Borough & Parliament

If you like food, architecture and history, a Borough Market/Houses of Parliament combo might be the perfect Saturday.

Borough Market

Meet at Monument Station by the foot of The Monument to the Great Fire of London. Walk across London Bridge towards Borough Market. Don't forget to have a wallet full of cash... there are two Natwest cash machines near Stoney Road.

We tried the following sequence today and it worked well:

1) Queue for Monmouth Coffee

2) Grab chorizo, Navarrico piquillo & rocket sandwich at Brindisa

3) Explore the market - my favourite shop is Turnips greengrocers. Don't miss the old schedule of rents board.

4) Grab toasted cheese sandwich from Kappacasein

5) Wash down with a cup of fresh smoothie from The Natural Smoothie Company - I recommend Paradiso, which is a blend of strawberry, mango, banana, yoghurt, gingko biloba, apple juice and orange juice

6) Explore Jubilee Market

7) For dessert, go for Cinnamon Tree Bakery chocolate brownie. Pair it with salted caramel ice cream from Real France. While you are there, stock up on Echire Butter (salted, of course!)

8) Utobeer... my favourite beer shop in London

The George Inn

You will need to sit down after all the walking, queuing and nibbling. Cross Borough High Street to The George Inn, the only surviving galleried London coaching inn. They have a house ale called George Inn Ale.

Tip: Use the upstairs loo, just so you can walk along the rickety old balcony on the first floor.

Houses of Parliament

Walk back to Monument Station and take the District/Circle line to Westminster.

Take a tour of the Houses of Parliament, which is open for visits during the summer. Check here for dates and details.

Stop by at Victoria Tower Gardens for a quick stroll before entering the Houses of Parliament. You get a great view of the building, and of London Eye across the River Thames. It's also a good spot for post-Borough picnic.

My Houses of Parliament favourites:

1) Westminster Hall - completed in 1099, it has the largest surviving single span medieval timber roof in Northern Europe.

2) The Lord Speaker's seat in the House of Lords

3) The Central Lobby chandelier

Last stop of the day: Salad and Dessert at Princi on Wardour Street.