Is your New Year’s Resolution to be more healthy? Join the club! Each and every January, roughly one in three people resolve to better themselves by eating healthier and exercising more. About three quarters stick to their goals for at least a week, but few persevere. Happily however eating more healthily need not be a chore at these five fabulous spots
1. Inn the Park
If the thought of being cooped up during January fills you with horror, head into the heart of St James’s Park for a nourishing meal at Inn The Park. Early risers can enjoy the tranquillity of its setting with a healthy breakfast (Granola, Organic yoghurt, Porridge and Bircher muesli all feature) from 8am while the restaurant’s lunch menu - created by Head chef Dale Laperts - offers virtuous seasonal dishes such as Beetroot and heritage carrot salad. There’s also a tempting range of cakes - just do an extra lap around the stunning gardens afterwards.
St James's Park, SW1
2. Manna
Manna has been serving Primrose Hill’s green gourmands for nearly 50 years so clearly must be doing something right. Starters include Vegetable tempura and an Almond and leek tart. Elsewhere Organic bangers and mash and Wild mushroom ragu will keep you warm - even if the weather won’t. Wash your meal down with a glass of organic or vegan wine. And don’t miss dessert: old school stapes such as Sticky toffee pudding served with vanilla ice cream and caramel share menu space with more innovate offerings like the raw mojito tart. You can always work off the extra calories in the nearby Camden Triyoga studio - a favourite of Sadie Frost, Kate Moss and co.
4 Erskine Road, NW3
3. Megan’s
The team at Haute Time are huge fans of this deli-café and grill which keeps south west London smiling with its quirky selection of home-made foods, from morning to evening. This celeb hangout on the iconic King’s Road is a local for the Chelsea crowd, including the Made in Chelsea cast who are regularly seen here sipping on Megan’s Green Cleanse (cucumber, spinach and apple) or loading their lunch plates with the daily changing selection of freshly made salads and quiches. In the evening, soak up the magical atmosphere of the garden (covered and heated in winter) and lit up by thousands of fairy lights while enjoying healthier grills, such as the Côte de Beuf.
571 King's Road, SW6
4. RAW at La Suite West
London has always had a cornucopia of cafes serving vibrant veggie food but has lacked upscale vegan and raw restaurants. Fortunately – for those of us conscious we’ve gone up a dress size in the following the season of indulgence – there is a designated, upscale raw restaurant whose stylish presentations, top-end ingredients and luxurious setting shows that raw and vegan food can be high end. Nestled on the fringes of Hyde Park, RAW - situated in La Suite West - serves up some of the most delicious dishes imaginable, all of which haven’t been heated above 42 degrees. Start with the beetroot falafel or the Mango and avocado maki before moving onto mains such as the Zucchine ‘tagliatelle’ (almond, coconut pad thai and tamarind). Vegan and raw food truly never tasted so good.
5. tibits
Located in the heart of fashionable Heddon Street opposite the glamorous Momo, this Swiss vegetarian restaurant serves as a refuge from the madness of Regent Street.Choose from over 40 homemade vegetarian and vegan salads, soups and hot dishes from all over the world. Standouts from Head Chef Brian Mesmain’s winter menu include Wakame seaweed and rice vermeil salad, Middle Eastern Mejadra and Saag paneer. The colourful interior design by the Designers Guild - one of the foremost luxury home furnishings brands in the world - is further treat. Little wonder then that the likes of Rosario Dawson, Damian Lewis and Sir Ian McKellen all love hanging out here.
12-14 Heddon Street, W1