Walk into Books for Cooks. Notice that it smells good. Look at shelves crammed with books reaching from floor to ceiling, central tables piled high with yet more tomes, and marvel at all of the cookbooks. At the back of the shop, you spot the kitchen that must be responsible for those appetising aromas, and then you wonder…are you surrounded by bookers, or cookers?

Both, as it turns out. In this famous Notting Hill’s shop, they really do cook the books—cookbooks are put to the test in their café at the back of the shop, while culinary classes take place in the demonstration kitchen upstairs. Everyday, at a handful of tables squeezed into an alcove between the bookshelves and the kitchen, customers can sample splendid lunches, fantastic home-baked cakes and the best—and organic!—cup of coffee in Notting Hill until everything runs out.