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

I go to the Heath every weekend (often via the wonderful Waterlow Park which skirts Highgate Cemetery) and during the week too if I’m working from home; it helps to put things in perspective when I’m thinking about my work. It’s great in the summer for obvious reasons but I love it the most in autumn and on those rare days it snows so much London grinds to a halt (which doesn’t take much). Everyone heads up there to make giant snowballs/cats/creatures and surf down Parliament Hill on anything they can get their hands on. Grown ups turn into kids for the day. My husband and I made this snow yeti last year, it was sad to leave him behind but he soon made friends and even made it into the Camden New Journal.

All-day cafe, restaurant and grocery store selling seasonal organic fruit and vegetables.

Fortitude Bakehouse, a craft bakery, hidden away on a quiet mews in Bloomsbury. 

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.