After nearly five months of lockdown, it’s safe to say that we are all ready to inject some fun and excitement back into our lives. From time travelling back to WWII, investigating a jewel thief on the Murder Express, or living off the land in a hidden woodland, these experiences are sure to transport you out of your everyday life and into a new world.
Funicular: Jewel of the empire
Solve a crime while you eat with Funicular
After the huge success of ‘The Murder Express’, Funicular productions has created a new and exciting murder mystery dining experience, ‘Jewel of the empire’.
Set in 1937, on board a train, guests are immersed into the case of the missing jewel with plenty of puzzles and mysteries to solve – and one or two murders along the way.
The dining car serves passengers a 4-course meal designed by Laurence Henry, winner of MasterChef The Professionals.
Depart the train, step back into present and you’ll find yourself in trendy Shoreditch, surrounded by some of London’s best bars, pubs and vintage market stalls.
Location: Pedley Street Station, London E1 5BW
Price: £60pp for matinee and £65pp for evening
ABQ: Immersive molecular cocktail bar
ABQ cocktail bar, E8
ABQ is the world’s first cocktail bar where you can make and infuse your own drinks in an RV Motorhome – very Breaking Bad! Channel your inner Heisenberg using test tubes and chemistry sets to cook up delicious drinks using molecular techniques.
Saint Pizzeria dishes up sourdough pizzas and they have an espresso martini bar with over 12 twists on the coffee cocktail.
Covid measures have been implemented to ensure everyone stays safe. Clear screens between tables, a one way system and cleaning stations are all in place. Hazmat suits, masks and goggles are provided – as they were pre-pandemic.
Location: Hackney, London E8 1DU
Price: £36pp (gets you 1h45m in the RV/RV extension which includes cooking/infusing of 3 molecular cocktails)
The Bletchley
Crack the code at WWII themed cocktail bar The Bletchley, Chelsea
An evening at this bar in Chelsea is all about cocktails and code-breaking.
The theme is WW2. You’ll be given a military jacket to wear and an enigma machine to help crack the code for cocktails in this mysterious war bunker.
Book soon as they are currently taking reduced bookings. They are ensuring social distancing is adhered to and they steam and dis-infect all clothing after every use.
Location: Kings Road, Chelsea
Price: £36pp (1 welcome drink and 2 Cryptic/Mission Cocktails – 1 hour and 45 mins inside the bunker)
London Party Boats: Social Distance Party
Enjoy a socially distant party while floating down the Thames
All aboard The London Party Boats “Super Saturday” Social Distance Party!
A ticket to this two hour long cruise along the River Thames includes your own table with table service as you experience the sights and sounds of London’s most iconic landmarks. The boat has a glass retractable roof in case of bad weather.
There is a limit of two people per table, however, if attending in a group you can request tables to be next to each other. They also ask that when away from your table and walking around the vessel that you wear an appropriate face covering. Cruises run every Saturday throughout July.
Location: Festival Pier
Price: £22pp minimum 2 people (£44pp)
Moonshine Saloon
Transport yourself from East London to the Wild West
The Moonshine Saloon transports you from the streets of East London to the Wild West with the promise of making a fortune in an illicit moonshine smuggling ring at the top of its game.
A visit to the saloon will see you become a part of the story as you ‘sneak in’ your own liquor and become the beating heart of a covert operation.
Throughout the experience you are thrown amongst the actors to play along, and served cocktails that are expertly prepared by a world-class team of barkeeps who combine your illegally smuggled liquor with bitters, syrups and garnishes to make your own bespoke, contemporary and classic cocktails.
Previously guests would have been provided with wild west attire but due to Covid they are encouraging guests to come dressed up. However, if you are happy to use their props and clothing then you can – it has been sanitised. They also supply wild west bandanna face masks for visitors to wear – yours to keep. The capacity has been reduced and tables are a metre apart and they promise that social distancing is maintained throughout the experience.
Location: Liverpool Street, EC3A 7DB
Price: £35.99pp
Picnic Hunters Club
Go on an interactive treasure hunt with gourmet treats thrown in.
Now that summer is here (disclaimer: this doesn’t always mean nice weather) it’s a great time to get outdoors and enjoy some of London’s best parks, so why not join the Picnic Hunters Club to embark on an exciting picnic with a twist?
This picnic adventure includes an interactive treasure hunt, a “3 course” feast, DIY drinks and a games guide to earn Picnic Hunter Badges and prizes. The creators of Picnic Hunters Club promise that all games can be played whilst maintaining social distancing and there will be no food sharing to avoid food contamination.
These special picnics are running every Saturday and Sunday from the 11th July throughout the summer in both North and South London. Gather your group of 2 to 6 friends and get ready for some unique summer time fun.
Location: North and South London
Price: £34pp (includes an interactive treasure hunt, 3 course picnic feast, DIY drinks kit and interactive games guide to win prizes)
Nomadic Woodland Feasts
Embrace nature in Buckinghamshire
In a Buckinghamshire woodland, within an hour’s reach of London, a vast forest clearing, once filled with abandoned cars, is now home to Nomadic’s unique gastronomic experience. A huge table forged out of a fallen birch tree fills the space, surrounded by wild flora and fauna and roaming animals such as wild deer, rabbits and badgers.
You’ll be guided around the estate by a resident forager as you pick seasonal wild ingredients for your meal before having them cooked over an open flame using wood from the surrounding trees.
The exact location of the dinner and menu is kept a secret and the menu changes according to the season and the available produce growing on site, as well as the chef they currently have cooking.
Nomadic are ensuring social distancing whilst dining and staff are required to have daily temperature checks. The group sizes are smaller, and more intimate and there will no longer be sharing plates.
Location: Exact location unknown, Buckinghamshire
Price: £90pp
