Shop
Located just off Portobello Road, Books for Cooks has become a destination for bibliophiles who are also serious about food. The shelves are overflowing with thousands of tasty titles sure to satisfy your cravings. And it’s not just recipe books on the menu – the shop serves up a broad selection of foodie fiction, history, biography, and art titles. The cherry on top? Sandwiched between shelves at the back of the store is its very own test kitchen. Four days a week at 12pm sharp, the resident chefs bring recipes from the page to the plate to help customers decide which books to takeaway to try at home.
Maktaba is the Bookshop-in-Residence at Ibraaz, the institution dedicated to art, culture, and ideas from the Middle East and North Africa. Curated by the Palestine Festival of Literature, the shop offers an expanding catalogue of books, all based around a core collection of Palestinian literature which extends out through the Arab world and beyond. You can explore special selections on Kashmir, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Sudan, Egypt and more as well as the store’s permanent collection of zines from Gaza and Arabic children’s books.
Running out of a tiny kiosk in Clerkenwell, Exmouth Cultural Kiosk is a secondhand bookstore and self-publishing project that sells books for as little as £2. The selection rotates often and can include everything from Tennyson to its own guide to Clerkenwell pubs. The paperbacks on sale are a fiver and these include a £1 donation to Great Ormond Street Hospital. There are even CDs on offer too for all you old-school music fans. The kiosk has been operating since October 2023 and it’s built a loyal local following. It’s an unexpected delight and worth swinging by for a lunchtime mooch to pick up your next read.
ACCESSORIES OF OLD
Owned by Jon and Lisa Goldsmith, Accessories of Old is a real Aladdin’s cave of jewellery treasure. Spanning a warehouse and a railway arch store, both in Fulham, Accessories of Old is stocked with millions of pieces of vintage jewellery from the 80s and 90s, made originally for brands like Harrods, Liberty, John Lewis, Fortnum & Mason and more. You can pick up 18ct gold, silver plated and Swarovski-encrusted necklaces, earrings, bracelets, brooches, rings and cufflinks at wholesale prices, and you can customise your own necklaces and bracelets by hitting up the charm bar.
Ever since Hugh Grant’s travel bookshop set the scene for his romance with Julia Roberts in Notting Hill, there’s been an inescapable charm about travel writing. Founded in late 2025, Marylebone-based Travellers’ Tales is now carrying on the story. Every globetrotter should have it on their list. The shelves are stacked with memoirs, novels, guides and coffee table books, all primed to transport you across the globe and fuel your wanderlust. And when inspiration strikes, the in-house team can help design a bespoke itinerary for your next adventure.
Opening in summer 2025, Saucy Books is London’s first bookshop dedicated to romance. Founded by Sarah Maxwell, the Notting Hill spot has a simple mission: giving shelf space to a genre that’s massively popular but often overlooked. The shop is a love letter to romance in all its forms, stocking everyone from Jilly Cooper to BookTok’s latest obsessions. It also hosts author talks, “sip and sign” events and a regular romance book club. From queer love stories and slow-burn novels to fiery romantasy and spicy historical fiction, there’s plenty here to feed your desires.
Bàrd Books bills itself as “more than just a bookshop” and it’s not wrong. The Roman Road spot is part brilliantly curated bookstore (all killer, no filler), part cafe and bar, and part local hangout for coffees, pastries, working sessions, author talks and live music. Plus, the shelves are stacked with titles the booksellers have actually read or are genuinely excited about, so you’ll leave with a proper recommendation for your TBR. And with a packed events calendar, you’ve always got a reason to swing back.
The flagship John Lewis on Oxford Street is more than just a shop, it’s a destination. You can eat and drink up on the roof, get your brows done and a have a facial on the ground floor, take a break at the Jamie Oliver Cafe on floor three and get made-to-measure curtains on the second floor, as well as shop a range of fashion, accessories, jewellery, tech, beauty, kids and home products too. The home department is particularly expansive, covering everything from furniture and lighting to bedding and tableware, mixing in-house lines with a broad edit of trusted brands.
