Your Friday morning essential read. Five local highlights you really need to know, researched and presented with enthusiasm by the team at Camdenist

 EXPLORE: Camden's hidden gardens 

Did you know Camden is the home of several rather wonderful secret gardens? As part of the Open Gardens Weekend (11th & 12th June), you have a rare chance to explore these hidden havens for yourself. In King's Cross, wander round the six hanging gardens inspired by Islamic garden design at the Aga Khan Centre or mingle with 160 fruit trees and some bees at the Alara Permaculture Forest Garden. Centrally, several private gardens including Bedford Square, Lincoln's Inn Gardens and The Phoenix Garden (where you can find the West End's only frogs), will all be open to the public. Meanwhile, at the Royal College of Physicians' Medicinal Garden in NW1, discover more than 1,000 plants linked to medicine. Tickets are a necessity with spaces already filling up.

 EAT: Mr Ji is Parkway's hot new restaurant opening 

MR JI, an innovative Taiwanese-inspired restaurant and brainchild of Samuel Haim (the man behind Parkway’s Hook), is bringing its playful menu to Camden at the end of this month, taking over the aforementioned fish and chip joint. Named after a real 'Mr Ji' (a mysterious man who guided Haim to the best fried chicken in Taipei), the restaurant is in safe hands thanks to cheffing power couple Zijun Meng and Ana Gonçalves (AKA TA TA Eatery and TOU) who have already made Mr Ji's a hot ticket in Soho’s Old Compton St. Menu highlights there include black truffle croquettes, fried chicken hearts and smoked eel fried rice. There are plenty of enticing cocktails too, such as the salted plum negroni and the lime leaf margarita, so this looks set to be a hot new addition to Parkway’s dining strip. 

 CELEBRATE: 'Zoobilee' festivities  

Join the only teddy bears' picnic where llamas, alpacas and pigs are also invited, venture into a secret English country garden to make bug houses, or learn about the matriarchs of the animal world whilst snacking on sausage rolls, vol-au-vents and Pimms. For the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, London Zoo have curated a programme of activities over May half term. The Queen is a Royal Patron of the zoo and ZSL will be exhibiting photos of royal visits over the years, including this one from 1939.

 WALK: Touring the borough's buildings 

If you lean more towards buildings than buds, the London Festival of Architecture and Camden Tour Guides has you covered this June. Choose from over 20 guided walks around the borough (which is one of LFA2022's official destinations) and delve into the area's history as told by the buildings we walk past everyday. From Covent Garden's obscure corners to the architectural plans behind the RCP building, there are a range of free and paid events to delve into. 

 SHOP: Local makers summer market 

WorkShop is the lovely co-working space on St Pancras Way that’s dedicated to supporting designer-makers across textiles, jewellery, cosmetics, ceramics and more. They are having a Summer Market Party in early July (2nd) showcasing their in-house talent, but are also keen to hear from other locals who’d like to have stalls at the event too. If you're a maker or small business owner and interested in being there, get in touch with the team at [email protected] as applications are open until June 1st. 

 MORE: from Camdenist 

• VIDEO: Meet local deli owner Giuseppe Miggiano

• FOOD: Caravan's new local roaster Brewbar in pictures

• AWARDS REVISITED: Food For All, St Giles - the environmental heroes diverting food from landfills

• MUSIC: Rapper AWATE on how growing up in Camden has shaped his sound

• LOCAL HISTORY: Camden's hidden Grade II-listed portal

THIS WEEK'S ONE-CLICK POLL

Are you looking forward to the Platinum Jubilee bank holiday weekend?

LAST WEEK WE ASKED:

As wellbeing initiatives become increasingly widespread, we're curious to know how our readers relax... In times of stress, moving your body is the top choice for nearly half of readers, with more creative outlets coming a close second. A fair few are feeling particularly honest (or vulnerable?) this week, admitting that they're yet to arrive at a stress solution just yet...

 HELP BUILD THE COMMUNITY  

 SHARE THE WEEKLY C-MAIL WITH OTHERS use your unique referral link    

 Or share with a click... Email  |  WhatsApp  |  Tweet  |  Facebook  |  LinkedIn You've recommended a total of  people so far.  

Camdenist is collaborative and transparent by design. We invite all locals to participate, so we've built a form where you can send us ideas, propose features, and even contribute your own work.

 Well worth following...