I am definitely not precious about the materials I use to make my work, but every so often I find myself in need of something more specialised. L.Cornelissen & Son is a beautiful and well stocked art supply shop with extremely knowledgable staff.
Mei Leaf is a lovely little tea/health shop based in Camden with a friendly staff that are always happy to assist and give advice. I love exploring the many different teas and some of my personal favourites are the: Silk Oolong, Duck Sh*t Oolong, Amber Mountain and Silver Needle.
Mei Leaf was established in London in 2006 to represent true tea culture. Don and his team tirelessly explore the mountains of the East to find the most delicious teas on the planet. These are pinnacle teas made by masters from the perfect terroirs and picked at the perfect season.
The Nightingale is the antithesis of the hundreds of soulless gastropubs that a lot of decent pubs have recently become and remains everything a proper pub should be. Britain's pubs haven't had it easy lately. The smoking ban and the general effects of the recession have hammered the industry hard. The Nightingale continues to be what it has always been, a proper pub at the heart of the local community. Its annual charity walk has raised nearly £500,000 for good causes in over 30 years and it seems determined to do the things a pub should do and do them properly. Once inside you feel like you could be in a country pub instead of in the middle of South London. There's no jukebox and the TV is hardly ever on, but there’s a great atmosphere with a good set of locals and good drink and food. Bliss.