Shauna Richardson’s magnificent crochet lions have arrived at the Natural History Museum. The three large beasts form The Lionheart Project, an Arts Council commission for the Cultural Olympiad.

The lions are situated in a glass case just outside the main entrance to the museum and I was instantly struck by their size. Even though I had read they were 4m tall, I still wasn’t expecting them to be so huge, lifelike and a bit scary! They have big teeth and I thought they looked a little hungry.

Even if you don’t crochet, you’ll be impressed by the work and skill that went into crafting the beautiful lions. Shauna spent two years making them. The 150 Swaledale sheep from Derbyshire who supplied the wool for the project might be a little surprised to discover that they weren’t growing jumpers!

Viewing the Lionheart project is free, and you can enjoy the free Exhibition Road Show festival and plenty of other free events in Kensington’s museum quarter this summer.

Free. 20 July – 10 September 2012, Natural History Museum
www.lionheartproject.com

Australian chef David Thompson heads up Nahm, the first Thai restaurant in Europe to be awarded a Michelin Star.

On the menu you’ll find authentic Thai dishes such as geng jeut buap (clear soup of snake gourd, girolles, egg and crab) and geng nok grataa dong sai gtrateu (partridge curry with shampoo ginger and holy basil).

We called David in Thailand to ask him about his love of Thai food for our World in London series.

How did you get into Thai cooking?

By default. By accident in 1986. I was just seduced by the country, the people and ultimately the cuisine. It’s an easy country to like.

What do you love about Thai food?

Its vitality, its vibrancy, its freshness and the fact that it’s damn delicious.

What’s your favourite Thai dish?

The last one! I can only remember the last and it’s usually the favourite one.

What can people expect from a meal at Nahm?

A vibrant slap across the chops really, where lots of things are happening on the plate and indeed in the restaurant.

Apart from Nahm, where are the best places to find Thai culture in London?

There are areas all over the place. Thais are everywhere. They spread their charm and their delicious food all over the place. There are lots of Thai restaurants in London and increasingly more so.

Where do you go for a taste of Thai culture in London? Let us know in the comments below.

With Valentine’s Day approaching, Londoners are in an amorous mood. (Even the hippos at London Zoo are at it.)

Now the Natural History Museum has launched an exhibition dedicated to the science of sex, which aims to “pull off nature’s fig leaf and discover its most bizarre and intimate secrets”.

I had a preview this morning and it was fascinating stuff. There were videos of animals having sex and rearing their offspring, stuffed foxes and rabbits engaged in the sexual act, and even a few live animals (including stick insects, which stick to each other for days after mating).

You’ll learn about animals that have done away with males to become female-only species, compare the penis bones of different creatures, discover the seduction techniques of deer and birds, and consider the ins and outs of human sexual relationships.

Open to all ages, Sexual Nature will teach both kids and grown-ups a thing or two about reproduction.

Sexual Nature is at the Natural History Museum from 11 February to 2 October 2011

Serge Diaghilev caused a storm in the early 20th century with his Ballet Russes – a collective of dancers, artists and designers who shocked audiences and revolutionised the art world. Picasso, Matisse, Chanel, Jean Cocteau, Nijinsky and Stravinsky were among his collaborators.

A new exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum follows the career of Diaghilev and the Ballet Russes, featuring costumes, backdrops, photos, paintings, posters and programmes from the era.

I had a sneak preview this morning and my favourite exhibits were the spectacular costumes, many designed by famous names such as Picasso and Matisse. Some are based on traditional Russian dress, while others are weird and wacky, even by today’s standards, and must have constrained the dancers’ movements considerably.

Another highlight was the enormous back cloth for The Firebird, which is the largest object in the V&A. There’s also a massive front cloth based on the Picasso painting Two Women Running on the Beach.

The Ballet Russes show is a must for art and dance fans. One word of warning: allow a few hours to explore the exhibition as there’s loads to see.

Diaghilev and the Golden Age of the Ballet Russes 1909-1929 is at the Victoria and Albert Museum from 25 September to 9 January

London Design Festival kicks off on 18 September, with creative events all over London. Here writer John Simmons tells us about an exciting project at the V&A:

You can – people do – get very carried away by what’s meant by British identity. Personally I believe it’s reflected in websites like this one because modern Britain is influenced by all the countries of the world. But if you go back a little further, do you take a different view?

Try, for example, the Victoria and Albert Museum in South Kensington. An amazing and grand Victorian building, stuffed like an enormous Old Curiosity Shop with precious, often bizarre objects from around the world.

Let me point you, though, to one particular part of the Museum – the British Galleries, 1500-1760. Walk through and you get a sense of what Britain has been – and in many ways still is.

The Galleries embody a sense of curiosity about the world, an openness to a wider view that also allows the individual to retreat to and enjoy private meditations. You won’t like everything, but that’s perfectly fine.

