London

History and character
I moved to Kentish Town from Chelsea in 1983, partly because I had a lot of friends already living in the area and because it took an hour off the journey to my house in Suffolk. It has a villagey feel and it’s still a very mixed community, which I like. Feature continues

Food and Drink
I do most of my food shopping in Brecknock Road. Salvino’s Italian deli is marvellous. I buy their fresh pasta, and they have very good prepared antipasti and delicious rice balls stuffed with mozzarella, too. If I’m meeting friends for breakfast or brunch, I go to Kalendar on Swain’s Lane (020 8348 8300), one of a number of nice and simple restaurants around there. For something more special, I’ll go to Primrose Hill and sample the amazing meze at Lemonia (020 7586 7454) or Limani (020 7483 4492).

Things to do
Having Hampstead Heath so close is a great boon and I’ll often go swimming in the Ladies’ Pond (020 7332 3773). It’s wonderful to be in fresh water among the ducks, an occasional heron and even a kingfisher. I’ve owned dogs for the past 15 years, so it’s important to have a good selection of walks for them. Obviously there’s the heath, but there’s also the beautiful Waterlow Park, just south of Highgate Village, and I enjoy walking through Highgate Cemetery.

Greenery
I buy most of my plants from nurseries outside London these days, but there is a man who mysteriously appears each February to sell plants from a derelict site in Market Road. I think he’s Greek, but people say he comes from Essex. He vanishes at the end of May only to reappear in December as suddenly as he went. Last time he was selling Christmas trees. When friends visit me, we always go out shopping and they’re amazed by the number of people I bump into in the street. ‘You seem to know everybody,’ they say, and it’s true. That’s one of the pleasures of living in the same place for more than 25 years.
Diana Quick’s memoir, 'A Tug on the Thread' (£17.99, Virago), is in bookshops now.

Property
'NW5 is a diverse postcode stretching from the bottom of Hampstead Heath across to Kentish Town and the border of Camden. The majority of the houses are Victorian, but the properties become more contemporary and urban closer to Camden. Although further from transport links, the properties closer to the Heath are the ones in highest demand.' Matt Smith, sales manager at Kinleigh Folkard & Hayward’s Highgate branch (for more information on property in London visit www.kfh.co.uk).