Hoxton Salon's Qype profile

The summer holidays means a break from the kids usual routine of training 4 nights a week with Anaconda swimming club. To fill the gap we spend the summer searching out the best fun pools in reach of London in ever increasing circles. We have tried most of the pools in London in previous years - with some new pools on our list for this year our search for the best slides and flumes took us on a train journey to Bedford and then a bus to Oasis Leisure Centre on the outskirts of the town.

Behind a large Tesco store you see a tall pyramid shaped building surrounded by various water pools and features. Unlike any pool we had visited before...there was al little buzz of anticipation in the air as we approached.



Inside we found a great beach style pool with two large slides towering above - the 55 metre ‘yellow screamer’ and the 45 metre red turbo ‘flume of doom’. The red one is the quicker of the two and a solid slide - the yellow version a bit tame for us now. At the bottom of the slides they have a digital display that flashes up your speed and how long it took you to go down the slide - a nice touch I thought and not a feature I have seen anywhere else. It certainly kept my 9 year old entertained as she tried to beat her times (and mine). The wave machine is pretty good - decent waves and you can get to some good spots where the waves are large. Usual bubble beds, spray mushrooms etc and a separate quiet pool for little ones. Its nicely laid out - water and air temperature were both good - we stayed in the pool for about 2 hours but it was a gloriously sunny day. 

Most of this is standard for a decent leisure pool...but the pluses it has is the number of water jets they have dotted around that push you through the water as you swim around the island style routes. They have a couple of separate jacuzzis and also a mini jet pool which was good fun. A bit like a small scale centerparcs pool.

And then we spied any opening to the outside river pool - so in the summer months the pool connects to an outside river run and we had picked the perfect day to sample. In a circular route water jets help push you around the river whilst the sun blazed down overhead. Brilliantly designed - a real reason to visit again on a sunny day. 



The showers and changing rooms were fine....cafe in the building that looked ok - it was busy - we had a picnic so sat outside beneath some shady trees.

Worth the trek from London on public transport - with a family railcard a definite yes. A really good unusual pool that makes our top ten list. (Swanley Pool is still number one). Off to Bracknell this week for another new pool.

So this was a VIQ prize visit to Wahaca to sample their summer menu and we had a booked table! A booked table at Wahaca - yes you did hear me right....that is a serious prize on its own. This place is busy for good reason...you can't book (just rubbing it in!) so arrive an hour earlier than you want to eat - grab a buzzer to let you know when your table will be ready and head downstairs to the tequila bar to grab some cocktails....the time will soon pass by....

Great buzzy atmosphere, clean and cool interior and really great staff. Friendly and welcoming which is not easy to consistently deliver to queuing diners who want to be eating now.


Great guacamole and tortilla chips - you can also choose pork scratchings.... We ordered El Tesoro tequila and sangritta (a kind of non-alcoholic Bloody Mary with orange, grenadine, spice & tomato - seriously good) to accompany it.

We then moved on to a series of tapas stlye taster dishes some of which we ordered ourselves and others came as our sample...

we had:
Squid and Chipotle
MSC ceviche tostada
Summery new potato taquito
Chicken tinga tacos
Broadbean and feta quesadilla
Pork pibil tacos
Grilled corn
various beers and tequilas...


MSC ceviche tostada Shrimp and scallops with habanero chilli, lime, cucumber and mint on tortillaChicken tinga tacos Chicken in a smoky tomato sauce topped with crema and extra-hot chipotle adobo


Pork pibil tacos                                        

This has closed down - the premises are currently empty. We did use this for takeout when all the kids were swimming on a Sunday night. Nothing special - it was fairly cheap and cheerful.....

By the time the youngest of our children leaves this school we will have been coming here for twenty years. It has been a pleasure..... The school itself is a classic Victorian building that fronts the Sunday flower market. A large mosaic adorns the boundary wall. The intake reflects the community it serves - predominantly Bengali but with a sizeable number of middle class kids from the terraced cobbled streets that surround the school. I really feel that this school has prepared all my children in the best possible way for life at secondary school. A dedicated and stable team of teachers and support staff make maximum use of the links with the formidable arts community in east London. The curriculum is flexible and broad with pre and post school clubs providing the children to sample aspects of learning beyond the rigidity of numeracy and literacy. All our kids have had the opportunity to learn brass instruments, foreign languages, cookery, a range of sports from specialist coaches, wonderful trips..... This is a gentle school with a welcoming atmosphere that really enables parents to be involved in their children's education. I really cannot recommend it more highly. East end education can be an issue but this is a real gem - where your children will thrive in a caring atmosphere filled with joy. Just over 2 years left here - I will miss it when we finally leave.....

Another closed business - a redevelopment site - currently boarded up

I don't really like shopping - well apart from food shopping and and having 3 kids at home and no car means I am always food shopping. But mall shopping - not really a pleasure - more a necessary evil .....school shoes, clothes for holiday etc....the kids like it here which means we jump on a train from Liverpool Street perhaps once a month to hit the stores. It is right next to Stratford station which is a huge plus for a quick escape. It is very big and not very exciting - there is a rather dull Apple store - much better to go to Covent Garden and lots of fashion stores that I try not to get dragged into. An ordinary WH Smiths, and a rather nice Marks and Spencers with a great foodhall - decent coffee surprisingly. Lovely Waitrose (that seems to be always empty) but has a small butchers....
Its going to be busy...get there early, get round quick and get out quicker and it will be pain free. Linger too long and you will be swamped by the masses. It is really really poorly signposted (lose a star for that) - it is a total nightmare to find a particular store. And as I am always in a rush to escape I haven't really explored all the bits connected to the main section. Lots of predictable food options that again get very very busy. And you can see the Olympic Park which seems a pretty good reason to visit....

Great Italian deli - yes it is expensive but everything here is top quality. Friendly service and great selection of all things delicious and Italian. This is one of my treat destinations - I only pop in once a month but always wonder why I have not been back sooner. Great cheese and cold meats - the perfect place for grabbing delicacies for a romantic picnic now the sun has finally come out.

Central London does not really offer many options for DIY superstores - trek to Tottenham to hit the local Wickes or B&Q. The Leyland SDM chain offers a great solution to this gap in the market - trade/DIY stores in town, piled high with a good range of stock, helpful and knowledgeable staff and ok prices. If you just have to grab a tube of gripfil then this is the place for you - long opening hours - gets busy in the morning as various tradesman collect their supplies for the day. They mix paint on site. Been so helpful having this round the corner during the refit of the salon.