Things To Do In The Gloomy Weather.....

So its cold again, it's getting towards the end of the month and money is tight!

Here are my tips to enjoy some time out that will tickle the senses but not necessarily break the bank, window shopping with a difference with a little added!

The places may sound pricey but the experience doesn't have to be ........

Stop 1

Selfridges Food Hall

Starting in Oxford Street, smack bang in the centre of town.

Take a trip to Selfridges Food Hall. Selfridges I hear you cry hardly easy on the pocket but the beauty of the Food Hall is that it's like a tour of the world in edible delicacies.

Meat and fish are laid out the way they are meant to be observed.  Heads and feet left on in all their glory, which although at first appears a little scary, enables you to really appreciate the things you eat and where they come from.

There is a kitch American section filled with all the usual delights like Goobers peanut butter jelly, Hershey products and fruit loops galore.  Parents be warned the colours are bright and the E Numbers high! There's sushi, Italian meats and I could go on but you need to see for yourselves.

A favourite of mine is the bread section seriously who knew there was actually that many different ways to eat such a basic delight.  Tucked beautifully behind the bread is the most exciting of all parts CAKES!
To buy, to try and to decorate if you're into cupcakes the trend du jour!

For those with some spare cash in their pockets there is the Oyster and Champagne Bar ( I saw Patsy Kensit enjoying a mid-week splurge on a day off once)!  Also, the delicious smell of Salt beef from one of the many concessions along with the unenviable taste of the Square Pie company and so on which are all at your disposal.

I must admit despite all my time in this great city, Selfridges Food Hall is a recent discovery. I would be ashamed but am also thrilled to pass on the delight I have seen it give to every generation with whom I have visited, enjoy!

Stop 2

Liberty  Of London

Now I don't know about you but whenever I hear the name Liberty London, a short walk from Oxford Street and just off of Regent Street, I think Tudor, chintz, plaid, the past....

I now thoroughly happily admit after seeking refuse one rainy Sunday afternoon that I could not have been more wrong!

This place is an architectural master piece.The wood beams stripped bare with white walls is so Shoreditch new money you'd could cry. And the clothes, the clothes!!!!

Now I won't lie to you I'm thrifty, always have been and always will be. I want the most for my money but I love the designer gear that I love. I may not buy it very often but I sure as hell will admire it/save for it when necessary and there is no better place to freely explore your fashion treasures than at  Liberty.

The decadence of the pret a porter designers on offer against the sparseness of the space is inspiring and the whole place offers an indulgence that I believe only an invite to London Fashion Week can afford.
Even the shoe section has you stroking the products and that to me is heavenly-Shoes glorious shoes!

The fact that the staff are on hand to help but not intimidating was a huge plus. I was carrying a rain soaked Primark bag at the time (for my boyfriend of course) and no one batted an eyelid, what a refreshing change!

Lastly, at a hefty price I admit but if you did fancy a treat the cream teas they offer are almost, almost irresistible.

This is the point of  A Londoners London blog. I have lived here for many years yet have still managed to miss so many of the obvious highlights it's scary.

I think the moral is (if there ever is one) is it isn't the devil you know but maybe actually talking to the devil that's in front of you that's important!

Stop 3


A short walk to Covent Garden/Seven Dials for the small but exquisite experience of Neals Yard.
Now in these cash strapped times many of us have taken to home crafts in order to fill time/make gifts/create income.

As a homemade jewellery maker for nearly 3 years now, I have found it hard to find stores in London that actually sell beads, findings, and original materials at a high quality, high diversity of product  and at a decent price level. 

My prize find is Bead Aura in Neals Yard http://www.beadaura.co.uk/

So efficiently organised, offering a hugely different choice of materials in a low pressure atmosphere,  is almost unheard of in London and leaves the shopper to explore to their pleasure.

The staff stay seated behind the till, helping only when asked, which I find vital in such a small space. Everything is clearly labeled so you know what the deal is buying wise. The precious stones are kept separately downstairs and I find this invaluable so as not to get carried away from your original wish list. Come on crafter's we all do it!


Bead Aura, I doff my cap to you! I keep coming back for butterflies to make my drop earrings!

The bonus is you can take the Husband/Boyfriend/Kids/Uninterested Friends without fear of boredom because of the amazing cafes that neighbour this brilliant shop so everyone can be sustained..

Stop 4 Last and as always not the least....

Royal Festival Hall South Bank

I have to admit this is my favourite place in London Town.



I have been visiting this amazing place since the age of fourteen and I'm now 33 years old and the solace that such a modern building offers is as warm as it is unique.

Photography exhibitions, free Jazz concerts at lunch times, coupled along with the paying events this place has to offer makes this place in my humble opinion the most peaceful, communal and diverse landmark you can inhabit.

It's free, its real, it's true.

In winter it's a stop off for the loo and coffee and now there's the food market  positioned at the back which adds a bit extra. In the summer it is the ONLY place to enjoy a drink on the front terrace during a lazy afternoon.

I know many feel due to it's modernisation it's become yet another capitalistic privately owned part of London and I more than most dislike the heavy hand of security presence that is now in existence.

That said despite of all this it still holds its original charm for me. A place to meet friends or strangers, a place to go alone, a place to learn, a place to view. Here you are free.

Breathtaking views, every facility nearby, nothing holding you back.

Have Fun!