Tip 18: Eggs with a view

Everyone must visit Duck and Waffle on the 40th floor of the Heron Tower for breakfast. Not only is the food phenomenal, but the view across London will take your breath away. The restaurant is a little more pricey for dining at other times of the day, but pop in for breakfast and you'll be pleasantly surprised at their egg offerings under £10.

You will need to book a table in advance, but I promise it is worth the effort of planning ahead. Breakfast is served until 11am on a week day and 9am on the weekend (after which the brunch menu kicks in and is just as tasty), and the menu is refreshingly original for the pounds you'll be parting with. Additionally, the glass lift is a thrill in itself as you rocket up 40 floors in what feels like 4 seconds.

This is a great place to dine regardless of if you are new to the city or not as it allows you to orient yourself with the skyline and fully appreciate the city you're about to fall in love with.

What's more, Duck and Waffle is open TWENTY FOUR HOURS A DAY. Next up I need to try their Late Night menu which is served between 12am - 5am...

There's no time to sleep in this city.

p.s: And yes, be brave and try the Duck and Waffle on the menu - it is surprisingly palatable!

Tip 17: Twickets

Cool Londoners go to gigs and even cooler Londoners use the Twickets app to get there.

Twickets is available on the app store and it syncs to your twitter account. The concept is simple, people list tickets (mostly to gigs but also sporting events and theatre/musicals) and they can only ask the face value or less, otherwise the patrol men at Twickets will remove the listing.

This is fantastic for last minute gigs that you think you've missed out on. You just tweet the seller and arrange delivery/payment offline or through a  private message.

Twickets; gigging made easy. 

Tip 16: A Cheap Date

If you're after a cheap and cheerful date - head up to Indian Veg in Angel. This place does a vegetarian Indian curry buffet for £5.50. The food is delicious and plentiful - there are salads, curries, rices, sauces and breads. It is BYO - and you can bring any booze you want, with no corkage. My boyfriend is a big meat eater, but he didn't mind the lack of meat as the food is so flavourful.

This is not the most romantic date place (think bright lights and poster with health facts on the wall), but it is cheap and delicious - and only a short walk from the tube station.  https://plus.google.com/104745545148601621089/about?gl=uk&hl=en

Tip 15: You snooze, you win...?

Columbia Road will always be one of my favourite places in London and there is no better time to visit than on a Sunday when the road fills up with every bloom imaginable and the friendly traders make it a proper East London market experience.

If you don’t have a particular flower in mind the best time to go is around 1.30 as by this time the market is wrapping up and you will score the best deals in town whilst refining your bartering skills.

Afterwards, skip along Shoreditch High Street and into Hoxton Square and I guarantee that by this time on a Sunday, the line will be manageable for the Breakfast Club and you will be able to enjoy some first-class fare with your bunch of flowers fragrancing your meal.

The Columbia Road Flower Markets start at dawn on a Sunday and thin out around 2pm. 

Tip 14: The Book of Mormon for £20

You have to live under a rock not to know about The Book of Mormon (the musical, not the trilogy to the Bible). It's notoriously good, but also notoriously expensive. Tickets are around £90, but what you might not know is that every night they give away 21 tickers for just £20!

You have to turn up between 5pm and 5.30pm and enter your name into a ballot (bring your own pen, it's easier). You have to circle whether you want 1 or 2 tickets. All entries go into a gold barrel, and they are drawn at 5.30 on the dot - so you must be there to collect them with ID.

I was really lucky last night as they gave away an extra 10, and there was only about 30 people waiting around, so my odds were good.

All the ballot tickets are for the front two rows; the view is really good.

The show starts at 7.30 and ends at 10pm with a half hour intermission. Tube to Leicester Square or Piccadilly Circus (depending on which way you are coming from); it is in the middle of the two.

It's well worth going in the draw if you have a delegate who can get there early enough! The show is fantastic!

Tip 13: Cycle the canal

If you're not overly confident on the road sans bike helmet, it's often tricky to know where to ride a Barclay bike to and from. One of my favourite routes is to ride along the canal from Little Venice to Camden. This is a lovely traffic-free route and you can wave at the Zoo animals at ZSL on your way past. Dock your bike in Camden and then explore the Camden Lock Market. Such a fun day outing! 

The nitty gritty: You pay £2.00 for 24 hour access and then between 30mins and 1 hour costs £1.00 and then up to 1 hour 30mins costs £4.00, up to 2 hours costs £6.00 etc etc. Just make sure you dock your bike properly so that the green light flashes so you don't incur excessive costs. Any problems, just call the helpful hotline and someone will get you sorted in a very timely fashion. 

Tip 11: Sweat for free

Sweaty Betty sells amazing (but pricey) women’s workout gear; with boutiques dotted all over London. While the price tags will make your eyes water (£49 for a running t-shirt), there are bargains to be had - they offer free workout classes for Sweaty Betty members.

To become a member all you have to do is sign up in store - no purchasing necessary! Each boutique has its own timetable and each class is run by a fitness professional, so you’ll be in good hands. Classes include Yoga, Tabata, Pilates, Zumba and running clubs.

You  just ring the day before, membership card in hand, and book yourself in. It's that easy - and that free!

But please keep it to yourself, otherwise the classes will be booked up when we call...

Visit their website for more info: www.sweatybetty.com.

Tip 10: London in your inbox

Londonist is an amazing website which covers all things London. In my mind, by far their best feature is their daily emails at 7am straight to your inbox. The email contains a list of fun and slightly off-beat things to do that day as well as a good cause of the day and the daily blood drive location. It suggests gallery openings, lunchtime lectures, gigs, and theatre and comedy amongst other things.

Plus, the weather report is rather unconventional and always makes me laugh.

Subscribe and see a different side to London. 

Tip 9: Go LATE

As a museum and gallery buff, I like to frequent the amazing world-class museums in South Kensington, but not during daylight hours. At the end of every month, the Natural History Museum, the Science Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum all hold LATE events. At a typical LATE, you will find live music, cocktail bars and pop up food stores. Entry to the main galleries is free and the event is adults-only, so you can have a play at the launch pad without having to queue with the kids.

Check out their websites as they often have special themed evenings too.

Natural History Museum: Last Friday of the month
Science Museum: Last Wednesday of the month
Victoria and Albert Museum: last Friday of the month

Plus, the National Portrait Gallery, National Gallery and scores of other independent galleries also have their own late night openings so do a Google search!

Tip 8: Winter is Coming

With the heat wave long gone, it's time to bundle up for winter. We recommend a down jacket - it's so much warmer than wool and often lighter to lug around. I had a wool coat last winter and was constantly cold - my house mate had a down jacket to her knees and was snug and smug. But that's not the tip! My tip is - if you are a small or extra small (man or woman), then try going down to a kid's size XL. Not only are they cheaper, but there is no VAT on children's clothes! My boyfriend looked at a North Face jacket for £320 that was a little too big. He found the same XL boy's jacket for £180!