Lily Vanilli Shares Her Little Black Book

For a drink, I like Quo Vadis for its impeccable cocktails and timeless charm or Le Beaujolais for a proper old-school wine bar experience. Another favourite is Pamela in Dalston, which is like a dive bar, but with good drinks and good wine. The margaritas are great. Elsewhere, a pub or bar I always recommend is The French House. It’s an institution, always buzzing, and there’s nowhere else quite like it in London. 

My drink of choice is a light, natural red wine. Or a margarita straight up and salty. My top recommendation for a date is Andrew Edmunds in Soho. It’s cosy and candlelit with delicious modern European food and wine, then you’re in Soho and there are loads of fun bars to bounce around in afterwards.

My favourite deli in my neighbourhood is 80-20 Wines by Hackney City Farm. They have a great selection of Georgian wine and unique ingredients, plus excellent local produce. And for fresh produce I shop at Stoke Newington Green on Church Street. It’s my go-to for the best seasonal fruit and veg – I buy all my fruit for the bakery or whatever I’m cooking at home.

On a day off, I love spending time wandering all over the city, but especially in Soho or along the river. There’s always something to see and do. I often visit Abney Park Cemetery in my neighbourhood. It was originally planted as an arboretum, so it has this magical, dappled light from all the different tree species. It’s 13 acres of protected ancient woodland – so peaceful and atmospheric.

I could spend hours in Chinatown’s Asian supermarkets. There’s always something unexpected to discover, and the celebration cakes are particularly cool. As for buying ingredients or kitchen essentials, I go to Church Street in Stoke Newington, which has plenty of great kitchenware shops. For plates and tableware, I love Milagros on Columbia Road – its Mexican pieces are beautiful.

My favourite cultural spot in London is The Courtauld, which has an amazing collection. I also recently saw the Munch exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery and loved it.

Epping Forest has so much to explore. It’s perfect for a long walk, then you can do a bit of a pub crawl – there are so many great spots with real character.

A lesser-known spot I often visit is the Lost Rivers. The Hackney Brook runs almost directly under my place, and I love uncovering these hidden layers of the city – there’s so much history right beneath our feet.

A local spot I always recommend to visitors is Abney Park. Take a walk through the greenery before grabbing a pint at the Auld Shillelagh or having dinner at The Clarence. 

For speciality ingredients, I rely on too many places to name! But I often shop at Cake Craft Company for glitters, sprays and all sorts of fun cake decorations. Party Party in Dalston is great for baking supplies. I also like Nisbets for kitchen tools. It has everything a professional or home cook could need.

One of my favourite takeaways is Pho. Everything else gets a bit sweaty and weird, or is never as good as you’d get in a restaurant. I get the spicy chicken pho with greens – everything comes separately so you put it together just before you eat.

My new afternoon tea experience is about reinventing a classic. Afternoon tea has so much creative potential, but it often feels stuck in a pantomime of the past. At The Four Seasons, we’ve designed a menu that feels modern, chic and suited to how people actually want to eat – small, delicious bites that work as well with a glass of wine as they do with tea. It’s still indulgent and glamorous, but something you’d want to go to regularly, not just for special occasions. And, of course, the Rotunda Bar at the Four Seasons is the perfect setting to make it feel extra special.

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The London afternoon tea by Lily Vanilli costs £48pp. It’s available from Friday to Sunday at Four Seasons Hotel at Tower Bridge with reservations open from 2pm until 7pm. Book here.