MY PERFECT DAY
TV and radio presenter and Marylebone resident Jo Good describes her perfect Marylebone day
Breakfast
I have breakfast at 8:30 when I come back from hot yoga, which I do every morning. I go to Bea’s, because it is literally below my flat and I like the people there. I have smashed avocado on toast.
A spot of fresh air
I have a British bulldog called Matilda, and she is a landmark in this area. The cabbies call out to her and the butchers in the Natural Kitchen give her bones. For a longer walk I take her to the tennis courts in Regent’s Park, which is a dog walker’s worst-kept secret. They don’t lock the tennis courts after dark and there is a whole community of dog walkers there, who all know each other.
Mid-morning break
Jasper Conran is a massive dog fan, so I always go to The Conran Shop. It is very dog friendly, and on hot days Matilda lies like a frog on that cool marble floor. I always have my morning coffee there—or soup; they do very good soup—and gaze at all their beautiful things.
Culture
For culture, and also for peace, I love the Wallace Collection. I will wander in and just sit and look at Fragonard’s The Swing, and try to work out why these paintings have become so iconic. Sometimes I make a contribution, sometimes I don’t. Sometimes I simply have lunch on the grass in front of the beautiful building. I love the fact that it’s on my door step, and that they trust you to treat it with respect.
Outfit
Toast is amazing for women my age. I like that the women serving you in the shop wear the clothes, so you can see how items hang and fit. The place I spend the most money, though, is probably KJ’s Laundry—because they sell Samantha Sung, and those are the outfits that, when I do telly, people always say, “Oh, where did you get that?”
Shopping
Rococo Chocolates (pictured above). They sell 100 per cent dark chocolate from Venezuela. You have to educate yourself to like it, but once you get a taste for it, anything less is just too sweet. For interiors, my flat is basically Designers Guild’s unofficial showroom.
Pre-dinner drinks
The house champagne at Chiltern Firehouse. It’s really dog-friendly—there’s even a gold-encrusted dog bowl—and I love the courtyard in summer and the fire in winter. I don’t know what it is about the hospitality, but they just have it right. You feel at home, even if you could never afford to actually stay there.
Eating out
Fischer’s (pictured top). I think Corbin & King have done something remarkable with that. It looks like it has been there for years!