Bonus London Favourites Post

Thinking back over the last year today; a year since we moved to Chiswick and slightly longer since we moved to London. Some of my favourite things this year:

Best exhibitions:

Perfume at Somerset House; weird yet fun exhibition in which you go round a series of themed rooms, sniffing perfumed bags in random places and noting down what they smell of. Bizarre but magical experience.

Honourable mention: Matisse at Royal Academy; I love Matisse and his paintings were displayed with his actual possessions which inspired him, great to see how an artist actually worked.

Best Art Gallery:

Courtauld Gallery; small but perfectly formed and every picture is a star. All killer no filler as they say.

Best Restaurant: 

Cinnamon Club; a beautiful, sophisticated Indian restaurant in an old library in Westminster. The food is heaven, so good I bought the cookbook.

Honourable mention: La Trompette, Chiswick; a very elegant Michelin star restaurant on our road. Amazing game dishes and beautiful desserts.

 

Best Museum:

Always the V&A; Still not seen it all after umpteen visits. Full of beautiful things and a lovely courtyard and cafe. They even have a Leonardo da Vinci notebook.

Best Church:

St Bartholomew the Greater; An ancient church, full of atmosphere, tucked away behind a medieval gateway and an enclosed churchyard. 

Honourable mention: St Magnus the Martyr with the gigantic London Bridge model; crammed with tiny figures it is fascinating and delightful.

Best Walk/Explore:

Spitalfields; from posh shops in a historic market to c18th neighbourhood with Hawksmoor church and  African fabric shops on Dickensian streets, all life is here.

Honourable mention to Southwark Cathedral and Borough Market, a fascinating area, full of history and foodies.