become more inclusive. All sessions are co-produced with professional Dance Artists working side by side with trained and qualified Dance Leaders with a learning disability to co-produce high quality inclusive dance sessions for everyone to enjoy together. The Dance Leaders are all visible members of their communities, who can regularly be seen leading workshops, dance performances and community activities.

In recent years, DanceSyndrome’s work has been recognised on a national level, with multiple partnerships with NHS England, Foundation of Nursing Studies and other national social care providers, as well as securing funding from National Lottery Community Foundation and Arts Council England (and is a 2023-26 National Portfolio Organisation).

The organisation is now celebrating success on an international level after recently winning a Gold Award in the 2024 International Stevie Awards as a non-profit or Government ‘Organization of the Year’ and has now been invited to Tokyo to share learning from their inclusive approach to co-delivery.

In September 2023, DanceSyndrome welcomed an international student, from University of Central Lancashire, called Ayuko Hara to volunteer in their Weekly Company Class sessions in Preston. Ayuko was so inspired by her time with DanceSyndrome that she reported this back to a colleague in Japan called Dai Matsuoka, who programmes the Tokyo Accessible Dance Festival on behalf of an organisation called LAND FES.

Dai reached out to the DanceSyndrome team to ask about the potential for them to share DanceSyndrome’s approach to co-leadership in Tokyo. Funding for this project was secured in Japan from Arts Council Tokyo and four members of the DanceSyndrome team will be travelling to Japan in November 2024 for a 10 day visit which will enable them to share their co-production methodology, supporting Japanese Dance Artists and dancers with learning disabilities to become more inclusive in their delivery of dance activities, with a view to encouraging greater inclusion in the wider society in Japan which currently is not as advanced as in the UK.

Tokyo-based LAND FES has been working on projects that build creative relationships between dancers and people from all walks of life, including people with disabilities, the elderly and young people receiving support for employment. Through international collaboration and interaction, they have learned that in Japan there are not enough examples of different work and creative processes that encourage inclusion in dance.

Co-produced inclusive dance workshops are very hard to find in Japan and there isn’t a system to share learning so that professional dancers can work in an inclusive way, meaning it is even more difficult for people with disabilities to learn to be leaders in dance and other aspects of society. LAND FES is keen to break this cycle by creating new opportunities, increasing accessibility to inclusive dance and deepening the understanding of its value within wider culture.

Dai Matsuoka from LAND FES said “I feel very honoured and thrilled that we have been able to invite DanceSyndrome members to Tokyo this November. As an organization that is committed to develop and promote inclusive dance in Japan, LAND FES will benefit so much from this international collaboration project. I believe that DanceSyndrome’s unique program should be shared more and permeated to empower people with disabilities all over the world.”

Julie Nicholson, DanceSyndrome Managing Director, said “This project embodies everything that DanceSyndrome stands for. We want to change the way that people think about learning disabilities by sharing the ways that we put inclusion and co-production into practice every single day. Our mission is to go out into the world and demonstrate that people with learning disabilities are able to be dancers and leaders or anything else that they want to be, as long as they are given the right support and opportunities to do that. We are so proud to have been invited to travel to Japan to be held up as an example of what good co-production looks like on an international level.”

DanceSyndrome Dance Leader John Burrow will be travelling to Japan with the team. He said “I’m excited to be going to Japan to share the Dance By Example workshops that I co-deliver here in the UK. Through DanceSyndrome I’ve gained social life, I’ve gained friends and a new outlook on my life. I’ve gained a lot of confidence in myself so when there’s moments of self-doubt I’m now able to kind of go “no, I can do this.” I’m looking forward to being able to share that with new people in Japan too!”

The DanceSyndrome representatives will be in Japan from 1^st to 10^th
November 2024. Photos and videos from the trip will be shared on the charity’s social media channels. You can follow them on X, Facebook, Instagram, Linked In
and YouTube
at @DanceSyndromeUK