Down a hidden alley near where Charlie Chaplin used to live, is one of my favourite finds. Petersham Nurseries. Splashing through puddles, past planters and barrows heavily speckled with jewelled flowers, you can make your way through to the cafe and tea house.
The tea house sits proudly, surrounded as if in a wooden cabin, you can sit and have wonderful cakes and artisan teas. The cafe serves a grand lunch cooked by Australian chef and Vogue food writer Skye Gyngell, on antique tables and chairs, with fairy lights glowing around, all within a large greenhouse and garden shop. Except this is no ordinary nursery shop. Filled to the brim with festive delights, my kids could not help themselves. They grinned while lifting the tea cups and saucers, and cheerfully shrieked as they drank the heady smells of Christmas.