I love Dr Johnson’s famous quote; “When a man tires of London he tires of life”. It’s perfect, as is London. David (my husband) was born there and his family still lives there.

We have been fortunate enough to visit London about ½ dozen times per year for the past 20 years. Theater is our first love, and traditional English food is our second love. Yes, I know for years England has had a dreadful reputation concerning food. That has all changed.

My favorites are:

Ploughman’s Lunch-generally considered pub fare, consists of salad, cheddar cheese, crusty bread and Branston Pickle.

Shandy-half beer, half lemonade. Perfect with a Ploughman’s Lunch. It does sound strange to combine these two drinks, but it really works!

Chocolate covered biscuts-preferably from Marks & Spencers or the ones made by Cadbury’s. What can I say about butter cookies dipped in rich chocolate, oooh sooo good!

Savory Pies: pork pies, Cornish pasties, steak and kidney pies. Done well, they are fabulous.

Christmas Pudding with Brandy sauce, and mince meat pies; what can I say, I also love fruit cake!

Some of my Favorite Places in London:

Food Shopping at Harrods: I never actually buy very much here, but it is fabulous! (See Photos)

Food Shopping at Marks & Spencers: Superior quality with much more accessible prices. (They advertise their award winning foods with labels like “Tart of the Year”. Don’t you just love it! I actually knew someone who should have won that award!)

Rivoli Bar at the Ritz Hotel: Very, very romantic. Very, very expensive. The Lalique glass panels are breathtakingly beautiful.

With my sister, Marie Woolf, at the Rivoli Bar

Wagamama: Love the name, love the noodles.

The Wolsey Restaurant: Bistro fare, open about 20 hours per day serving every meal imaginable. I seem to always order the Salade Nicoise. It is done particularly well here. Their mushrooms with basil and parmesan are superb.

Prêt à Manger: Sandwiches. They have great selections of normal-size sandwiches. Here in the USA sandwiches are gigantic. What’s that all about?

The Ivy: place to go for my most favorite dessert in the whole world, Scandinavian frozen berries with Hot White-Chocolate Sauce. (Tiny frozen berries are spread out on a dinner plate. At the table the waiter pours a mixture of hot, melted, white chocolate that has been mixed with heavy cream. The berries melt and the white chocolate cools and the dish turns into a glorious masterpiece of flavors and texture. It’s the simplicity of this dessert that makes it so fantastic!)

What are some of your favorite places in London?

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