J+A is a hidden and unpretentious café/ bar just off busy Clerkenwell Road - with outdoor seating!

A slice of Scandi in the heart of London. Great for lunch, with all the meatballs, salads and classic Scandi foods you could want, along with a great little deli shop too.

Lovely space in Southbank. Interesting events and exhibitions. I really like the surroundings as well, especially during sunny days. Walk around and then have a rest drinking facing the river.

Half a mile from Markfield Park down the River Lee is Springfield Park. The park rises steeply up from the river and has an amazing array of tree species making it beautiful in all seasons. At the brim of the hill there is a line of park benches each one surrounded by box hedge offering a private view across the Lee Valley, Walthamstow and beyond. The park warden was nice enough to give me a chestnut log a couple of years ago from which I carved a bench and two stools.

Present is a menswear shop with an award-wining espresso stand inside. They also stock books, cool magazines I’ve never heard of, and random things like soap and tins of shoe polish. I like to buy bags here.