Hampstead

At The Martial Arts Place, they teach a form of kickboxing called Mo-Gei-Do, meaning 'The Way of No Boundaries.' Teaching kids from 5-years to 14-, the environment here is positive and supportive and in addition to the practice, issues like stranger awareness and road safety are also included on the syllabus. They offer great classes for adults as well.

The Organic Pharmacy specializes in herbal and homeopathic treatments and supplements and is a place where you can get a custom mix made according to your specific needs. You'll also find a great range of beauty and skincare products that you can buy on goop. There are locations throughout the city in Chelsea, Covent Garden, Kensington, Soho, and Hampstead.

Highlights include veggies from Kent, a Greek stand with plump olives, the Wild Country Organics lettuce stand with a variety of all-organic greens like mustard, rocket, and others you've never heard of, plus a Celtic baker with a really nice variety of breads and baked goods.

The freshly made food at this beautifully laid out shop is a good take-away lunch option. You'll also find plenty of tempting cheeses, meats, wines, and oils. The emphasis is on British-made fare but there are carefully-selected and very tempting exceptions like preserved lemons and jars of Spanish beans. There's a second location in Primrose Hill.

Huggle stocks a huge range of kid and baby related products. Founders Rachel and Jason Heller buy with an eye for practicality and good design, and the range of options is pretty astounding, making this the perfect place to stock up for a baby on the way.

Gill's classes run every holiday from 9am until 3pm, over the course of which they teach about five to six dishes. Gill demonstrates and then the kids learn to make everything from scratch. Many courses are themed around seasons and holidays like Valentine's, Halloween, and Christmas. She also runs children's birthday parties with international cuisine themes like American, Italian, and Japanese.

This store actually has no sign, so you have to look hard. Kristin Baybars, who has run the shop for decades, stocks everything you could ever want for a dollhouse. The front of the store has traditional kids toys and imported dollhouse accessories, but as you venture farther back, you'll find handmade British pieces on display inside kooky old cabinets and quintessentially English townhouses. You'll either leave with a bunch of miniatures or grand plans for a dollhouse of your own, just remember to bring cash as they don't accept cards. Photo: The Small Desk

High up on Rosslyn Hill in Hampstead, this recently-expanded shop stocks an ample mix of conventional toys along with science and craft projects. Wrapping paper, party favors, and plenty of stickers are also available, making the birthday present-buying chore a bit easier. Anyone who has a child caught up in the Lego or Sylvanian Families mania will be well taken care of here. Their Schleich shelf, full of those classic and very realistic plastic animals, totally triggers nostalgia.

With locations all over the city and some of the freshest, most perfect bread we've tasted, you can pretty much count on Gail's for any dinner party. They have a constantly changing list of varieties as well as pastries, light salads, and prepared foods. The ingredients are all completely organic and chemical-free. Pit-stop on Friday or Saturday for a loaf of their unbeatable challah.

Pomona is the quintessential neighborhood grocery store. It's the kind of place where the shopkeepers can tell you rich stories about every single item in there. Despite this intimacy, the selection is surprisingly complete. With produce, dairy, meat, fish, and even a bakery, you can pretty much do all of your grocery shopping in this perfectly tiny spot.