Every year I take my 25 year old mini on the London to Brighton run. The views from the start line are always worth the 4AM wake-up.

Book store on Broadway Market

British seasonal ingredients through an Italian lens....Parmesan fries, wild mushroom tagliatelle and tiramisu are some of my favourites.

A walled secret garden, the Physic Garden is like a time capsule, founded in 1673 to allow apprentices of the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries of London to study the healing properties of plants, it is now a living museum. Tours are offered by volunteers with immense knowledge of botany and the cultural history of the garden or visitors can wander the grounds alone and spot odd and fascinating plants such as the mystical Mandrake.

I love the George and Dragon Public House. Cluttered deco of silly artifacts and memorabilia and slightly scuzzy around the edges. Great drinking characters, DJs and The White Cubicle gallery in the ladies toilets is difficult to beat.