– written by Tom, our London New Homes and Guest Sales Manager (and our resident Coffee Addict and Pastry Connoisseur)

Living or even spending short amounts of time in a fast-paced, non-stop city like London, you really need to get the best start to your day in order to make the most of it! Thankfully, as you'd expect, the capital has a fantastic selection of breakfast and coffee spots to ensure that's the case. And with a diverse array of stylish, unique homes in the Veeve portfolio, you're never too far from some of the best Central London has to offer. As a self-proclaimed coffee addict and pastry connoisseur, I wanted to share some of my favourite choices whenever I'm out and about meeting potential new hosts and listing their homes with Veeve, or making the most of this amazing city in my free time.

Based in Acton in West London, I sometimes don't want to stray too far from the comfort of my flat in order to get my morning flat-white, pastry or something more substantial to start off the day. Just off Uxbridge Road in Shepherd's Bush, you'll find Proud Mary's, a Kiwi-owned local favourite serving Ozone coffee (more on this later!) and an antipodean brunch menu with classics such as smashed avocado on sourdough, fluffy blueberry pancakes, and cheesy harissa scrambled eggs.

If I want something a bit more exotic, I'll wander down Askew Road to Happy Sky Bakery, a tiny spot - blink and you'll miss it (also in Fitzrovia, behind Primark on Tottenham Court Road) - offering a fabulous variety of delicious and unique bread and pastries with a Japanese twist. My particular favourites are the Japanese honey toast, yuzu pasteis de nata and matcha, pistachio and almond croissants. Why not grab a matcha latte too? Note the place is only open on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, so you'll need to patiently wait until the weekend to get your fix.

Happy Sky Bakery

A wander down south from Acton through the tree-lined streets of Bedford Park, with its attractive redbrick Victorian houses, will get you to Chiswick High Road. Located on a side street, Tamp is an effortlessly cool spot to get caffeinated. It's a favourite of mine for a cortado or iced latte (they serve them in glass cans which they make in front of you!) and a pastel de nata (if I'm being naughty!). A 10-minute walk east towards Hammersmith will get you to Ma Ma Boutique Bakery. Offering a selection of delicious gluten-free baked goods, this is a brilliant spot to take any friends or family who can't hack the stuff, but don't want to feel left out!

On a weekday and if I'm heading down to the office in Fulham, the best spot to grab a coffee nearby is undoubtedly Doctor Espresso. With three branches in South West London, you can tell these guys are genuinely passionate about the art of making the perfect cup. The owner once waxed lyrical to me about his collection of gorgeous, antique refurbished espresso machines which you'll find on display in their Fulham High Street branch, while making me a wonderfully unique flat white by steaming the milk, coffee and a dash of caramel syrup all together! The Putney Bridge station branch even has the oldest working espresso machine in London, or so I'm told.

If I'm out and about in town, cycling around from property to property, I often find myself searching for somewhere to grab a bite to eat and a coffee - either as my morning ritual or an afternoon pick-me-up! A few trips over the past few weeks to Primrose Hill (see our newly listed homes nearby - Walking Primrose and Camden Regency) led me to discover the Little Bread Pedlar - a fabulous hole-in-the-wall spot just off Regent's Park Road, perfect for a grab-and-go almond croissant and flat white to enjoy perched on a bench atop Primrose Hill, with views of the London skyline.

To the south in Fitzrovia, I love to head to Omotesando on Newman Street, just off Oxford Street. A discovery thanks to rave reviews by popular Instagram foodies Top Jaw (@topjaw), this trendy Japanese café with its zen, minimalist décor serves up deliciously smooth coffee and proves a welcome escape from the hustle and bustle of London's main shopping thoroughfare. If I find myself in Soho, I'll definitely have to head to the Colombian Coffee Company on Greek Street for a "cafecito" and an empanada or arepa. The café also doubles as a social enterprise, giving back to independent coffee farmers in Colombia. Out East in Shoreditch, I'll always try to fit in a visit to Kiwi-run Ozone Coffee Roasters near Old Street for both nostalgia (the old Veeve office was located nearby) and coffee reasons - they make a mean cup here - their beans are roasted on site and you can usually see this happening below from the mezzanine.

Colombian Coffee Company

South of the Thames, you'll often find me stopping off at Gentlemen Baristas in London Bridge, taking the opportunity to peruse the likes of Neal's Yard Dairy or any of the tempting food stalls in nearby Borough Market in the process! Otherwise, I'll be finding time to swing by for an afternoon cortado and respond to my emails en route back to the office at Doppio Coffee Warehouse in Battersea.

On a weekend, if meeting with friends for a mid-morning brunch, one of my go-to choices is NOPI - one of London legend Yotam Ottolenghi's locations just off Regent Street. The menu offers much of the delicious Mediterranean fare you've come to expect of Ottolenghi; however, I'd nearly always opt for the shakshuka here, mopped up with a slice (or two) of sourdough toast. If I'm feeling particularly peckish, I'll start off with an almond croissant accompanied by my morning flat white, naturally. Alternatively, I may opt for a wander down Portobello Road market with its wonderful antique dealers and decide to head to nearby US-import chain Eggslut (various locations) for a "slut" (ahem), a delectable concoction of a coddled egg on potato purée, with slices of sourdough for dipping.

Now if you'll excuse me, all this writing has given me a serious craving for a cortado and a pastel de nata.