Best Udon in London, with an exceptional specials board. The head chef Shuko Oda opened the first restaurant in Soho 11 years ago, and they now have restaurants in the City and on Broadway market. Great for kids, our son loves the Mackerel udon.

There are three branches of this South Indian Vegetarian Restaurants across London, two in the West End. They all look pretty unremarkable from the outside, the décor is pretty basic, but don't be fooled - the food is wonderful! It's incredibly cheap and the friendly staff cater for vegans and people with food intolerances really well.

The best bacon sandwich you will ever eat. Pretty much fills you up for the whole day.

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.

There are many great parks in London to choose from, but Hampstead Heath is by far my favourite; a lido, Parliament Hill with a great view of the city, ponds, woods and plenty of space. It’s a great place to hang out in the summer, but also presents a lovely walk in the winter. Address: (As it’s so big obviously it doesn’t really have a specific address but there are 2 main entrances) Entrances by Gospel Oak or Hampstead Heath Entrance.