Top finds in London postcodes by Londoners

London, SE22

Lawrence White, East Dulwich shop owner and Peckham Rye resident, recommends Le Chandelier, a tea salon and chandelier shop on Lordship Lane, which has more than 30 teas, delicious pastries and a Moroccan-style mezzanine atop a spiral staircase. He also rates FC Soper, the fishmongers on Nunhead Lane: ‘Give them enough notice and they’ll order in anything you want. Their diver-caught scallops are to die for.’ For art lovers, Lawrence suggests popping by Dulwich Picture Gallery, which screens a once-a-month movie in the grounds in summer and in the gallery in winter. He’s also a fan of Sydenham Hill Wood and its disused railway tunnel, which is now a protected bat roost.

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London, N16

Garry Russell is a chiropractor who lives in Stoke Newington, a multicultural neighbourhood whose residents quashed an attempt to open a McDonald’s in order to maintain the neighbourhood’s distinctive individuality. When it comes to food, Stokey locals have no need for burgers, spoilt for choice as they are, Garry says, with French, Japanese, Thai and vegetarian restaurants. But he selects The Blue Legume, a Mediterranean-inspired café/bistro, as his favourite, if only for their veggie breakfast. A big fan of the dance and martial-arts centre Movingeast, Garry also recommends Springfield Park, ‘a huge, rambling place’, particularly lunching at the Spark Café, housed in an old mansion in the park’s south-east corner.

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London, NW5

Actress and Brideshead Revisited star Diana Quick has lived in Kentish Town for more than 25 years and loves its villagey feel. She’s a fan of Salvino’s Italian Deli on Brecknock Road, and recommends the rice balls stuffed with mozzarella. But for a special occasion, she’ll head to Lemonia or Limani on Primrose Hill for their ‘amazing meze’. Diana walks her dogs in Waterlow Park, south of Highgate Village, and often goes for a swim in the Ladies’ Pond at Hampstead Heath. Her top tip is a florist who mysteriously appears from February to May at a derelict site in Market Road to sell plants, reappearing again to sell Christmas trees in December.

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London, SW12

Comedian and star of TV’s Grumpy Old Men, Arthur Smith is Balham’s most well-known resident, having lived there for more than 20 years. He likes to watch other stand-up comics at The Bedford, the venue for the Banana Cabaret, and does the occasional gig there himself. He’s not a fan of booking ahead, so doesn’t always get into Chez Bruce on Bellevue Road (SW17), but when he does, he rates the gazpacho as ‘the best I’ve ever tasted’. Arthur enjoys Balham’s cosmopolitan feel and, as he lives next to the Polish church, he likes to sit in his garden and listen to its choir practice.

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London, SW16

Emma Humphrys is an assistant sales manager for KFH Streatham, and used to live in North London. Now she’s moved south of the river, she says she wouldn’t have it any other way, and loves Streatham – even the Roman chariots on Caesars Nightclub. Emma’s a fan of Streatham’s outdoor spaces, particularly the rookery on Streatham Common, a formal garden that she says feels like a secret space, and its old-fashioned café, The Rookery Tea Room. She’s also partial to the stinky cheeses at Le Tour de France food shop on Sunnyhill Road, and recommends Kennedy’s chippy on Leigham Court Road.

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London, W9

Camilla Kemp owns affordable art company 55 Max in Queen’s Park, and has lived in Maida Vale for seven years. She loves taking her 18-month-old daughter Ruby-Rae to Violet Hill Gardens, a small, picturesque park she says nobody seems to know about, and likes walking along Regent’s Canal, through Little Venice. A self-confessed foodie, Camilla’s a regular at the ‘to die for’ deli counter at Raoul’s Café on Clifton Road for its delicious goat’s cheese and olives, and recommends Vicki’s across the street for brunch: ‘a good, honest caff that serves unfussy breakfasts and salads’. Camilla’s also a fan of Absolute Flowers & Home for its fantastic blooms and handy gift section, and couldn’t live without the hairdressing expertise of Mario Sammour on Abbey Road.

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Sound of music Tucked behind Streatham high street is The Earl Ferrers pub – it has great live music on a Sunday and was recently voted one of the top 10 pubs in London.