Mentioned by mummytravels
Top tips for London museums with toddlers and kids
"Located on the 43rd floor of the Walkie Talkie building in the City of London, the Sky Garden is the capital’s highest public garden and one of the coolest places to visit in London for free. The garden’s large plant-filled atrium has floor-to-ceiling windows with amazing panoramic views out over the city below and is open throughout the day and into the evenings on weekends – making it one the best free things to do in London at night too!. There’s also an open-air covered terrace on one side."
"20 Fenchurch Street was beautifully designed by renowned architect Rafael Viñoly. The building spans 37 storeys and rhubarb occupies the top three levels alongside the public space known as Sky Garden, which provides 45,000 sq ft of high level amenity space. Visitors can wander around the exquisitely landscaped gardens with 360 degree panoramic views of London and all of the flora and fauna they need!"
"Day 1: Arrive in London, Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour, the London EyeDay 2: Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Whitehall, Covent GardenDay 3: Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Borough Market, Tate Modern, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Sky GardenDay 4: National Gallery, Greenwich, Prime Meridian, Up at the O2Day 5: British Museum, Portobello Road Market, Victoria and Albert Museum, Harrod’s"
"Chin Chin Ice Cream was lauded as Europe's first liquid nitrogen ice cream parlour when it opened up in 2010 and it hasn’t taken long for that style to get a foothold in the favour of the general populace. Chin Chin now boasts multiple outlets across London where the clever clogs behind the counter are hand-churning enticing ice cream flavours like tonka bean and burnt butter caramel with liquid nitrogen. Adding liquid nitrogen means that the fat and water particles in the ice cream remain small and tightly knitted together during the freezing operation, resulting in intensely creamy ice cream."
"Restaurants Ice-cream parlours Soho. Those nitro-fuelled experimentalists at Chin Chin are the Willy Wonkas of the ice-cream world, and this Soho shop is an ostentatious showcase for their wares. Not only their signature ices (anyone for halva black tahini?), but also full-on desserts – there’s some seriously elaborate stuff going on here amid all the bells and whistles."
"This North London bakery describes itself as ‘a bit health conscious’: cakes contain low fat and sugar, but enough to ensure they taste delicious. Cutter & Squidge cakes make the perfect centrepiece for a big celebration too: the Macron Drip Cake, for instance, is a layered creation decorated with macarons, topped with chocolate shards and finished with 24 carat gold. Vegan cakes are also available, and everything can be personalised."
"Nestled in the heart of Soho lives Cutter & Squidge, artisan cake makers who specialise in extravagance and wonder. Serving up slices of uniquely flavoured and decorated cakes along with their signature Biskie - a mix of cake, biscuit and cookie topped with marshmallow, buttercream and other goodies - it’s a one-of-a-kind shop in London. And it’s not just for the dairy eaters and gluten-friendly."
"Fun shop, fun website, inventive creations – two sisters established this Soho mecca and are always a step ahead of foodie trends. The sisters explain, “We are a bit health conscious and are not fans of overly fatty or sugar laden foods, so we always keep our fat and sugar content to “just as much as needed to make something delicious”."
"If you’re a big fan of croissants, then the Pasty Parlour is a must for your Little Black Book. One of London’s best bakeries, everything is baked fresh on-site daily and their pastries are said to rival the originals from across the channel. 8 Piazza Walk, London E1 8FU; thepastryparlour.co.uk"
"This is the place to go for proper Italian gelato - it's known for its incredible flavours and high quality taste - one of the owners is actually a chef. Some flavours change every week, and the focus is on fruit sorbets, alcoholic sorbets, desserts and classic crowd pleasers - think Pimm's and lemonade, eton mess and blood orange."
"We have some great gelato in London Town but my faves by far are @gelupogelateria in Soho. This is Malted Milk with Blood Orange sorbet."
"Violet Cakes is a bakery in East London that’s fast become famous for its American-style cupcakes with seasonal buttercreams as well as its whoopie pies, birthday cakes, and quiches. Owner and head baker Claire Ptak used to work as a pastry chef for Alice Waters at Chez Panisse in California and has brought all her years of experience with her to… Dalston, of all places. Boy, am I glad that Claire made the move, though."
"A post shared by Violet By Claire Ptak (@violetcakeslondon) on Jun 13, 2020 at 4:26am PDT. Famous for making Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's lemon and elderflower wedding cake, Claire Ptak's Hackney-based bakery Violet Cakes has a full menu of delights worth arriving hungry for, including artfully presented cakes, whoopie pies, blondies, cupcakes and biscuits – all made using organic and seasonal ingredients."
"In 2018, baker Claire Ptak got her big break when she was asked to create the wedding cake for Harry and Meghan. This put her organic Hackney bakery, Violet Cakes, firmly on the map. All cakes are baked with organic and low intervention ingredients, with limited edition buttercream icings that change with the seasons."
"Hakata-style tonkotsu ramen, noodles in a rich, pork-bone broth, is what they do here, and they do it spectacularly well. Arguably the best in London, this authentic Japanese dish will set the bar for all ramen to follow. The broth is flavoursome, the noodles silky with just the right amount of bite, and toppings range from traditional, comforting pork belly to fiery jalapeños and caramelised black garlic (don’t order the latter if you have an afternoon business meeting)."
"Trading on authenticity, this ramen chain dispenses its bowls of noodles in long-simmered bone-stock broth with impressive speed and Japanese efficiency. The Dracula tonkotsu is a must-have, the hirata buns are wickedly good, and there’s an awesome choice of sake, shochu and umeshu for aficionados. Flagship site: 3 Denman Street, W1D 7HA"
"The Princess Diana memorial playground in Kensington Gardens is a fantasy land, very much inspired by Peter Pan, for children up to about 12. It is a safe, fenched area for families only. This playground has remained open, but with reduced capacity, maximum 150 children at a time, because of this you may have to queue to get in."
"Set in the private Home Park with a beautiful lake and landscaped gardens, definitely worth visiting if you are in or around Windsor. Harry and Meghan are set to move into Frogmore Cottage in the grounds of Frogmore Estate."
"Restaurants Ice-cream parlours Covent Garden. Voluptuous folds of colourful gelato undulate across Scoop’s freezer cabinet like rows of love handles. Its flavours are classic Italian (biscotto, fior di latte, malaga, pistachio), and they’re made from brag-worthy provenance-led ingredients including Tonda Gentile hazelnuts from Piedmont, Sicilian black cherries and a changing range of single-origin chocolates and coffees."