Under the Greenwood Tree is a small family owned book and toyshop situated on the Polygon in the heart of Clapham Old Town. The thing I love about this place is that it’s more than child friendly; it’s been made for children. The books and toys have been tastefully selected and you can tell a lot of thought and attention is poured into the place. You’ll find a great mix of popular characters and more unusual finds, and the lovely staff are always on hand to answer a question or make a recommendation.

There is a very small cafe in the shop selling fairtrade tea and coffee and some very yummy cakes and biscuits. For me, the beauty of the cafe is that it is truly child and baby friendly with a nice, clean loo and baby changing. There are toys and books on the tables for children to play with but not the usual shabby, broken assortment you so often find in ‘child friendly’ cafes. These are really nice, new ones which you find yourself anxiously hoping your child won’t break. You need not worry though as the staff are kind enough never to wince when children thunder around the shop as they inevitably do!

The best thing of all are the amazing children’s activities that are regularly held – storytime, ‘Meet the Fire Fighters’ from the local fire station (cue lots of very excited boys and their even more excited mummies), ‘Wild West Day’ with cowboy hat colouring and biscuit decoration workshops, to name just a few!

Photo courtesy of Under the Greenwood Tree