Where to Shop in London- Children's Clothing

Once you get past the dollar/pound conversion buying children's clothing isn't so bad. Here are some of the top spots:

Gap: just like in the States. Casual wear for kids with frequent discounts and sales. There are also numerous locations around London. www.thegap.co.uk

H&M: like in the States, but much nicer shops. Casual wear with a reasonable price tag. They also have frequent sales. http://www.hm.com/


Next: Similar to H&M. Good quality clothing and stylish. Also carry party wear items. However, sizes for children over 6 are often limited http://www.next.co.uk/

Zara: like in the states. Better quality than Next or H&M, but pricier. However, not true to size. Clothes often fit smaller than labeled.

Mothercare is known for its good quality, affordable children's wear and accessories.

John Lewis (Peter Jones): carries good quality clothing at competitive prices. They also have free delivery if spend over £30 online. www.johnlewis.com/

M&S: good quality and reasonably priced. www.marksandspencer.com/child

Harrods: described as "the most famous department store in the world", carries top designer labeled children's clothing

Selfridges: trendy and carries top designer labels. http://www.selfridges.com/

Fenwick: good quality, similar to John Lewis. http://www.fenwick.co.uk/

Debenhams: affordable clothing http://www.debenhams.com/

House of Frasier: carries designer labels. Tries to be overly trendy, but doesn't pull it off like Harvey Nichols. http://www.houseoffraser.co.uk/

Primark : cheap, but overly crowed and not great quality. Make sure to shop early and don't think about returns since lines can be extremely long.

ASDA: carries the George line as in the States.

Costco: just like in the States. Can find some great deals, especially on outerwear. Need to have a car to visit.

Amazon: when you can't find it or don't have the time, this is where to go. www.amazon.co.uk

Lands' end http://www.landsend.co.uk/

Where to Shop in London- Groceries

Shopping can be extremely overwhelming when moving to London from America. However, there are many options depending on your needs. Here are some of my favorite places.


Grocery Stores
There is a grocery on almost every street. However, many only have limited selections compared to what we are used to in the States. Below is a description of some of the popular choices.

Tesco - lower cost, they have large grocery stores (usually out of Central London) and smaller shops all throughout the city (Tesco Express, Tesco Metro). They also offer a home delivery service. http://www.tesco.com/

Sainsburys- lower cost, they are similar to Tesco in that they have different types of stores depending on location. Larger stores will be out of Central London, while smaller ones are found throughout the city. They also offer a home delivery service. http://www.saisburys.co.uk/

Waitrose - higher priced option. They have some nice items and healthier snack items. http://www.waitrose.com/ Waitrose offers online delivery through Ocado. http://www.ocado.com/

Whole Foods - this is the same company as in the U.S. There are 3 locations in London with the biggest and nicest on the Kensington High Street. You can purchase items and if you spend over £50 they will deliver your items for free (depending on your post code). www.wholefoodsmarket.com/stores

Asda - this is owned by Wal-Mart and very similar. Unfortunately these are located outside of Central London. http://www.asda.co.uk/

Marks & Spencer - this is a department store but has many smaller food shops throughout the city. I find them on the pricey side. http://www.marksandspencer.com/

Costco- just like in the States. However, they are not Located in Central London. http://www.costco.co.uk/

Panzers- this shop is located St. John's Wood and carries some America food items, such as graham cracker pie crusts. However, you do pay a premium for the items. http://www.panzers.co.uk/

Partridges - A specialty grocer with many American grocery items. They have 2 locations.
http://www.partridges.co.uk/

Selfridges- a department store on Oxford Street. Carries a small amount of American food items in their foodhall--- Kraft Mac & Cheese. http://www.selfridges.com/

Planet Organic - this is the UK's largest fully certified organic supermarket and they have 4 locations in London. http://www.planetorganic.com/


2 online sites which sell U.S. items:

Home Sick American http://www.homesickamerican.co.uk/

Skyco Online http://www.skyco.uk.com/

Also, Amazon has some items which you won't find in your local grocer. http://www.amazon.co.uk/


You will also find many smaller grocers throughout London as well as farmer's markets.

Halloween

Halloween is one of our favorite holidays. The past 2 years we went to St. John's Wood. The neighborhood is great for trick or treating, but you have to begin right at dusk or the streets become completely packed and candy runs out quickly.

Abercorn Choir at Marylebone Christmas Lighting

University College Oxford Carol Service

The best thing about living in England are the great holiday events.

Wetherby Prep

We are really pleased with Wetherby Prep. Our son has made tremendous strides since beginning this September. Prior our children were attending an international school and we had a huge learning curve determining the best schools.