The area in London I call home is…Stoke Newington. I love it because it feels like a small town inside a city and it’s somewhere to escape the main hustle and bustle of London. There are some beautiful parks including Abney Cemetery, which is totally other-worldly, and it has a feeling of safety and intimacy that I haven’t felt from anywhere else in London.

I’ve got to have a meal at…a gorgeous and very affordable Turkish restaurant called Gem in Islington.

I tend to get my threads from…mainly vintage shops around Covent Garden, Brick Lane and Stoke Newington Church Street. I also frequent Urban Outfitters, when they have a sale on!

To enjoy London’s nightlife, you should…head to Stoke Newington! There are so many pubs, both trendy and traditional, and the place feels so friendly and safe. Perhaps not the best way to experience the true London, but it certainly makes for an enjoyable night. I recently sampled the ciders at The Jolly Butchers – as a West Country girl I approve!

If I was mayor, I would…ban free newspapers. As well as being a total waste of paper, they also encourage laziness and deter people from making active decisions about how they get their news.

My favourite spot to check out art is…the small galleries all over the city. I love working my way down a list of exhibitions and seeking out the galleries, often having to ring the doorbell to get in. It’s also a perfect way to discover London’s backstreets!

I’d kindly tell a tourist to…get an Oyster card, travel can be so expensive otherwise.

The things I miss when I leave London are…the vast amounts of cinemas with endless choice of films, the tube and the cultural diversity.

My soundtrack to London would include:

The National – England

The White Stripes – Rag and Bone

Beirut – Scenic World.  I’d like to think the titles speak for themselves.

Whirlygig Cinema & The Cabinet of Living Cinema present: Making Tracks, August 5th  at Rich Mix.  Click here more info. 

(Interview: MEC)

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