How have I not been here before?! I used to live near it and it’s lovely. Shame on me for not visiting The Tea Rooms sooner because the staff are so friendly (despite being super busy) and it’s a fab, cosy hideaway from the pram-filled pavements of Stoke Newington Church Street, and full of pretty touches like flower-filled teapots. Watching London's red buses pass by, I sipped their house blend which is from Mackwoods Labookellie Estate, Sri Lanka. I passed through that estate on a...

Arlo & Moe is a neighbourhood cafe in Brockley - a lovely South London spot. With its colourful range of retro tables (I love a bit of formica!) it's cosy and inviting and so easy to just while away a bit of time. And I did, with two teapots of Kandula tea. First an English Breakfast - a Ceylon brew with flowery Broken Orange Pekoe leaves and a refreshing Moroccan Mint which is apparently beneficial for your digestive system - lucky as a wolfed down a few of their pastries too!

If you want to step back in time then head to Blackbird Tea Rooms in Brighton and sip a cuppa while an antique radio plays you some tea dance tunes and the bell on the door tinkles with the constant stream of afternoon tea lovers. My sister and I enjoyed a Darjeeling and Earl Grey, and while I was busy checking out the decor of retro tea posters, tea tins and photos of Brighton in the old days, my sister devoured our apparently delicious carrot cake.