Tipped

Classic Britishness

February 20, 2008

I can't understand how anybody could be a regular shopper at Fortnum & Mason, but it sure is a fun place to visit from time to time, especially if you have friends visiting from out of town. The place is very English, all the way to the classic afternoon tea that you can take in the St. James restaurant.
There are many floors, with a food hall in the lower ground floor, more packaged and preserved foods on the ground floor (including a nice range of expensive whiskys, as well as teas, coffees, biscuits and marmalade) and then housewares, clothing and even luggage upstairs. Everything is pretty pricey, but you can find a lot of good gifts here.
There are also several restaurants, my favourite being the Parlour with its indulgent ice cream sundaes and other yummy desserts like Austrian strudel.

Tags: Classic English, Department Store, Ice Cream

Plummy rummy puds

December 12, 2007

The most delicious christmas puddings are to be found at Fortnum and Mason. But beware - they cost a packet and you need to deal with the gazillions (word?) of tourists buying a box of 3 bon bons. But its worth it for the pudding, and mince pies if you can stretch the ££ that far. Be tactical - go early, head straight pass the chocolate boxes and get in and out!

Tags: christmas

A shocking experience

October 23, 2007

What do you get the man who has everything? An ex once eased my angst about birthday gifts by admitting he would simply love a F&M hamper.
So off I went to gaily submit myself to the most soul-destroying experience of my life. The one-circle rating is because I can't not tick a rating.

As the ex in question was teetotal, I decided to make up my own hamper as most of the ones they had had some form of alcohol in it or the other (hampers start from £35). After being told this was fine to do, I then met all manner of snobbery along the way to the check-out.

Day 1: Had a butler-type dude shadowing me the whole time, and as soon as it was closing time approached me and said, "Ma'am, I'm afraid the store is now closed, I must ask you to leave your basket behind the counter and come back for it at a later date" whereupon he took the basket off me and indeed placed it behind the counter. (To be fair, I was more offended by the whole 'ma'am' thing being a youthful 27 than I was with the insinuation of a black girl legging it through Piccadilly with her treasure of stilton cheese and potted meats - yum yum)

Day 2: Returned for my afore-mentioned basket, found out none of the clerks knew what I was on about and so had to start the shopping all over again. One stalking butler-type dude: present and correct. Went off in search of a birthday-cake, there was a lady in front of me whose cake got wrapped, ribboned, decorated, and packaged - all with lovely light banter. My cake was shot-putted into my basket. I decided to grow some... and asked for the same treatment. I was eyed warily (it seemed to me) and she went off in search of her manager who finally did the business. I finally went to pay and was informed in no uncertain terms that I was holding an inferior plastic that they simply did not accept. Banks were closed, couldn't withdraw the amount I needed from an ATM. My basket spent another night.

Day 3: Came back, paid for hamper and delivery and left.

Day 7(Birthday): Hamper arrived with my name spelt wrong and THE CAKE WITH NARY A DECORATION OR RIBBON TO BE HAD!!!!!

My fault, I suppose for dating a snob. The following year he got bathroom scales. Argos rocks!!!

If you are going to shop ....

July 30, 2007

don't muck about, if youa re going to go shopping in London then this is one of three musts ... the 2nd and 3rd are obvious but this I think is very often over looked which is just thw wrong thing to do!

Tags: harrods, liberties, selfridges