London: Fortnum & Mason
 

A friend told me this was a good store and we might also want to have lunch here.

Anybody have any rants or raves about the place? Is it easy to locate? Famous for anything in particular? Are there other stores of similiar type we might want to visit?

Haven't been to the store, but Fortnum & Mason teas are the best!
Annette

It is a very elegant department store. The food department is outstanding. I've eaten in the two restaurants and had excellent meals in each (one overlooks the food department).
Fortnum and Mason's is not a place to find bargains. In the clothing departments, the selections are limited but high quality.

Degas:-
Go here-> http://www.fortnumandmason.com/cgi-b...jects/Fortnums

Its on Picadilly and can't be missed.Opposite the Royal Accademy Of Arts (worth a visit by the way) near the bottom of Old Bond Street. Its like the spinsterish great aunt to Harrods, Selfridges & Harvey Nix.

Must admit I love it... not sure when you're over but at Christmastide they have the best department of decorations (far, far, far, far, far better than Harrods!) with exquisite glass balls and figurines hand blown in Eastern Europe. Not cheap but a family heirloom in the making.

Otherwise a diverting hour to be had browsing the food hall and the kitchenware downstairs.

Afternoon tea is overrated and the restaurants are all overpriced IMO. You'd do better eating elsewhere to be honest but it is a quintessentially British Institution and you'll see lots of Godparents taking their godchildren for tea, and busy daughters showing off to their mothers over tea and a scone that moving to London and working in the City has been the making of them (now if only they could land an eligible young man....)

I love the place for its idiosyncrocies, but I'm not sure I could advise a visitor who may already have a pretty full itinery to drop something else inorder to make time for F&M

Regards
Dr D.

F&M is a "must do" stop for me when I'm in London, mainly because I order gifts for friends from the food hall, they pack it up and have it delivered before I arrive home! No need to carry souviniers during your trip. Harrods will do the same thing, but I love Fortnum & Mason for some reason.

Try the honeys, Christmas puddings, fish sauces, candy and, of course, teas!

Fortnum & Mason is a place that I really enjoy. It is definitely worth a visit to look around their food hall. You may want to stop outside the store to watch the clock chime the hour. Mr. Fortnum & Mr. Mason pop out and bow to each other.

I'd pick F&M over Harrod's any day (not that you asked about Harrod's, but you did invite a "rant or rave."

There are 3 restaurants in Fortnum and Mason:

--The Fountain, which is on the ground floor in the rear of the store. It is the least formal, but still nice. Has a separate entrance and is open until 7.45 pm.

--The Patio, overlooks the main floor food hall of F&M. A less formal tea is served here, along with other food.

--The St. James's, the most formal, is upstairs. High tea here is fairly fancy (and expensive).

Fortnum and Mason is a terrific place to pick up teas and upscale specialty foods. The store also has clothing, household goods, etc....most of which is expensive and conservative.

Mayfair and St. James's areas are full of high-end shops. You might stroll through Burlington Arcade, which is just down the street from F&M. There you'll discover that a shopping mall is not a new concept.

F&M is located on the south side of Picadilly (street) just a couple of blocks east of Green Park Underground stop.

David White
[email protected]

Degas

Please go to F&M for tea and write a trip report about it! Will you be taking the "little wife"?

BTW...we haven't laughed in quite awhile! Hint. Hint.

p.s. F&M makes delicious ice cream sundaes.

Thanks for all the replies - great stuff. Its now on my list for a visit and perhaps lunch or tea.

Should we have tea at the Patio or the St. James? Guess that will have to be a non-fanny pack and white tennis shoe day!

In a word, F+M is as much an "institution" in London as is Harrods albeit on a somewhat smaller scale. Wonderful store to browse through, especially the specialty foods. I've had good meals there, including breakfast, even though it isn't the cheapest place to eat in town. But if you want a glimpse of at least one aspect of "local culture" then the place is certainly worth a look.

