This is the first in a series of Gallivants, taking in some of the less obvious sights, sounds, flavours, feelings and of course fragrances of the cities we love.
I hope you enjoy them.
Take a stroll along Regents Canal from Islington to Broadway Market in Hackney, and then on to the glorious Victoria Park. It’s a great walk for people watching and to see the modern face of the city, with a green, watery feeling from the canal and nature.
Growing Concerns is a brilliant garden centre near Victoria Park. A hidden gem. Think of the smell of wet soil!
www.growingconcerns.org
Go to Rinkoff’s Deli, in Bethnal Green, for a tea and cake. Good place for a pit stop, and have a ‘cuppa’. The smell of tea and milk always makes me feel at home
www.rinkoffbakery.co.uk
Have a gin at the East London Liquor Company in Bow. Gin feels (and smells) like a proper London drink.
www.eastlondonliquorcompany.com
London, these days, is a foodie heaven. Try one of the Vietnamese restaurants around Kingsland Rd (Cay Tre on Old St is a favourite haunt). I love the mix of Asian ingredients and a really London feeling (grey skies on a rainy day).
www.thevietnamesekitchen.co.uk
It’s a wet spring. Roses from Columbia Road.Georgian architecture. A hint of dustiness.An earthy lush wetness you can almost taste.
Floral leather with a watery greenhead of cucumber and violet leaves.
A floral heart with Rose de Mai Absolute,rose oil and orris root.
Basenotes of leather, sandalwood,patchouli and cedarwood.