Oh, what a charming little place! Anna Higham (previously at   ) has opened a new café over the road from her acclaimed bakery . 

Oozing with autumnal energy, but somehow not at all twee, this nook on New North Road feels as if was reincarnated as a produce-led Islington breakfast spot. Warm in both the literal and metaphorical senses; the interior is kitted out with comfortable light wood furniture – stools in the window make for an excellent people-watching spot – bookshelves are filled with cookbooks and there are sweet watercolour paintings of delicious-looking produce.

Food at Clementine is seasonal and hearty

There’s a big table in the middle of the space for people to share, and a few smaller tables for two. A soothing soundtrack of The Smiths, Cocteau Twins and Air plays. On a Wednesday morning in October the place is packed, and a queue forms outside the door. 

Just like at its sister bakery, the food at Clementine is seasonal and hearty. The breakfast menu – consisting of tattie scones, sausage sandwiches, country toast with butter and homemade jam and steaming porridge topped with molasses and cream – feels like the kind of warming fare a Scottish farmer might rustle up before a day in the fields. A heavenly flat white with a heart swirled on top comes in a dainty cup and saucer. Scotch oat pancakes are light and amazingly soft. They are generously topped by slowly-melting dollops of honey butter, and laced with crunchy flakes of sea salt, along with wonderfully gooey roasted apples. I feel like I’ve just discovered the cosiest brekkie in town.