David mentioned the Burlington Arcade which was opened in 1819 and is well worth a visit when in the area for the superb specialty shops. Does anyone know of an arcade which preceded it? The Galleria in Milan was completed in 1877.

"The Beadles
To protect the customers and keep out the ruffians of Regency London, Lord George Cavendish founded a corps of Burlington Arcade Beadles, all recruited from his regiment of the 10th Hussars.

The Beadles enforced the Regency laws which prohibited singing, humming and hurrying in Burlington Arcade and, true to this tradition, today's Beadles - resplendent in their Edwardian frock coats, gold buttons and gold-braided top hats -continue to ensure that shoppers uphold standards of courtesy, quiet and decorum."

The website gives a list of the shops.

http://www.burlington-arcade.co.uk/home.htm

My daughter and I loved our visit to F and M in July. Definitely better than Harrods for selection of teas, prices, and atmosphere. It's a great place to buy gifts to bring back for friends. Next time, we'll skip Harrods completely (we had only wanted to go there for the teas, honeys, etc. and were very disappointed.)

Degas

St James would be my vote. You can wear your fanny pack as long as you do not refer to it as a "fanny" pack. They may think you are referring to female genitalia. Not a good faux pas to make at the St. James. Just thought I would share.

Calamari, are you pulling my huge, hairy leg? Fanny pack is really English slang?

I get in anough bizare altercations during my european travels without entering one by innocent mistake!

Never had tea at F&M but my folks got me hooked on their Royal Blend years ago. The only F&M goods I can find here is tea and the ocasional bottle of jam, so it's always a necessary stop. Now if they only had a duty-free shop at the airport... ;)

Degas,

Yes, fanny is slang for vagina. Also, pissed = drunk and fag = cigarette. I wouldn't be surprised if there's a thread on British slang around here somewhere.

I suppose you could say the food hall at Harrods is legendary as is the food hall in the Ka-De-We in Berlin...both great and both seem to be JAMMED. It seems like the whole F+M main floor is FOOD although not quite the jammo "hall" atmosphere...more of a quieter "reserved" kind of experience IMO...and wear what ever you want to....they'll smile and treat you politely, especially when you hand over YOUR MONEY or plastic..who wouldn't..these folks know how to be merchants....with typically understated STYLE...Target (which I personally like) it isn't!
And as to which venue to eat in...take a look at all of them and then decide...whatever, enjoy your visit.

Degas,
Oh, yes, if you can find time for Fortnum Mason go and ogle the selection of condiments, teas, and confections.
(I'm partial to the Lover's Leap tea and to the chocolate wafers w/ bits of crystallized violets. )

After you have your Fortnum Mason fix you might enjoy walking 'round to Floris on Jermyn Street, the street just behind F& M.
The shop is fitted with mahogany cases and has a aura of civility that I , when I was a child, imagined all English shops would have.
Floris makes wonderful fragrances for gentleman and ladies and those alone make the shop worth a visit, but I know that you're interested in the historical tidbits so...
The shop has been on Jermyn Street for more than 200 years and it was a haunt of Beau Brummell .
One of the Floris saleswomen told me this : once upon a time, the Floris clerks would wash the all the coins and press the notes before they were given to the customer as change. Don't you just love it? :-)

Hi Degas,

I had tea at the Patio a couple of years ago and it's very nice but not as memorable as tea at one of the big old hotels (I love Browns or Claridge's -- more expensive but so indulgent).

The main floor, as everyone has said, is filled with F&M's version of the food halls. Wonderful teas and jams, lots of great English Christmas favorites if you're there in the fall -- plum pudding, whiskey-soaked cakes, that kind of thing. You can make up some fabulous gift baskets there and they'll ship them anywhere. Do what I did and ship one to yourself!

Fortnum & Mason is one of the places I wouldn't dream of missing any time I am in London. I stock up on tea. I love the food hall and the china/crystal department. Nothing is cheap there, but excellent quality.
Have a great time in London. And at F&M!!

