Writer
Beatrice Thornton
Belsize Park, London
Beatrice is a food writer and former restaurant critic who moved to Hampstead after falling in love with its independent café culture. She writes about the best places to eat, drink, and linger in North London, with a particular weakness for a well-made flat white and a slab of Victoria sponge.
Articles by Beatrice Thornton
90 articles
Food & Drink
Vegetarian & Vegan Hampstead: The Complete Guide 2026
Hampstead has quietly become one of North London's best areas for plant-based eating, here's where to find the good stuff, from casual lunches to proper dinners.
5 min read· 7 March 2026
Local Life
Community Gardens of Hampstead & Belsize Park: A Guide 2026
Beyond the Heath Hampstead has a quietly thriving network of community growing spaces. Here is where to find them and how to get involved.
6 min read· 5 March 2026
Food & Drink
A Coffee Lover's Guide to Hampstead's Best Cafés
Hampstead's café scene is as distinctive as its architecture, independent, unhurried, and quietly excellent. Here is where to find the best flat white, the finest pastry, and the most restorative corner table in NW3.
7 min read· 18 February 2026
Local Life
GP Surgeries in Hampstead: The Complete Guide 2026
Registering with a GP in Hampstead, what to expect from the main local surgeries, and how to navigate NHS primary care when the system feels impenetrable.
5 min read· 18 February 2026
Arts & Culture
Hampstead Theatre: History and Visitor Guide 2026
Founded in 1959 in a church hall, Hampstead Theatre has launched the careers of Harold Pinter, Mike Leigh, and dozens of the most significant playwrights of the past six decades.
5 min read· 14 February 2026
Local Life
Living in Hampstead: What No One Tells You
The Heath, the village, the pubs, the Georgian streets, everyone knows the appeal of Hampstead. Here is the honest version: what daily life is actually like in NW3.
7 min read· 12 February 2026
History & Heritage
Hampstead & Highgate: Twin Villages and the Cemetery That Links Them
Highgate Cemetery a short walk from Hampstead village holds an extraordinary concentration of Victorian figures. A guide to the most significant graves.
5 min read· 11 February 2026
Food & Drink
The Art of the Hampstead Sandwich
From sourdough to ciabatta Hampstead takes its lunch seriously. Here are the spots that have earned devoted regulars.
3 min read· 6 February 2026
History & Heritage
Hampstead's Lost Spa Quarter: The Georgian Spa Town
In the 18th century Hampstead rivalled Bath as a fashionable spa resort. The wells that brought the crowds have long since dried up but traces survive.
7 min read· 3 February 2026
Food & Drink
Best Brunch Spots in Hampstead: The Complete Guide 2026
The art of the Saturday morning, the cafés and restaurants that do brunch properly, from flawless eggs Benedict to the best sourdough toast in NW3.
5 min read· 3 February 2026
History & Heritage
Famous Residents of Hampstead: The Blue Plaque Trail
Hampstead has more blue plaques per square mile than almost anywhere in Britain. A walk through the neighbourhood's commemorative history, from H.G. Wells to Sigmund Freud.
11 min read· 30 January 2026
Local Life
Hampstead Arts Festivals: Literature, Music & Ideas 2026
Each autumn the villages cultural institutions combine to present two weeks of talks performances and exhibitions.
5 min read· 27 January 2026
Food & Drink
Best Pubs in Hampstead 2026: Historic Inns & Village Locals
From the 17th-century Spaniards Inn to the intimate Holly Bush, Hampstead's pubs are among the finest in London. Here is where to drink.
5 min read· 22 January 2026
Nature & Outdoors
Autumn on Hampstead Heath: The Complete Seasonal Guide 2026
There is no better season to visit Hampstead Heath than autumn. The hornbeam and oak woodland turns extraordinary colours, the paths empty out, and the light does things it cannot do at any other time of year.
5 min read· 18 January 2026
Local Life
The Royal Free Hospital Hampstead: Complete Guide 2026
Everything you need to know about visiting, attending A&E, finding the right department, and getting to the Royal Free, Hampstead's major NHS teaching hospital.
5 min read· 15 January 2026