Imagine a children’s shop stocked full of great toys, baby equipment, children’s decor and stylish furniture… doesn’t that alone sound impressive? Now, imagine this store has buggy parking, kiddie toilets and baby changing facilities, a little café, and an indoor play space for kids — aaahhh, it’s like heaven for parents! This heaven is called Huggle, and it’s a newly opened shop located in Swiss Cottage (just opposite the leisure centre). It was started by a local husband and wife team who spent two years researching the market before opening up their shop and who completely get what it’s like to be a new parent struggling to find the best products for their kids.

CONTACT:

Huggle
8-10 Winchester Road
London, NW3 3NT
Phone: 020 7483 2826

The Tricycle Theatre, located in Kilburn (North London), is a publicly subsidized performing arts venue most well known its ground-breaking, politically charged performances. They specialise in presenting plays which reflect and promote the cultural diversity of its community.  The venue includes both a large theatre and a 300-seat cinema as well as smaller studios for workshops and other small plays.  They also have a Children’s Theatre Programme which puts on some of the sweetest little shows for kids, often with the use of puppets, live music, storytelling and singing…and with an added ecological or social message to their stories.  We recently went to see The Three Billy Goats Gruff and it was great fun!

CONTACT DETAILS:

The Tricycle Theatre
269 Kilburn High Road
London NW6 7JR
Phone: 020 7328 1000
Box office 020 7328 1000 | tel: 020 7372 6611 | fax: 020 7328 0795 |

Two years ago our Christmas got canceled on Christmas Eve — well the trip we had planned to Switzerland did anyway. It was our first Christmas with a child and you know how important they are! We were devastated. I think the only thing that saved us was Melrose & Morgan, our local deli in Primrose Hill (where we lived at the time). We turned up at 12pm to a packed store of everyone collecting their orders and they thankfully managed to make us up one of their ‘Christmas’s in a box’. It honestly saved the day.

But Melrose & Morgan is not just for Christmas, their fantastic home-cooked meals are perfect to take home, heat up and make you look like a domestic goddess. Sadly my better-half isn’t easily fooled – Melrose & Morgan’s food is just that bit too delicious for him to believe it was made by me whilst I had 2 children hanging off my arms.

Each day the kitchen prepares a different menu using seasonal, locally sourced ingredients. Additionally they have a range of staples including their home-made pies, freshly baked bread, mouth-wateringly delicious cheeses and sweet treats for every occasion. I keep one of their pies and some of their home-made ice cream in my freezer for those “its 6.45pm, there’s nothing to eat in the house and the kids are going crazy” evenings (of which we tend to have 4 a week).

I’m not big on branded merchandise but my one exception is Melrose & Morgan’s mugs, aprons and my favourite canvas shopping bags with their simple red font spelling evocative foodie words such as ‘picnic’, ‘cheese’ and ‘custard’ (I love that one in particular!).

Melrose and Morgan:
42 Gloucester Avenue
London, NW1 8JD
Phone: 020 7722 0011
Nearest tube Chalk Farm or Camden

Elias and Grace is a small but well stocked children’s shop located on the main strip in Primrose Hill. This trendy boutique has one of the best selection of clothing brands in London, including all our favourite European brands like  Simple Kids, Quincy, Maan, Album di Famiglia, Petit Bateau, Pepe Shoes, Bonton, etc. Everything is displayed really well (in sections divided by gender) and they do a really good job of creating ‘looks‘, mixing up the different brands and styles. They also have a great online shop, and they ship internationally.

CONTACT DETAILS:

Elias & Grace
158 Regents Park Road
London NW1 8XN, United Kingdom
020 7449 0574

This small but charming shop is chock full of children’s toys, clothes and accessories. Not your normal mass-market toys, but the sort of things that will inspire you to spruce up your children’s toy basket or run home and redecorate the nursery. It’s the perfect place to find a unique birthday gift, a piece of art to cover a bare wall, or even vintage chairs, globes and toys for your home.

