London is endless, or so it seems at times, as one can always discover more of it by strolling around or taking the Tube to a unknown station and just explore the surroundings as I sometimes do.
London is hectic but there are also a lot of surprisingly calm and peaceful neighbourhoods which recall the atmosphere of a typical English village.
You feel good there and you could spend the day walking from a shop to a café and then on to another.
Neal's Yard is just like that and it is just around the corner from Covent Garden, one of the busiest areas in London!
It is a colorful alley hidden among the crowded streets of the city.
This evocative courtyard catapults the visitor into another era among shops selling homeopathic products and vegetarian restaurants, where you can relax away from the hectic nightlife.
Neal's Yard takes its name from Thomas Neal, Member of Parliament who created the area at the end of the 1600s.
In the 70s the area had become a dilapidated and rat-infested place but it was redeveloped.
Neal's Yard has an incredibly beautifully colorful square that seems to come out of nowhere.
Even after years, it's one of those rare places I never get tired of.
There is a really special atmosphere there at all times of the year.
Here you will find very cute streets often decorated with garlands of a very British flair and tons of cute cafes and vegetarian eateries.
Neal's Yard has an incredibly beautifully colorful square
Street art lovers will enjoy the works of art scattered throughout the area, and the murals themselves became very famous for their colors that helped to redevelop the area.
Around here there are many yummy cafes and bakeries which release a smell you just won’t resist, especially if you are strolling here on an empty stomach in the morning when everything is fresh out of the oven!
One of my favourite sweets to try is the lemon drizzle cake: wonderfully moist and delicious, it will pamper your taste buds, especially when eaten sprinkled with a generous amount of sugar or coated in icing.
It has a strong lemon taste but it’s not bitter at all!
Another specialty is the coffee and nut cake, a delicacy largely due to the sweetness of the icing, which combines perfectly with the slightly more bitter sponge cake.
You can enjoy this dessert alone or accompanied with a little cream, and be sure to get a slice with whole hazelnuts on the top.
Then there is the Colin cake.
You may be familiar with the caterpillar from one of the most beloved children stories in the English language and this cake is a chocolaty delight.
You can find it at local supermarkets but in a bakery in Neal’s Yard they make their own version and it is very famous among children, thanks to its amusing elongated shape, and also among adults, for the subtle vein of nostalgia it generates in those who look at it.
It’s a feast of sugar but it’s truly a delight!
One sweet I have tried only once because I don’t like it very much is the Treacle tart.
Honey syrup and breadcrumbs, pour it into a pastry, pop it in the oven, and soon you'll have made this dessert with your own hands but if you are a lazy one like me just get it at a local bakery.
Neal’s Yard is a pleasure to the eyes and a pleasure to your stomach.
You have my word about it!
