David Miliband's My London

Illen Rowe10 April 2012

Labour leadership contender David Miliband gets his curries from Masala Zone and his cupcakes from Primrose Bakery...

Home is...
Camden with my wife Louise and sons Isaac and Jacob. It's great that my children will grow up in the same area that I did.

What was the last play you saw?
I took my wife to see the Mark Morris Dance Group at the London Coliseum for her birthday in April.

What advice would you give a tourist?
Walk across one of London's many bridges at sunset – you'll get to see some of the best views of the city. My favourite walk is over the wobbly Millennium Bridge from St Paul's to the Tate Modern.

What's the best meal you've had in London?
I had a fantastic takeaway from Masala Zone in Camden recently. When you spend lots of time away from home, which I am at the moment, it's a rare treat to stay in, relax and enjoy a curry.

What's your earliest London memory?
Seeing an elephant, I think he was called Dixie Jumbo, getting his foot stuck at London Zoo. I was five or six at the time – tears and a sleepless night followed.

What would be on your tombstone?
Here lies a great dad and husband (and by the way he wasn't a bad Labour leader and Prime Minister either!)

What are you most afraid of?
Arsenal losing to Tottenham in the Champions League final this season.

What would you do as Mayor for the day?
I would make sure that the 2012 Olympics leaves a legacy of jobs for people living in East London and reintroduce free swimming for pensioners and kids.

What's your life philosophy?
Honesty is always the best policy.

What would you save from a fire?
Like most people, it would be my family.

Which is your favourite London street for shopping?
Gloucester Avenue near Camden Market. The cupcakes from Primrose Bakery keep the children quiet on a Saturday morning.

Who's your hero?
Robin Hood. He took from the rich to give to the poor... I think the coalition government could learn a lot from him.

What do you most like wearing?
The work uniform is a suit but I feel most at home in jeans and a T-shirt.

What's the most romantic place in London?
A picnic in Regent's Park.

Which is your favourite pub?
The Albert pub in Primrose Hill. Louise and I have been going there for years. It serves London Pride and has a great garden for the children to play in.

What are your favourite London discoveries?
The Laughing Halibut fish and chip shop on Strutton Ground just off Victoria St.

Where were the last three places you went on holiday?
Suffolk for three days with my family. We stayed in a house by the River Deben near Woodbridge. Monte Argentario in Tuscany for seven days, it was near the beach so the kids could swim in the sea. And Cork in Ireland.

What's the most embarrassing thing that's happened to you?
Not realising that it was the Angelina Jolie I was meeting at the UN and suddenly understanding why every man in the Foreign Office wanted to accompany me to the meeting.

Have you ever stolen anything?
Good lines from other leadership candidates are always worth stealing.

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