Prancing around London in the middle of the night with a bunch of old men in fancy dress. No, this is not some kind of post-modern theatre, but an ancient ritual which has taken place pretty much every night for the past 700 years in this great old city. The Ceremony of the Keys involves an ornate and complex set of rituals to ensure that the Tower of London is locked up good and proper. At exactly seven minutes to 10 o'clock each and every night the Chief Warder in his regal red coat and somewhat bonkers Tudor bonnet, carrying the Queen's Key and a giant lantern, marches around the perimeter of the Tower of London locking up the gates, accompanied by Foot Guards, sentries and various other characters straight out of the history books.

Complete with archaic greetings, a bugler and the best costumes you're ever likely to see. Having lived in London all my life, I can honestly say that I've never spent such a magical and unforgettable 10 minutes in London and urge everyone to accompany the procession at least once. It's free, but to go along you need to go through the hassle of writing a letter (no emails of course!) -

Tower of London
For more information visit their website here: www.hrp.org.uk/TowerOfLondon/WhatsOn/ceremonyofthekeys.aspx.

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Lurking in the hinterland that is Hack-Hack-Hackney, this little bit of east has most definitely missed out on the regeneration, but it's also missed out on the outlaw years of estates, grime and crime. It's a beautiful spot offering tranquillity amongst the sprawl, where you can stroll along the river, watch the wildlife scuttle by, catch a real odd (but truly unique) pint at the Hope and Anchor, or pick up a fry-up at the cafe opposite Lea Valley Marina. Beautiful, chilled and totally hidden.

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The Little Angel Theatre is a marionette (or puppet) theatre. It's a little gem hidden away in Islington behind the bustle of Upper Street and Essex Road. It's a tiny building on Dagmar Passage.

The puppet masters are just that - masters of their art. I used to go with a friend and we were often the only adults there without children, but many shows have two levels of interpretation and you certainly don't have to be a child to enjoy them.

Before or after the show have a stroll along the New River Walk, running between Canonbury (The Marquess Estate) and the Angel. It's a lovely linear park based around the river that used to bring water to London from the country. It's beautifully peaceful, and there are ducks to watch (or feed) and benches to sit and contemplate. You could do a round walk down the park and back up Upper Street to Highbury and Islington tube and get the best of shops, cafe, theatre and park for a day's entertainment.

14 Dagmar Passage, off Cross Street, London N1 2DN
Highbury and Islington or Angel tube
info@littleangeltheatre.com
020 7226 1787 (Box Office)
020 7359 8581 (Admin)

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A club in Shoreditch where you can enjoy very good food, a games lounge, ten pin bowling, spa treatments, a rooftop swim with magnificent city views.

Ebor Street, London E1
Closest tube Liverpool Street

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It's a delightful surprise behind the hustle and bustle of The Strand with a beautiful courtyard for fountains or movies, a museum of Russian artifacts from St Petersburg (The Hermitage Rooms) and a wonderful collection of paintings and other pieces of artwork at the Courtauld Gallery. There is a basement cafe at the Gallery, or a terrace restaurant overlooking the Thames, or The Admiralty for finer dining.

Somerset House
The Strand
London
W1

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Bistro restaurants - excellent value for money, for example two-course lunch for £6.90; dinner for £7.90; three-course lunch for £9.90 and dinner for £10.90. Delicious Mediterranean food and good, quick, informal service.

www.bistro1.co.uk/
3 branches: 1 on Southampton Street, 1 on Beak Street and 1 on Frith Street.

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Pub: Great ale at incredibly cheap prices in the heart of the city. Not to be missed by tourists and/or serious drinkers alike!

145 Fleet Street

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The 11 route takes commuters through the tourist heartland every 10 minutes or so. The route takes in Ludgate Hill, St Pauls, Bank of England, Trafalgar Square, Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, Victoria Street, the Strand and much more. The cost is 90 pence (with an Oystercard) so is far better value than the tour companies.

The 11 route runs between Liverpool street Street and Victoria Station. You can get hop on from the Strand, Trafalgar Square, Whitehall, Parliament Square and Ludgate Hill.

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Great specialist market, with fresh flowers and plants... it feels like a pop-up garden centre in the street. Check out the shops behind, a little oasis. Treacle makes the best cup cakes in the world - fact!

Old Street Tube and a 10 minute walk

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At a time when so many hotels no longer include breakfast, St. Martins in the Fields is truly a bargain. This church is slap bang in the centre right beside Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery. The cafe hidden in the crypt does a full English breakfast with tea/coffee for a mere £6.50. A bargain!

www2.stmartin-in-the-fields.org/page/cafe/crypt/crypt.html

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Right in the middle of Chelsea is a wonderful secret garden. Founded in 1673 by the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries, it continues to research the properties, origins and conservation of more than 5000 plant species. But the nicest thing is just to sit there with a book on a sunny day. The cafe also sells some gorgeous food, especially the salads and the cakes.

Note that it isn’t open every day, and it does cost to get in. Details on the website.

