MP Jeremy Corbyn dines at Mestizo, picks up books at Foyles and loves a trip to Park Theatre

I lived in a bedsit owned by a lovely Italian man who made wine in the basement, which he pressed from grapes he brought back in his Fiat

- Rachael Burford

Home is...

Islington North. I'd hitchhiked to London and the lorry driver dropped me off on Holloway Road, so I stayed. I lived in Harringay when I represented South Hornsey ward. I then moved back to Finsbury Park after I was elected for Islington North in 1983.

Where was your first flat in London?

It was just off Tufnell Park Road. It was a small bedsit in a house on St George's Avenue that was owned by a lovely Italian man. He made his own wine in the basement, which he pressed from Italian grapes he brought back home in his little Fiat 600. The house was bought by Jon Snow, and later owners showed me what had once been my room — it had been converted into a bathroom.

What was your first job?

Working for the National Union of Tailors and Garment Workers at 16 Charles Square.

Where would you recommend for a first date?

Mestizo, a lovely Mexican restaurant on Hampstead Road. My wife Laura likes it.

Which shops do you rely on?