A non-profit organisation, Raven Row focuses on developing an engaging and intelligent contemporary art programme outside of the highly commercial London art scene. The gallery exhibits established international artists alongside those whose work is often overlooked by the mainstream venues.

Great beer and whisky selection, a friendly crowd, and top quality music programming upstairs, you can't go wrong with The Lexington

Leila McAlister's grocery shop and café off Arnold Circus, Shoreditch. You can find the best of everything, from jars of horseradish to eggs and croissants.

Book store on Broadway Market

London is blessed with many fine parks, but Brockwell is a real jewel in south London. A short walk or bus ride from Brixton, or right by Herne Hill overground station, the park includes large grassy areas, the fantastic Brockwell Lido (a vast open-air pool – hectic mid-summer unless you get in early - a 7am swim is utterly blissful), tennis courts, a bowling green, a BMX track, a mini-railway, a secret garden, and a few newly landscaped ponds. Perfect for a lazy summer day.