You can quite often get two-for-one entry offers from rail companies, e.g. www.southeasterndaysout.co.uk/Attractions.aspx?County=London&TOCID=8

www.chelseaphysicgarden.co.uk/

You can quite often get two-for-one entry offers from rail companies, e.g. www.southeasterndaysout.co.uk/Attractions.aspx?County=London&TOCID=8

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If you travel on a budget, like I do, finding a place to eat in London can be a nightmare. That's why I recommend you take the tube to the nearest Ikea and dine in its restaurant.

Meals start at an amazing price of 1 pound and the prices almost never rise above 5 pounds! Breakfast starts at 95p (Sausage, bacon, scrambled egg, hash brown, beans, and tomato). Swedish meat balls start at 3.25 pounds, you can refill your drinks and coffee for free, they have special meals for kids etc.

One might forget about an option like this but Ikea restaurants are always a good place to eat when travelling on a budget.

www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/IkeaNearYouView?storeId=7&catalogId=11001&langId=-20&StoreName=localfood

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Easy Hotels are my favorite way of staying in London - cheap but spotless. You can choose between a variety of rooms (small with no window, small with window, large with no window and large with a window), all of which have a private bathroom. Rooms start at 25 pounds per room per night and the hotels are centrally located, near underground stations.

www.easyhotel.com

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If you like your meals healthy and are on a tight budget, Greens and Beans is the place for you. This small but friendly place offers fresh organic vegetarian meals at great prices!

www.druworldwide.com/cafe/greens_and_beans

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A low-key bar in a basement behind an unmarked door, Lounge Bohemia manages to avoid the Hoxton Saturday night invasion and remain a calm and laid back place to drop in for a cocktail, a chat and complimentary canapes. Strictly retro decor, very friendly and beautuful staff, the place is absolutely tiny and perfect to impress a date and tuck them away in a cosy corner.

Delicious cocktails start at £5 and it's easy to lose track of time and work your way through the whole menu. Tea For Two (£10) comes served in a chunky pattered teapot with matching cups and saucers and - be warned - a generous amount of alcohol. The perfect way to start an evening, or begin the end of an evening, depending on how well your date went...

1e Great Eastern Street
London
EC2 3EJ
07720 707 000
www.loungebohemia.com
Old Street tube
Liverpool Street tube

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Churchills has got to be the best value Thai kitchen in London, delicious menu at £6 a main, in a great traditional pub that is regularly voted the Capital's best.

Walk it off down nearby Portobello market then head to the funkiest, friendliest little space at NHAC - groovy Brasilian beats (after-carnival was great) in a really creative environment - top Saturday in Notting Hill!

Tube to Notting Hill Gate, NHAC directly opposite (go early) and Churchills on Kensington Church St, adjacent.

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This is a great Mediterranean restaurant that is right beside Finchley Central tube. It does a great two-course deal for lunch (£7) and just £2 more for dinner. Great value with options for fish (tuna steak, salmon, seafood pasta), meat (eg lamb shank, spicy minced lamb) and veg (eg moussaka). It's run by Turkish people but there is more variety than your normal one. Wine isn't fantastic but beer is Efes.

There isn't a huge number of options in this area of Ballards Lane but this is definitely the best value (and actually the best food) around there.

Battasy, 26 Ballards Lane, London N3 2BJ, England

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It's a pub/restaurant - the food is amazing, big servings of lush fresh food, and the pizzas will rock your world!

West Norwood

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I'm definitely more of an urban type and enjoy a regular matinee screening at the Barbican cinema followed by noodles in Smithfield.

Sometimes though, I enjoy a trip to Harrow-on-the-Hill, especially in the autumn.

My partner, who lives there, gave me a guided tour one weekend. We strolled upwards about 10 minutes from the tube (Metropolitan Line), past the famous Harrow school, to St Mary's Church on Church Hill. The atmospheric churchyard is where Lord Byron sought inspiration. We cut down a dark passage through the trees leading from the gravestones into an open area which had amazing views across London.

Another short walk back to the church and down the High Street and we were at The Castle Inn pub. We had lunch on the lovely garden terrace, where some windfall apples had fallen on the ground around our feet.

Castle Inn pub on 30 West Street (020 8422 3155)

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This is a great gastropub for a number of reasons. Decor-wise it's like any other gastropub with wooden tables and chairs and a general unpretentious feel to it, yet it offers imaginative food at a decent price. Starters range from seared chicken livers, roast onion and black pudding (£5) to oysters (£6) and mains are also varied, my favourite being the salt marsh lamb with curly kale, minted chick pea and cauliflower puree (£15.95).

The kitchen is at one end of the room creating a warm and engaging atmosphere, and the service is unobtrusive. By far the best on the menu is the death by chocolate pudding - perhaps shared between two to avoid the death bit. Highly recommended, especially if you happen to be in the Ealing/Chiswick area.

222 South Ealing Road, W5 4RL
www.ealingparktavern.com
020 8758 1879
Nearest tube South Ealing

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