Farringdon and Smithfields

Farringdon & Smithfields

London always feels like it’s going through some form of transformation. I think that’s why I love living here so much – it is a city that is so open to change.

Replace the cup – one of the City’s quirky yet practical sites

In 2008/2009 I worked for an events company in Farringdon. I must admit, at the time I didn’t think much of the area except that I liked some of the restaurants around, but I never gave the place a second thought and come 6pm (usually later, we worked insane hours in that place) I was often desperate to escape.

What I didn’t know back then was the incredible history of this area that’s on the fringes of the City of London. I knew about Smithfields Market and was always eating at some fantastic places for lunch (the sausages in the pubs in this area are the best you could ever hope for in London), but the culinary scene didn’t excite me nearly as much back then as it does now.

When Friend S asked to meet for coffee and suggested we meet at Leather Lane to check out two cafes, I decided to arrive early and give my old 8-6 hangout a better look. Here are some pictures of places revisited, now held in a new light:

Smithfields Market

Saint Bartholomew the Great church – one of the City’s oldest churches (founded in 1123, I can’t believe I worked around the corner from it for nearly a year but had no idea it existed~).

Ssshhh…

Dose Espresso – one of my old haunts. They do fantastic coffee.

Polpo’s second branch – the hipsters are moving in!

Fixed gear bike – I am clearly way too uncool to hang around here for too long…

A window in Hatton Gardens – where like many other Londoners before us, Mr Man and I bought our wedding rings~

I met S at the Department of Coffee and Social Affairs where we had excellent tea and banana cake (warmed with butter, so yum, demolished before I could take a picture), then moved on to Prufrock where S had one of their famous filter coffees and I hot chocolate.

Department of Coffee and Social Affairs

Mr Prufrock Barista doing his brilliant thing with filtered coffee (quite an experience, the coffee smells incredible)

Prufrock hot chocolate – I thought they did good coffee but this was one of the best hot chocolates I’ve had in years.

I always forget that the City of London is absolutely glorious for walking around on the weekends. It is such a stunning place steeped in so much history and evolving into the future. Gosh I love living here.

Where are your favourite places to explore?

P.S. If you’re interested in learning more about the area, these guys appear to do a good tour on Sundays: http://footprintsoflondon.com/ciga/our-walks/smithfield-walk/

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