You’ll find Djeco toys, Katvig clothes, Rice accessories, and the list goes on. And there’s something about the way it’s all displayed that makes you really notice the attention to detail and the heartfelt selection. A really lovely neighborhood shop that makes you wish you lived in the neighborhood…

Olive Loves Alfie
84 Stoke Newington Church Street
London N16 OAP
Tel: +44 (0) 0207 241 4212
Email: info@olivelovesalfie.co.uk

Open:
Monday-Friday 09:30-17:30
Saturday: 10:00-18:00
Sunday: 12:00-17:00

It was voted the best leisure centre in London by TimeOut guide in 2008, and for good reason.  But it also deserves a mention for its incredibly kid-friendly atmosphere and programs… ranging from swimming lessons, ballet, basketball, etc.  Toddler’s World classes are offered twice a week, and the soft-play area is opened all week long. On a rainy day in London the Swiss Cottage Leisure Centre can be a savior.

There’s also a library adjacent to the leisure centre with a great kid’s section filled with toys and games.  And inside the centre is a very kid-friendly café with a relaxed atmosphere and decent food (good brunch on the weekends).

One of our favorite things to do on a rainy weekend is to head over to the centre for an hour in the teaching pool during the family swim hours, and then a lazy brunch afterward.

Kenwood House is located at the top of London’s Hampstead Heath park and is one of my favorite places to go for brunch on a weekend.  Not only does Kenwood House boast sumptuous interiors and important paintings by many great artists (Rembrandt, Turner, Vermeer, etc.), it also has an impressive café/restaurant with one of the best ‘English Breakfasts’ in London.  They also make, in my opinion, the best hot chocolate in the city — it’s worth the walk up there just for a sip!

In nice weather you can sit outside at one of the many picnic tables set in their beautiful garden and enjoy some of the best views of London.  They also have plenty of highchairs and changing tables in the bathrooms, and kids can run freely around the garden area, or join the queue of other children waiting to buy an ice cream from the café!

Hampstead Heath is truly worth a visit if you’re in town, and a walk finishing at Kenwood House will be the icing on the cake of the whole experience!

Belgo is one such restaurant… where you can walk from the rainy streets of London straight into a Belgian world of traditional (and tasty) mussels, frites and hundreds of Belgium’s best beers.

There’s nothing really fancy about it, but the food is good and the atmosphere is authentic. And what’s more? It’s extremely kid-friendly with loads of highchairs and a kid’s menu which includes a mini pot of mussels and an activity kit. And, want the best news? Kids eat completely free!

We lived in London for nearly two years before we discovered the Hampstead Heath, which is a huge shame as it is one of London’s finest gems, and is, in my opinion, the most liberating outdoor activity in London.  The fact that you can feel so far removed from the ‘hustle and bustle’ of London and yet be smack in the middle of it is a treat which is unusual for such a big city.

Hampstead Heath is London’s largest historic parkland, and arguably the most beautiful.  Unlike the more manicured and planned Royal Parks of London, the Heath is more wild in nature, offering 3.2 sq km of roaming meadows, fishing and swimming ponds, dark and lush woodlands, hiking and biking trails, and some of London’s best playgrounds.

It is here where you can fly a kite from the top of ‘kite hill’ and enjoy incredible views of central London.  You can also make a visit to Kenwood House and see the famous paintings and library, or have a bite to eat at the café.  And lastly, a trip to Hampstead Heath would not be complete without letting your kids enjoy the famous and newly-renovated Parliament Hill Playground.

As a local here in London, I couldn’t imagine life without regular trips to the Heath.  It’s really no wonder the Wallpaper* City Guide for London lists Hampstead Heath as an activity you should definitely experience if you only had 24 hours in London!

Click here for a google map of the Heath.

Ottolenghi is also our ‘go-to’ place for party food and canapés. Their catering menu is impressive, and they’re always extremely organized and helpful; they’re happy to give suggestions, and everything comes with ‘how-to’ instructions for sauces and spices. Whether it’s a baby shower, grown-up party, or even a sophisticated kids’ party, the food will surely impress your guests!

Ottolenghi has four locations across London; the biggest one (and best for dining) is on Upper Street in Islington.