During the London Design Festival, the Galleries will be given an extra degree of curiosity and reflection. As part of a project called 26 Treasures, 26 writers have been randomly paired with 26 objects from the British Galleries. They’ve then responded in writing (exactly 62 words, “26 in reflection”) to each of the objects – a personal response, sometimes poetry, sometimes prose, but necessarily succinct.

The writing ranges from the meditative to the laugh-out-loud funny. The objects include the Great Bed of Ware, Mr No-Body’s Drinking Flask, the wedding suit of King James, a locket with a caul and a bust of Homer. The objects inspired the writers to think and feel, then to express thoughts and feelings in ways that make visitors look at the objects in a different light, intrigued by what they have read and seen. Which seems a good purpose for Britain in 2010 too.

John Simmons is a writer and founder of 26.

You can find out more from:

• www.26treasures.com
• www.londondesignfestival.com
• www.vam.ac.uk

26Treasures – Trailer from 26treasures on Vimeo.

In the traditionally French area of South Kensington you can find a little taste of Denmark at Scandinavian restaurant Madsen. I went along to investigate for our World in London challenge.

After I’d admired the typically Scandinavian interior (think pale wood floors and lampshades by Danish designer Poul Henningsen), restaurant manager Karolina Vithen talked me through the menu.  

The lunchtime special is “smushi” – a smaller version of the traditional Danish sandwich called smørrebrød. Toppings include Greenland prawns and Norwegian Jarlsberg cheese. Alternatively, you can go for the herring platter served with homemade rye bread.

In the evening, Danish dishes include sweet cured herring, frikadeller (pork meatballs with green cabbage and pickled cucumber) and fiskefrikadella (pan-fried haddock fishcakes with lemon marinated cauliflower, pea shoots and dill relish).

Everything looks fresh and healthy. “It’s quite light food, especially in summertime,” confirms Vithen.

The restaurant has a strong environmental policy and only imports wine and beer from Europe, not the New World. There’s a choice of Danish drinks, including AErø beer from a little micro brewery on the island of AErø, and 40% Akvavit shots, normally drunk with herring.

Madsen is a gathering place for Danish, Swedish and Norwegian ex-pats. “Scandinavians like to go to a place where you can get the traditional food,” says Vithen. “We try to do all the different traditions from all the countries.”

The restaurant regularly hosts seasonal events. Next up is a month-long Swedish crayfish festival starting on 19 August.

Perhaps less traditional is the new Scandinavian afternoon tea, including homemade petit fours, two smushis, coffee and a glass of champagne. “It’s a mix between the British and the Scandinavian high tea,” explains Vithen.

All of the staff are Scandinavian. Vithen hails from Sweden, while the owner, Charlotte Kruse Madsen, and chef, Esben Muhlig Sørensen, are both Danish.

“A lot of people come here and don’t know much about Scandinavia so we have to explain the food,” says Vithen.

So where should Scandinavians head for a taste of home while in London? Vithen recommends the Danish, Swedish and Norwegian churches: “If we need any help we just put a notice up there.”

“There’s Totally Swedish in Warwick Avenue, and this little café, Fika, on Brick Lane. There’s a lot of Scandinavians here so there’s plenty if you know where to go.”

Have you experienced Danish culture in London? Let us know your recommendations.

www.madsenrestaurant.com

The Science Museum has announced it will open a new climate science gallery in November. Atmosphere: exploring climate science will feature hands-on exhibits and displays explaining how the climate system works.

The gallery is one of many exciting new developments at the Science Museum this year. Look out for the museum’s new Who Am I? gallery, due to open later this month.

Dubbed “the cocoon”, the £78m building houses 17 million insects and three million plant specimens.

But the exhibits aren’t the only attraction.

You also get to observe some of the 200 scientists at work in the centre, and there are plenty of opportunities to meet the experts and ask questions.

In the Attenborough Studio, curators give daily talks and demonstrations.

These vary from day to day: you may see a bottle of spiders collected by Charles Darwin, handle fossils, or see live scorpions that glow under ultraviolet light.

Dr Caroline Smith, Curator of Meteorites, and Alan Hart, Head of Mineralogy, are a fascinating double act.

In their presentation, they show off two exhibits:

• A  460-carat diamond crystal which, at three billion years old, is one of the most ancient things you’re ever likely to see
• A 1.3 billion-year-old meteorite from Mars called Nakhla, which landed in Egypt in 1911

They ask the audience to vote for the most impressive object. Which would you choose?

All in all, the new Darwin Centre is well worth a visit – for the architecture, the exhibits, and the unique opportunity to interact with scientists working in this interesting field.

The Darwin Centre opens to the public on 15 September. Entrance is free.