Bargain London? Is it really possible? Oh yes it is….

As an avid budgeteer, I've never thought of London as being expensive. In fact, some of the best things to do in London are some of the cheapest.

You want superb food? Begin with breakfast at E. Pellicci's on Bethnal Green Road, a quintessential east end formica cafe where the Kray twins once plotted, and where the service is as charming as anywhere in the capital.

For lunch, grab some bread and a couple of slices of cheese from Gastronomica in Borough, and dine al fresco by the Thames. For dinner buy a couple of the world's most famous bagels - the salt beef varieties sold on Brick Lane. None of the above will cost more than a fiver.

Want a slice of rural England in the capital, head towards one of the city's brilliant city farms.

Culture? most of London's best galleries and museums - including the Tate Modern, the British Museum, the Serpentine - are free.

After all that you’ll need a rest, and you can even bag a bargain bed here. The recently revamped YHA St Pancras has slick double rooms from just over £50 per night. A few weeks ago, I stayed in London for £10 a night!