And if you’re like me, and can’t get enough of Ottolenghi, you’ll be happy to know that they’ve just released their first cookbook, complete with beautiful photos and famous recipes! Hooray!

The Daunt Books on Marylebone High Street is an original Edwardian bookshop, famous for its Travel section, which is stocked with a unique arrangement of books (guides, novels, non-fiction) organized by country. The long oak galleries and big skylights lend toward the beautiful interior feel of the bookshop. It’s worth a browse inside simply for the beauty.

While the Daunt Books on Marylebone High Street is my favourite, they also have branches in Holland Park, Belsize Park and Hampstead, and all of them have a fantastic children’s section — they’re the best in town. They always have a good balance of children’s classics and newer ones. And if they don’t have what you want, they will order it for you! At the Hampstead branch, they have a little children’s nook with kid’s chairs and bean bags — a great place to take the kids on a rainy day!

They stock all my favorite and necessary items, like the Beaba Baby Cook and silicone spoons, the Mokopuna merino wool baby clothes, the Swaddle Designs swaddling blankets, Sophie the Giraffe, bottles, bibs, bath toys, buggies, wooden toys, etc. etc. Need a Bumbo or Baby Bjorn baby chair? Or how about the Phil & Teds Me Too chair? They have it at Blue Daisy. Seriously, if you want it, chances are they have it.

How great is it to have a local shop like this?! The staff is always very friendly and helpful, and they have a play area for kids as well as a kiddies toilet in the store. Shopping made easy.

And now my local store can be yours too! They’ve just opened up their on-line shop, and they will even ship internationally (though not very cheaply).

Thankfully, Martha Swift and Lisa Thomas of Primrose Bakery are taking charge, and London now seems to be catching up!

After starting out baking cupcakes for their kid’s birthday parties in 2004, and then supplying them to their local deli, Melrose and Morgan, the girls set up the cutest shop in Primrose Hill. They now cater to Selfridges food hall, Fortnum and Mason, Tom’s Deli, Fresh & Wild, and Liberty.

They make loads of different flavours (including vanilla, chocolate, lemon, mocha, carrot, and coconut) and they come in two sizes: regular (for the mama) and mini (for your darling child who couldn’t possibly let you get away with eating one and not sharing)!

You can order them for parties and events and they’ll deliver to you on the day. (Their themed cupcakes are beautiful and very detailed, and they’ll do their best to customize). But it’s also fun to visit their shops — one in Primrose Hill and a new one in Covent Garden, where you can grab a capuccino and a cupcake (or two)!

They now also sell a cookbook, which is sure to be great.

-Courtney

So when I took my son to one of London’s city farms for the first time, I wasn’t expecting much. (I think I even warned him that this wasn’t a real farm)!

But real it is! And definitely worth a trip, especially if you live here and the only exposure your child has to a grunting pig or a galloping horse is in one of those “My First Farm” picture books…

Kentish Town City Farm, (which is probably the best in central London), has everything from chickens, ducks and rabbits to pigs, goats, cows and horses. There are plenty of opportunities to touch and feed the animals (I always bring a bag of old apples for the horses), and the staff is great about allowing you to wonder around without being guided or watched.

It is open every day and admission is free. On Saturdays and Sundays at 1:30 you can pay £1 and your child can ride the ponies!

(And if you have a train-obsessed child like mine, you’ll be happy to know that the farm occupies both sides of the train tracks with plenty of “choo-choo train” appearances)!

Carluccio’s Italian restaurants are kid-friendly without being obnoxious, and comfortable without losing their charm.  It’s a great family dinner spot where you can share a bottle of wine with your husband, while your kids stay entertained!

The kid’s menu, which  includes breadsticks, entreé, a drink, and ice cream for dessert, comes as an activity set with cute wooden coloring pencils, a color-your-own puzzle kit, and fun games. It’s super cute, and my kids LOVE it!

There are plenty of high-chairs in every restaurant, and they have baby-changing stations in the bathrooms.

They also have good Italian take-away food and serve a good cappuccino!

Click here for their Menu (including children’s menu).

-Courtney