Paul Rothe n Son has been there 120 years, bang in the middle of town. Hard to find a proper old-school deli in central London nowadays, n none more proper than this place. Great jacket potatoes, soup, sandwiches. It looks the part too. And the service is always great. Try and avoid the lunch queue.

One of my top three Wetherspoons.

A traditional pie, mash and liquor shop in south west London that is run by the latest generation of the Harrington family who opened it in 1908. It looks like it hasn't changed since the day it first opened but it's a place with absolutely no pretentiousness to it at all, this is unapologetically working class and down to earth. If you want an overpriced cappuccino and wi-fi there's a Cafe Nerro down the road but if you want fantastic traditional London food you won't find anywhere better in the city. They even do pie and mash to take-away. I just wish it wasn't closed on Sundays.

One of the main sources of inspiration for my work are unusual objects, vintage toys and tools. A great place to find them is this genuine car boot sale, which is clear of 'bargain' toilet paper and questionable cosmetics. Another plus are the comparatively sociable opening hours. (it starts at noon… )

A very good selection of non-fiction, essays, and rare books. The Japanese book collection is gorgeous!