Any self-respecting food-lover will be heading to the Foodies Festival in Battersea Park this weekend to taste and buy delicious locally-sourced food and drink. Chef Paul Merrett gives us his London foodie highlights to celebrate.

Foodie Festival, 29-31 July
“I am unveiling a giant edible art installation, by Seriously® Strong Cheddar, on the first day of the Foodies Festival.  Who says there is no such thing as a free lunch – passers by at the festival will be able to enjoy a taste of the World’s Largest Ploughman’s record attempt as it will be broken down into 1,000 personal ploughman’s platters for spectators to enjoy and share the intense taste experience.”

Inamo in Wardour Street
“OK, this is really my kid’s favourite restaurant. The tables are simply big computer screens and you each have a mouse and click on what you fancy. You can watch a web cam of the kitchen, change your virtual tablecloth and even play electronic battle ships. Inamo would leave my dad feeling very old! The only downside is that you have little say in what other people order. The last time we went, a bowl of seared scallops turned up after dessert – I was about to explain the mistake when my son sheepishly admitted he’d placed a sneaky order!”

The Princess Victoria in Acton
“I have been lucky to have employed many a talented sous chef (second in command) over the years and The Princess Victoria is owned by one of them. James Mclean and his team have done great things at this fantastic gastro pub. I’m proud to see him do so well.”

Charlotte’s Place in Ealing
“Charlotte’s Place is a real local restaurant. Great food, sensibly priced and an excellent celler too. This is where we go to celebrate birthdays!”

The Brilliant in Southall
“How could a restaurant with this name be anything other than brilliant! Southall is where you go when you want a real curry and The Brilliant do it every time. Definitely try the biriyani.”

The Victoria, near Richmond Park
The Victoria is situated close to Richmond Park, we are a restaurant, pub and a hotel. Next time you are in West London and feeling peckish make sure you pop in and try us out – I’m in the kitchen most days so do say hello!

Foodies Festival, Battersea Park, 29-31 July 2011. Book tickets

Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, today opened the new Wandsworth Museum in South London, which houses a fascinating array of exhibits and artefacts from the local area.

The new museum replaces the previous one which was closed in 2007, and it provides a detailed insight into life in Wandsworth from the Stone Age to the modern day.

Along with an impressive collection of objects, there is also a timeline of events telling the story of the cultural and natural landscape of the borough.

Among the exhibits on show is a woolly rhinoceros skull dated to 25,000BC, a telephone exchange, and a diagram of the local Young’s brewery site.

There is also a collection of art depicting John Burns, the former local Member of Parliament and one of the leaders of the London Dock Strike in 1889.

Mr. Johnson told Visit London:

“I think it’s fantastically important to have museums such as this because we live in an age where people are both forgetful of their history but also incredibly excited when they discover about it.

“It’s frightfully important that local kids are able to come here and open a window into the lives of previous generations and inhabitants of Wandsworth.

“This was a very important place in the life of London and the life of the nation as a whole and we’ve now got great exhibits here to tell that story.”

The new Wandsworth Museum opens to the public on 3 Sep (website coming soon).

What’s your favourite local museum in London?

I’m lucky enough to have been shown round many of London’s hotels. I’ve nosed round suites, inspected toiletries on offer and nodded approvingly at iPod facilities. But last night, the Pestana Chelsea Bridge Hotel topped them all and let me stay overnight and experience the hotel first hand.

First off was the delicious food in the hotel’s restaurant. We were treated to a selection of tasty Portuguese tapas (the Pestana group is Portuguese) including lamb meatballs, tomato and mozzarella skewers, sweet potato and squid, and mussels. For a main course, I had chicken and chunky chips with a specially made piri-piri sauce that we all agreed should be bottled! And dessert didn’t disappoint: chocolate soufflé with fruit skewers (perfect for dipping into the melted chocolate centre.)

After marvelling at the view from Swissotel The Howard last week, I was also hugely impressed at the view of Battersea Power Station from the Pestana. You can also see the London Eye, Battersea Park and even into the trains running alongside (but the windows are triple-glazed, so you don’t hear them.)

Staying in the hotel made me appreciate London in a new way. It was an evening of pure relaxation, secure in the knowledge that my laundry, washing-up and household chores were miles away and there was happily nothing I could do about them!

The room has all the amenities you’d expect from a four-star hotel including an iPod dock, big bed, huge shower, safe, and tea and coffee making facilities. It also has an interesting design feature: a window between the bedroom and bathroom covered with a blind. The control for the blind is on the bedroom side, so you can peep into the bathroom if you’re curious as to what your partner/roommate/colleague is getting up to!

After a lovely breakfast, I headed to the office (covered in fluff from the brand-new towels), thinking I could get used to this executive lifestyle!

The Pestana Chelsea Bridge Hotel and Spa is open now