Wee Birdy

My Secret London with Neal from Present & Correct (Part 2)

In part two of My Secret London with Neal from Present & Correct, we find out exactly where he shops for stationery, children's toys, skincare ... and stacks more. Dig in, birdies.

Best for stationery?
Present & Correct of course! I always check out Magma, Muji and Shelf too to see what they are stocking on their shelves. Most of all I think that there are some brilliant old-school stationers dotted around. Belsize Stationers in Hampstead is a good example. Lots of binders, school notebooks and an eraser for any mistake. Holloway Arts, on Holloway Road is another good one. They have an old Letraset sign that I have been coveting for around 8 years.

Some of the design and stationery goodies from Neal's online shop, Present & Correct.

Best for kids?
Caramel has a great selection of things. The museum shops too, especially The Natural History Museum. And Couverture. Anywhere that sells traditional wooden toys makes me happy.

Above: wooden toys at Couverture.

Best for skincare?
I always buy Aesop products for myself and as gifts, I love the old-style apothecary packaging. The store itself is original and fun. You can’t beat Boots though. A good long walk in any London park will work wonders, too.

Neal out for a stroll on Hampstead Heath.

Best London shopping secret?
My friend Emma introduced me to Sunbury antiques market in Kempton. Get there early and be prepared to dig through lots of nonsense to find a great gem.

Above: Treasure to be found at Sunbury Antiques Market.

Best London souvenir?
A bag of Brick Lane bagels and something to put on them from Fortnum & Mason.

Best place to eat?
There are a few, because I love to eat lots and try new places. For breakfast The Modern Pantry on Clerkenwell Road is brill, as well as Bob Bob Ricard in Soho which is an OTT diner/brasserie where the staff have gold and pink uniforms and the menu features Farley’s Rusk milkshake!

Above: the fabulous interior of Bob Bob Ricard.

Ottolenghi is always good for lunch, as is Leilah's at Arnold Circus near Brick Lane. Market on Parkway in Camden is great and not dissimilar to the brilliant Quality Chop House in Farringdon - hearty British dinners.

Café Paolina on Kings Cross Road is a wonderful, cheap Thai café. Wood panelling, fake flowers, melamine chairs. An old greasy spoon now run by a super-friendly Thai family. Monmouth is always great for coffee, at Borough Market or in Covent Garden. I plan to go to Petersham Nurseries this year as I have been wanting to go for ages. 

I like eating on the sofa at mine, too. It’s BYO at P&C headquarters.

For all addresses and a Wee Birdy map of Neal's secret London, click here.

Read more about Present & Correct here.

For more secret Londons, click here.

Birdy pick of the week

Hans Bølling's wooden duck (£64) and duckling (£34), from the Design Museum shop. The story behind the inspiration for the pair is pretty cute, too:

"In Springtime Copenhagen, 1959, a policeman stopped the traffic in order to let a young family of ducks cross the street. The moment was captured by a photographer and created such an impression that all the newspapers published a now famous photograph of the ducks, which encapsulates the Danish attention to nature, detail and the ability to appreciate small everyday miracles."

Wee finds: Hats at the V&A shop

Hats: An Anthology by Stephen Jones, is the very latest exhibition to open at the V&A museum, and accordingly the rather brilliant V&A shop has stocked up on a delightful range of exclusive hat-themed products. I'm planning a trip to the museum next week, where I'll be nabbing one of these adorable acrylic brooches of ladies in cloche hats, which are quite reasonably priced at £10 each, and come in a variety of colours.


I'm also loving these clever paper hats, perfect for parties or the kids' dressing-up box. At £2.50 each, both designs are based on actual hats from the V&A's collections. The 'Harlequin' hat is a based on a 1980s design by Chris Clyn, and the top hat is based on an early 20th-century design by Lock & Co.

And if you're after a genuine Stephen Jones piece for less, you might like to check out the hatpin, £35, (left) and earrings, £40, (right), designed exclusively for the V&A. Jones was inspired by the "beautiful graphic ironwork on the staircase at the V&A" when he made these 'twisted cage' pieces.

Hats: An Anthology by Stephen Jones
Until 31 May 2009
£5, concessions available
Victoria and Albert Museum
Cromwell Road
London SW7 2R

The art of the poster: Christmas in London, 1925

'The spirit of Christmas', by Richard T Cooper, 1925.
Published by Underground Electric Railway Company Ltd, 1925.

From the collection of the London Transport Museum.
The 'Art of the Poster' exhibition is on until 31 March 2009.
Email free Christmas webcards from the museum's poster archives here.

The art of the poster: Christmas in London, 1934

'A merry Christmas; a happy New Year', by  Anna Katrina Zinkeisen, 1934.
Published by London Transport, 1934.
From the collection of the London Transport Museum.