Fortnum & Mason: A Trip to Bountiful

When I put Fortnum & Mason on my Delightful Tour of England itinerary, I really didn't understand how much I would love it inside. Our trip was several years ago, but I remember ever detail. 

The store ia packed with my favorite things: sweets & treats, beautiful packaging, picnic supplies, gorgeous displays. It was marvelous. I remember turning to Dan after I had scanned the first floor, I said, "I can't ever leave." He understood and we ended up strolling every inch of the store by way of this magnificent staircase.

Can you see the fresh fruits on display at the very lowest level - if I had to use one word to describe Fortnum & Mason, it would be bountiful.

The store was handing out samples of their homemade marshmallows and I nibbled a raspberry one while I tried to absorb the store and my options. The entire ground floor is dedicated to tea, jams, honey and sweets. Knowing how I love the use jam jars and biscuit tins as flower vases, my mind was overwhelmed with the potential.

I wandered the entire store (established in 1707) and made mental notes of all the things I wanted to buy. I was conservative and did not buy almost anything. It was a case where I thought we would have time to double back later, but we never did. Honestly, my kitchen had aqua accents, you'd think I would at least have bought an aqua tea tin! 

The good news is that the Fortnum & Mason has a special collection available through Williams Sonoma! They even offer 2 luxury F & M hampers full of their products. That is my heart's desire, to receive a Fortnum & Mason hamper and a chance to taste some of their teas, cookies & jams AND have one of their wicker picnic hampers to keep! I'd use it on adventures for the rest of my life. *Sigh* 

Thank you Williams Sonoma for making the best of England within reach.

#williamssonoma #fortnummason #london #tea #shoppinginlondon #england #aquaismycolor

Souvenirs from London

My brain and it's wish list is a little eccentric.  My husband and I have been watching the Olympics and cheering each event, but I pointed out to him that very little of the national coverage is about shopping or delightful things in London.  This makes me feel encouraged about the book I am working on, A Delightful Tour of England; it is loaded with shops, sweets and treats in London!
Yes, the tv coverage encourages the audience to eat at an English pub (I recommend The Grenadier) and ride the London Eye, but what about shopping?  What about souvenirs?  You might have guessed that for me, a delightful souvenir from England is made of tin.

I loved these tin replicas of famous china patterns used by the Royal Family, that I bought one of each!  And the beautiful tins of tea, of course, that you can find at Harrod's or Fortnum and Mason.  What a wonderful treasure to bring home from London.  But my still-longed-for souvenir is a Fortnum and Mason tin bicuit box full of cookies...that is also a music box!  Can you stand it?  I loved the tin, the selection of cookies, the fact that it was a music box - the whole this was perfect, but felt too rushed at the moment to actually buy it.  I guess I have to go back!

What would you want as a souvenir from London?  Is it tin?

Holiday Sweets

If only I could buy my holiday sweets here!  I was out today shopping for mints and candies to set around in dishes around the house this season, and my mind kept going back to Fortnum Mason. They have the prettiest windows in London and this delightful display of sweets and treats had me swooning on the sidewalk.

What do I really want for Christmas?  Fortnum Mason has music box cookie tin that plays "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" and is filled with 3 kinds of cookies.  Doesn't that sound darling?

I've always loved music boxes and for a while now I have wanted to take a cigar box and turn it into a music box.  Since I'm not going to London anytime soon, maybe this should be my first project in 2012.

Blenheim Palace Mineral Water

It was my first meal in London and I was already asking for favors.  I thought that bottled water was a smart choice as I transitioned to a different time zone etc., so I ordered a big bottle.  Look what they brought me!  A beautiful bottle of mineral water that was "drawn from the aquifer within Blenheim Palace." 

Blenheim Palace was a destination on my trip!  Only days after this, I planned to leave London and tour this palace turned museum.  Remember when I had the place to myself? 

I immediately told the waiter at the gorgeous street-level restaurant in Fortnum and Mason that I loved the statuesque bottle and asked if I could take it with me once it was empty.  

He winked and said, "Of course."  On the label was an image of cherub riding a serpent in the calm colors of gray, khaki and aqua.  I had to add it to my bottle collection.  By the end of the trip I had two matching bottles and I plan to grow ivy in one of them for my kitchen.

Now tell me, wouldn't you want to take this bottle with you?

Visiting England: Fortnum & Mason

One of my first experiences in London was shopping at Fortnum & Mason.

I was bleary from travel, but the moment I saw these window displays I was snapped back to reality! The entire ground floor is dedicated to tea, jams, honey and sweets. Somebody pinch me!

I wandered the entire store (established in 1707) nibbling a homemade raspberry marshmallow and making mental notes of all the things I wanted to buy.


If I had it to do again, I would scrap the "mental notes" part and head directly to the checkout counter. I thought that I was being smart and considering my choices, but I couldn't decide and missed out on some beautiful souvenirs.

The good news is that the Fortnum & Mason website does ship internationally if I decide that I just have to have the tin biscuit box that plays "Happy Birthday" when you crank it. Seriously! It was so cute.

What I did end up with is this darling tote and lots of motivation to return to London!