La madrileña inglesa: Calle Argensola

One of my favourite little streets for shopping in Madrid is Calle Argensola, in Chueca.

It's slightly hidden away from the buzz of Chueca and from the rambling, genteel avenues in Salamanca. Peek down the street from a distance and it looks like nothing's there - you can't see the quirky boutiques until you've almost fallen into them.

A favourite is Nice Things, a cute clothes and accessories boutique, if only for its interior decoration of lamps made of crockery and a wall dedicated to paintings of chihuahuas wearing jumpers.

Across the road are Pluscuamperfecta and Divisa, worth a browse for pretty sundresses, quirky hats and vintage handbags.

Further up the street is a gorgeously minimalist deli, Antaura, with bottles of lavender tonic water and ginger chutney laid out like museum exhibits, along with a retro sweet shop and the somewhat inevitable lomography gallery store.

My stand-out favourite is Simay, where my salary seems to be rapidly disappearing. It's a tiny hole-in-the-wall overflowing with gold jewellery and precious stones. It doesn't look like much from the outside (don't let the hippy shoulder bags hanging outside put you off), but inside it's like a magpie's nest of yellow gold, coloured ribbon and bright stones.