If you’re after a book, there aren’t many better places to look for one than Waterstones Piccadilly – Europe’s largest bookshop with six floors and over eight miles of shelves. The selection covers fiction and non-fiction across every genre, the children’s section is pretty impressive, and the games offering has been significantly expanded too. The store hosts regular events and signings but it’s also a great place to pop in for a browse and a cup of tea in the cafe.
Oval Farmers’ Market, which pitches up in the grounds of St Mark’s Church on Saturdays from 10am – 3pm, has been going for almost twenty years. There are stalls selling fresh fruit and veg, organic meat, cheese, olives, honey, pies, cakes, soups, juices, and coffee and there’s a designated outdoor cafe area where you can tuck into the hot food that’s on offer. You’ll also find some arts and crafts traders in amongst the food, so you can also pick up jewellery and skincare.
There’s so much more to Camberwell Green Market than food. Yes you can pick up fresh bread, seasonal fruit & veg, meat and poultry, herbs and juices but there are also a number of craft stalls on site – that means you can also get candles, flowers and vintage pieces too, making it a real one-stop-shop. Head down on Saturdays between 10am – 3pm to check it out.
Wimbledon Farmers’ Market has been a Saturday morning staple since 2000. Running from 9am – 1pm, it pulls in a loyal crowd who come for the stalls piled with sourdough, seasonal fruit and veg, free-range meat, jams, cheeses and cakes. There’s always a good selection of cut flowers on offer too. Dogs have to be left by the school entrance, so just bear that in mind if you’re out with your pooch.
Head down to the Henry Cavendish Primary School on Saturdays from 9am – 1pm and you’ll find an array of produce to shop from at the Balham Farmers’ Market. There’s always a good mix of fruit and veg, meat, cheeses, breads and sauces on offer, from traders like E.S. Burroughs, Brambletye, Wild Country Organics, Pick’s Organic and Laycroft, and you can pick up bakes to eat right then and there too.
THE FOOD MARKET CHISWICK
Each Sunday (the market runs 10am – 2pm), around 25 producers set up shop at The Pavilion, including the likes of Astons Bakery, The Olive Tree, Ringden Farm, Sotomayer & Sons, Big Wheel Cheese and Ted’s Veg. As well as being a popular place to shop, the market is also a social enterprise, with the proceeds from its running being used to improve and maintain Dukes Meadows park, so stopping by is a win-win.
Barnes Farmers Market is one of the oldest farmers’ markets in London (having been going for over 25 years) and an award-winning one at that. Each Saturday over 20 producers, including the likes of Gilcombe Farm, Berkshire Trout, Wild Country Organic, The Olive Bar, and Big Wheel Cheese set up shop to sell everything from free-range meat and fresh veg to olives and biltong.
Queen’s Park Farmers’ Market is a Sunday fixture that’s popular with the whole neighbourhood – you’ll often see a mix of dog walkers, young families and local regulars browsing the stalls. There’s always a wide range of goodies on offer, including organic veg, fresh pasta, artisan cheeses, baked goods, eggs, juices, fish and shellfish, organic meat, plants and flowers, with traders like Bagnell Farm, Feel Good Ferment, Beer Fisheries, Ted’s Beg, Popina, and Organic Orchards. In fact, the market is so good that it’s a finalist for the 2026 Farmers Market of the Year award.
The farmers’ market pitches up on Bute Street, about five minutes away from South Ken tube, on Saturdays from 9am – 2pm. Early birds get the best pick of fresh seafood from Dorset Fish and Seafood, otherwise you’ve got plenty of cheeses, veggies, poultry, honey and bakes to shop from. As well as selling a range of pork and beef cuts, Parsons Ridge always has hot food on offer too so you can grab a sausage sarnie for breakfast.
Held every Sunday rain or shine (there’s indoor and outdoor sections) at the Pimlico Academy, Capital Car Boot Sale Pimlico always draws in an interesting mix of sellers. Expect a real mix of items on offer, ranging from vintage fashion and antiques to books and kitchenware, and decent pricing too.
