This may not be much of a secret but deserves a mention. I find it hard to go anywhere near this place without having to go there. Freshly baked Beigels hot salt beef and it never closes, 24 hours a day 7 days a week.

London has plenty of beautiful cemeteries. Brompton is one of the ‘Magnificent Seven’ and has many interesting tombs. It was also an inspiration of names for Beatrix Potter and the resting place of Emmeline Pankhurst.

My favourite record shop in London. Old-school record store stocks eclectic blues, dance, soul, reggae and global music on vinyl and CD.

Amazing small plates restaurant near Newington Green in a old car showroom. 

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.