Londoners Oliver and Rebecca are behind this South-East London bakery and they are serving up innovative pastries using intentionally-sourced ingredients, UK-grown grains and high-welfare dairy. Think almond croissants with wholemeal butterscotch frangipane; marinated courgette and pecorino pastries; slow braised goat, Guinness and smoked cheddar croissants with a BBQ glaze; and potato and sauerkraut sourdough, alongside the classic bakery suspects too.
"A cult classic for a reason, whenever I'm near - and often when I'm not - I make sure to pop in for their everything bagel croissant. It's heaven in a circle."
Part of the Dinner for One Hundred fam (there’s the perm place in Telegraph Hill and D4100 Pizza at The Perseverance pub in Bloomsbury), Bar D4100 in Nunhead is slinging the same quality pies you’d find at the other locations and spritzes for under a fiver. Head down, order up a Macgyver (tomato, mozzarella, chorizo, whipped feta, hot honey, crushed fennel seeds) or a Why Not (tomato, mozzarella, basil, pancetta, artichokes, leeks, mushrooms, olives, jalapenos and garlic oil), a lemon & rosemary dip, and whatever slushie is coming out of the machine that week, and enjoy.
"I don't know what they put in the truffle mayo here, but I could drink it. I recommend the Kevin (leeks on a pizza is so right) or the MacGyver (hot honey forever). They also do delish five quid limoncello spritzes that are dangerously easy to polish off."
If you love a spot of bargain hunting, Peckham Car Boot is well worth a visit. Held every other Sunday at Harris Academy on Peckham Road, the car boot (which has been going since 2019) has become one of the best places in south London to find some real secondhand gems. There’s always a great array of sellers (you can secure a pitch yourself by pre-booking from the Monday following the previous event), and it’s even been featured in Vogue. One pro tip – remember to bring exact change for the admission charge, which is £7 for early birds at 10am, £5 from 10.30am, and then a quid from 11am onwards.
"You may be intimidated that this car boot has gotten too clouty to find good bargains - I literally got papped for Vogue here at the end of last year - but between the Depop girlies, there are plenty of stalls full of treasures. The £1 entry starts at 11am, so head there for then."
This is probably the only cinema in London where you can catch a film for under seven quid; morning, noon or night you can catch the latest movies for the bargain price of £6.99. Yes, it may look like it hasn’t changed since the 80s, but that just adds to the charm.
"A hot pink independent cinema that costs only six quid for a trip to the pictures? Sign me up!"
The Man of Kent team reckon that they do the best pint of Guinness in south London, so if you’re a fan of the black stuff, it’s gotta be worth a visit – for research purposes of course. If you’re not, there’s plenty more to enjoy at this Nunhead boozer, including sports screenings, karaoke nights, live music, picnic tables out front to soak up the sun (when it appears) and a decently priced beer selection on at the bar.
"Wouldn't be a list of fave spots without a classic pub making its way onto the list. This one's a fave because it's cheap, cheerful and the closest one to my flat."
This spot inside Peckham’s Rye Lane Market is doing some of the best tacos in the city. Owner Manny makes the corn tortillas by hand and as well as getting them as chips for the namesake guac, you’ll want to get the birria, carnitas and tongue tacos (yes there are veggie and fish fillings available too. Finish with a squidgy square of tres leches cake topped with whipped cream. And if you wanna try everything, head down on Tuesdays to take advantage of the £3 Taco Tuesday deal.
"The secret is out! London finally has good tacos!! There's usually a queue for this place but it is SO worth it."
Nunhead may not have the same great weather as Spain but it does have the same great vermouths thanks to El Vermut. Naturally the bar on Nunhead Green has a cracking selection of vermouths, including Falset, El Bandarra, Fotil and Valdovinos, but it’s also got wines, beers and it does a mean negroni too. The bar also hosts regular supper clubs so its worth keeping an eye on out its socials to see who’s coming up next.
"Approx nine doors down from D4100 is the cutest vermouth bar that is the perfect secret treasure to pop into on your way to or from your pizza dinner."
Bermondsey Antique Market has been running for over 75 years, and though it’s changed a bit over that time (it now starts at 7am every Friday rather than 4am like it did in the sixties), it’s still one of the best antiques markets in the capital, if not the country. You can find a mix of veteran traders and antique shop owners alongside a younger generation of sellers, and with many of the stall holders running antique businesses outside of London, there’s always an influx of interesting items to browse.
"My bestie and podcast co-host Ione Gamble put me onto this one. It’s on Friday mornings with the perfect balance of tat and high end. Unlike the Peckham car boot you have to be there early, but it’s so worth it!"
