Tearooms

In busy, buzzy Soho is the Bun House & Tea Room. Upstairs is a steamy street-food-style cafe serving Chinese steamed buns and large pots of oolong. Downstairs is a Hong Kong-style speakeasy, lit with neon green Cantonese lettered lights, it's a fun throwback to 1960's Hong Kong tea rooms and serves cocktails and a much longer tea list . . .

Hillman's Tearoom, Walthamstow: Ever been to a vintage wonderland? Neither had I. But that is just what Hillman's Tearoom is - with a whole load of good tea poured on top . . .

After a walk on Hampstead Heath, what better way to refuel than with cake and a cuppa. Louis Patisserie is a Hungarian cafe, founded by immigrant Louis Permayer in 1963. And it hasn't really changed since. The patterned carpet, the panel walls, and the leather chairs take you back in time and to Eastern Europe, but with classically English teacups. With a range of tea, and an even bigger range of cakes and pastries, it's cosy and unique and the perfect spot to warm up after a wintery walk . . .

Tuesday Tea Tasting Just opened but already super busy is tombo Poké & Matcha Bar in Soho. Having never tried the green stuff before, but always intrigued by it, I headed to tombo during their opening week to see what all they hype was about. With a queue out the door (a 50% off opening offer will do that) tombo's new spot was taking orders thick and fast but the staff were friendly and calm. I went for a long, hot matcha tea (there's a long list to choose from so I went for what look the...

Tuesday Tea Tasting Have you been to any of the factory outlets in Hackney? For cheap Burberry, Pringle or Nike, fashion lovers can head to Hackney Walk for amazing bargains...and we all know shopping is thirsty work! So for a pause in your perusing, head to Brew For Two - a cute little yellow-fronted tearoom tucked among the famous stores. It's full of lovely tiled tables and vintage crockery, perfect for all the bargain-hunting tourists looking for a classic British tea sipping experience.

With only 48 hours in Amsterdam, here are a couple of places I stopped for a cuppa - and a couple of places I wish I'd had time to pause in.

“Come on, vogue Let your body move to the music." Well I did do a little dance on my visit to the National Portrait Gallery. Why the boogie? Because the gift shop is now stocking Cuppa Coasters!! Well chuffed to be part of their tea theme at the same time the Vogue exhibition is on. (You can also buy them here!)

I'm not green-fingered and I don't have a balcony, let alone a garden, but when a garden centre has a teahouse - well I'm sold. Petersham Nurseries is the great way to end a walk along the Thames and across Petersham Meadows. Its large greenhouse is full of wobbly rusty tables and weather-beaten chairs. Oh and quite a few prams but luckily there is plenty of space in-between the tables for these. The space is enchantingly beautiful. With plants covering the sides and ceiling and pretty pots of...

Last weekend, myself and many other designer makers were invited to Liberty's British Open Call. A chance to show the Liberty buyers your products and get their valuable advice. It was interesting and eye opening but ultimately cold! After a ridiculously warm winter, England suddenly turned freezing and it happened to be that day that I was stood outside Liberty queuing with other designers...for 4 hours. It's over a week later and I've just about thawed out!! So after meeting the lovely Bryony...

With all the coffee shops in Soho it's so refreshing to know that tea lovers have a place dedicated to their loose leaf needs! Yumchaa does this perfectly - it's got the cool Soho vibe but knows its stuff when it comes to a lovely cuppa. I've visited their Camden location before (see previous blog post) but when the London Local Etsy team said they were meeting there, well I wasn't going to not go! I love that they have all their loose leaves out in jars for you to see (and smell). And because...