Fortnum & Mason Reviews (London, England)

Great shop for a traveling foodie

by ch2001

Chicago, Illinois

April 24, 2012

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Fortnum and Mason is a foodie heaven! Edible items of all kinds were scattered over three floors with half of floor devoted to products needed to eat foods - high end utensils and plates, cookware and linens. For a pop of grandeur, there was an ...Read more

From journal London Layover

Have Hamper Will Ship

by two cruisers

Ames, Iowa

March 9, 2012

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Best of IgoUgo Since our trip to London was of short duration, I researched on line ahead of time to find the most fun places to shop. I selected Fortnum & Masons for the gift hampers and unusual foods, next I selected Liberty house because of the line of ...Read more Since our trip to London was of short duration, I researched on line ahead of time to find the most fun places to shop. I selected Fortnum & Masons for the gift hampers and unusual foods, next I selected Liberty house because of the line of fabrics they carried. In the neighborhood of our hotel was the enormous Westfield mall where we did find a discount ticket vendor for play tickets and a functioning ATM. The halls are wide and shops tony, but still I felt uncomfortable here because of the swarms of teenagers. The lady at the ticket counter warned my friend Sarah to guard her open purse carefully.
We set aside one day to shop, walk the streets of London and enjoy a typical London lunch. Between destinations we really enjoyed spontaneous adventures. Our cabbietook us to Fortnum & Masons, but told us we were too early for the shops to be open. We didn't mind. We had a beverage break at a deli, sitting at outside tables where we could observe the double-decker buses, London cabs, and lots of pedestrians go by. Near-by souvenir shops fullfilled our trinket and postcard needs. Venturing off the street we admired the courtyard fountains and giant rabbit sculpture at the Royal Academy of Art. Other novelties to us were the red phone booths and the mailboxes, both different from what we have at home. Fortunately the streets department paints signs at the pedestrian crossovers that say "Look Left". If they hadn't been there our American brains would have allowed us to step out in front of the fast moving traffic. By the way London drivers are not timid, they jump curbs to change lanes and go very fast.
In our stroll around the area, we turned one corner and the sight of the Liberty House up ahead, made me gasp. It is a lovely Tudor style building, that has been rebuilt after a major fire 1925. Liberty House has been in business since 1875 and is known for its typical English fabrics in use in upholstry, clothing, table linens and other decor. I bought a length of fabric designed by William Morris and recently rereleased. This is the most expensive piece of yard goods I have ever bought at 20 pounds per meter. I also bought linen tea towels, and a tea mug. The building itself is a treasure. The elevator was lined with linenfold paneling. The center of the building had an atrium open up all levels to the skylights, the railings were sturdy carved wood panels.
Fortnum & Mason's is near by and looks much different. Stone exterior with a fresh produce grocery on the ground floor, this is billed as the grocery for the Royals. Our goal here was to have lunch and buy a hamper, fill it with goodies and have it mailed home. How smart we are! And we were proud to hear that a few months after our visit, Prince William bought a hamper filled with delicacies for his bride Kate. What fun the three of us had going from floor to floor looking for items to fill our hampers. I bought a fairley large one and filled it with birthday gifts for my husband, Christmas tree ornaments, English toffees, tins of biscuits, tea towel, and a wonderful tea presentation chest that has divisions to house 12 kinds of tea bags.
We took a break from filling the hampers to have lunch at the last seating in Fortnum & Mason's Fountain Restaurant. How elegant the tables and setting were, and a three piece soft jazz band played for our entertainment. Marilyn and Sarah ordered Fish n' Chips and swear it was the best version of that dish ever. Our friend Jennifer had suggested trying the Welsh Rarebit, which I did and it was very tasty and filling. Yes we would shop and lunch here again. The only downside to the experience was when we returned to Iowa and our hampers arrived...two of us recieved additional and excessive shipping charges from DSL.
The rest of the day we walked and walked and walked. Looking for one particular item with no luck. We did see the famous Piccadilly Circus, Green Park a huge treed park with elegant gates, and we took a ride in a pedi-cab up to Carnaby Street where we continued our search for that elusive item. What a day! What fun! Close

From journal Three Friends Tour London

Fortnum and Mason

by The Breeze

Mayfield, Ohio

April 3, 2006

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Best of IgoUgo I loved shopping in this lively and spacious specialty store, looking for just the right edible gifts to take to friends and family back home. Their chocolates are delectable, as well as their other sweets, and packaged so creatively as to make ...Read more

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Great shop for a traveling foodie

Have Hamper Will Ship

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Great shop for a traveling foodie

Have Hamper Will Ship

Fortnum and Mason