Shop
BRICK LANE BOOKSHOP
Brick Lane Bookshop has been around for more than 40 years and it’s been an integral part of the local community ever since – it was born out of protest and collaboration and it’s kept that spirit intact. They even run an annual Short Story Prize to give new and emerging writers the opportunity to be published. The shop stocks fiction, non-fiction, children’s books, poetry, travel, essays, classics and more, and the team are more than happy to give recommendations, so defo ask if you need a little guidance.
ROUND TABLE BOOKS
This Black-owned bookshop in Brixton specialises in children’s literature with diverse characters (in terms of race, gender and disability) and inclusive stories. The shop actually started life as a pop-up to celebrate the first anniversary of Knights Of, the publishing company run by founders Aimée Felone and David Stevens, but it was such a success that they turned it into a permanent store.
EATALY
Massive Italian food hall Eataly has finally opened in London – it’s stocked with over 5000 products spanning pasta, cheese and cured meats to gelato and olive oil, plus a zero-waste refill station and London’s largest Italian wine cellar. As well as the market and retail areas, Eataly is home to a number of dining counters, including Roman-style pizza at Pizza alla Pala, fresh pasta at the Pasta Fresca Bar, focaccia and salads at Made in Eataly, coffee and pastries at the Gran Caffè. There’s also the La Terrazza di Eataly al fresco restaurant, which serves up Italian classics like tuna crudo, burrata, cacio e pepe, ricotta & spinach ravioli and Torino-style pizzas alongside spritzes from Aperol.
KITE
The very swish Kite eyebar offers a fully-personalised shopping experience with free state-of-the-art eye exams, followed by a one-on-one style consultation with an eye expert to help you find your perfect specs. Designed in London and handcrafted in Italy, the glasses are pretty damn cool too and won’t break the bank even with their high-tech prescription lenses, which are exclusively fitted by industry leading manufacturer Carl Zeiss.
LIBERTY
Liberty is a London icon. It’s a department store steeped in history, featuring six floors of luxury female fashion, emerging menswear designers, homeware, interior accessories and a haberdashery stocked with the much-loved Liberty fabric. As well as all that, Maria Tash (piercer to everyone who’s anyone) has her own parlour inside and there’s a small but very well-stocked food and drink hall too. So if you’re making a trip south of Oxford Street, you have to pay Liberty a visit and wander through the jumble of wood-panelled rooms – yes, even if you’ve been a hundred times before.
PRICK
Prick, run by Gynelle Leon, is London’s very first boutique dedicated to cacti and other succulents. As well as offering plants in all shapes and sizes, Prick also sells a range of ceramic pots, including their own terracotta ‘Prick Pots’, plus plant-related books and accessories. All in all, Prick sounds rather succulent to us…
FROTH & RIND
Froth & Rind is all about beer and cheese. The shop stocks a range of craft beer, including from local brewers like Beavertown, Two Tribes and Signature (they sell wine and spirits too), as well as British artisan cheeses like Baron Bigod and Stinking Bishop alongside European faves. And if you can’t wait until you get home to put on a spread, their cafe serves up epic toasties and cheeseboards.
CRATE ST JAMES STREET
CRATE, the company that offers commercial premises and workspaces to businesses a little bit like Boxpark, opened on the site of a disused car park on St James Street. Residents include The Green Grill, Shee Bakes, Hanoi Cà Phê, Baggio Burger, Long and Short Coffee, The Italian Bakery, Cove17, No-LOGO Hair and Honeey.
DAUNT BOOKS
Housed in an Edwardian bookshop with skylights and long oak galleries (believed to be the first custom-built bookshop in the world) the Marylebone branch of Daunt Books is both the original and best. Daunt traditionally specialised in travel books but the shop now stocks a wide range of fiction and non-fiction material. If you’re a real fan, don’t forget to represent with one of those Daunt branded tote bags
ANDREAS
This award-winning Chelsea greengrocer is pretty unassuming from the outside but don’t let that fool you. Andreas is a firm fave with chefs and foodies, including Nigella, and it’s stacked with fresh produce. So if it’s freshly foraged ceps you’re after or perhaps a punnet of honeysuckle berries, then head on over to Andreas.
PALM 2
The organic shop in Clapton has produce from around the world from oils to cheeses and everything in between. This is a proper community space for food lovers and they regularly host workshops from dabbling with essential oils and plant-based nutrition.
HILL & SZROK
A butcher shop by day and neighbourhood restaurant by night – Hill & Szrok specialises in local produce, supports the British farming industry and champions a whole carcass approach to butchery. Chop down to Broadway Market for top quality, seasonal produce.
FIN & FLOUNDER
This traditional, family run business based in Hackney takes pride in serving the very best quality fish, shellfish, crustaceans, and anything else from the sea. Fin & Flounder work with fishermen from Scotland and Cornwall as well as using only the best merchants from Billingsgate fish market, and they’ll prepare anything just how you like it.
WILTON WAY DELI
This small deli in London Fields sells a range of incredible independent brands and on-trend ingredients, from English hot sauce El Nino to Italian fish sauce to London Borough of Jam preserves. They’ve also got plastic-free items, freshly baked cakes and pastries and hot coffee.
This London-based fishmongers has plenty of fish for sale, coming in fresh from Cornwall, Devon, Scotland and Sussex. And with over 25 years of experience, it’s not just fresh fish they sell but award-winning pies, fishcakes and sauces too. They’ve also developed their own range of smoked fish featuring salmon, cod, haddock and mackerel from their Wimbledon Smokehouse.
LE COQ EPICER
For French goodies, head straight to this deli in Angel. It’s full of high-quality, artisanal products fresh from France. If you’re fond of wine, cheese, pate and bread then you’ll want to stock up, and don’t forget the sweet stuff either – they’ve got macarons, chocs, pastries and more.
PANZER'S DELI
Panzer’s Deli has been a foodie destination since 1944; it’s London’s original Jewish deli but sells culinary delights from all over the world. These guys are famous for their freshly baked bagels (hand-sliced in store every day) stuffed with Scottish smoked salmon, and for good reason because they are on ANOTHER LEVEL. But you’ll also find fruit, veg, pastries, charcuterie, cheeses, and everything else here too.
GALLO NERO
Gallo Nero is a slice of Italy in the heart of Stokey and this place is the real deal. There are actually two branches of Gallo Nero (one on Stokey High Street and one on Newington Green Road) and both have plenty of pasta, sauces, meats, cheeses and more. We’re talking proper Parmigiano Reggiano (26 months matured), slices of salame Napoli and stacks of Sicilian panettone.