Cleland didn't title his novel about a prostitute "Fanny Hill" for nuthin . . .

Years ago it used to shock Brits no end when Americans used the word fanny all the time - when they really meant "bum" (bottom). But they are pretty used to us now, and except for sly grins no one will react or say anything. Yanks thought they were being exceedingly polite saying fanny instead of some of the options - and Brits thought we were being REALLY rude.

Nowadays it is a worse faux pas to wear a fanny pack than to say fanny pack :-)

I just love the way the clerks are dressed!

oops - hit post before putting in my two penc re F&M. It a "must" for me most trips. (I also like Harrods and Harvey Nicks BTW)

The service is impeccable, the restaurants are very nice. And venture upstairs to the men's or women's departments, cosmetics, etc. really a wonderful old place - Liberty is in the same vein. Just a lovely, refined place to shop.

And the Burlington Arcade and Royal Acadamey are right there so you can visit all three.

Then walk down Piccadilly to the Ritz, and across Green Park to B'ham Palace. A great stroll . . .

that should be "two pence" . . (or tuppence)

starspinners, I thought I was the only person who liked F&M's violet-flavored chocolate! I always bring back a package that contains several different kinds of their exotic-flavored chocolates (violet, Earl Grey, cinnamon, etc.) to share with my friends at work when I return from a trip to London, and I'm usually the only one in the group who eats the violet ones.

Degas,

Fortnum and Mason brand shortbread, especially with stem ginger is to die for, but you may already be dead if you've tried their truly horrible "Superb Selection of Assorted Chocolates", some of which smelled and tasted ( according to my kids) just like children's bubble bath!

Degas

Was that your leg?

SoloAlex and others who might be interested, the DFS at Heathrow does carry a decent line of F&M goods. If that wink was to imply a sarcastic remark, I'm sorry for stating the obvious. Although the store is a worthwhile visit, it sure would've been nice not having to pack all those tea canisters we bought!

To all - thanks for the great feedback. I learned some interesting stuff about slang, the uniforms and the story about washing the coins and ironing the paper bills years ago. I'll drop those juicy tidbits around my travel companions and look way smarter than I really am!

calamari, in regards to your question: one must sometimes be "slightly" indirect in a public forum.

Regarding tea, each of the restaurants has a different blend of tea which you can also buy to take home.

If you bring F&M a sample of your water, they will choose a tea that works well with the type of water you have.

As for Brit talk, it's very important to remember that biscuits = cookies.

I worked at The Fountain at F&M 7 years ago. It is actually more formal than the Patio but less than St. James. They have a wonderful afternoon tea, as well as a great pre-theatre dinner menu and terrific full English breakfast. Speaking as a once-staffer, the staff are always busy and harried, so grab somone when you need something because they may not have time to help you otherwise. Oh, and tip them if they are good :-)

I'm heading back to London for the first time since I worked over there and F&M is first on my list of must-dos!

Gothampc, are you doing a clever ruse to get a naive country boy to take a water sample all the way to London so the staff can get a good laugh?

dumas, don't be calling me naive. I've been around the block a few times!

How big of a sample of well water do I take?

Bree...
I like F& M's violet flavored chocolates so much that each October I bring 2 boxes home and keep them in my freezer. All for me, mind you, no one else in my household favors them.
I parcel them out to myself & I try to make then last until January. But were you ever to drop by at tea time, I'm sure I would consider breaking out one or two for you. O:-)

I do know that F&M used to accept water samples and blend specific tea, but I can't find the info on their website. Maybe someone in London can confirm that. But they do blend for specific tastes.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/wine/main.jhtml;$sessionid$VP15GYZEKESNLQFIQMGSFFOAVCBQ WIV0?xml=/wine/2002/08/29/edtea31.xml&sSheet=/wine/2002/08/29/ixedmain31.html

Thanks for the offer, starspinners! I just might take you up on it one of these days -- or I would, if I knew where you lived....