Some great advice! Getting into a routine of going to the same place seems like a real winner to me.

Mastering small talk in England is incredibly easy. If the weather is inclement, talk about the weather. If the weather is clement, talk about the weather. If you get bored talking about the weather, talk about football (particularly apt right now). If you know nothing about football, either watch enough that you can pontificate about the off-side rule, or go back to talking about the weather.

If you're in London, you can often substitute complaining about public transport for the weather or football.