Dine out for under £20: 10 of London’s very best meals for an austere January

In Hackney, there’s a bottle shop and snack bar called Wilton Way Deli and Wines, which has garnered something of a cult following. Its founder, Francesca D’Agostino, opened a second site last year called Fran’s. She describes it as an “all-day caff” and that’s what it is — a place inspired by London’s long history of British-Italian fixtures, where fried breakfasts precede plates of pasta e fagioli. Comfort food? All the rage. At Fran’s, it’s a little more upmarket in the evening, with the likes of salmon tartare, risotto and tortellini coming aboard, but everything is still under £20. Breakfast to lunch, all other boxes are ticked: classic breakfasts; jacket potatoes (get one topped with beef ragu); club sandwiches. London 2025 at its best.