Shopping in London
 

What are a few things you can think of that are must-buys in London?

An umbrella!

Go to Lush. Great body and facial products that are made fresh. Wonderful bath products. Fun place to just go and look. You can see their products on-line at www.lush.co.uk. They have stores all over England but, unfortunately, none in the US. I do mail order from Canada when I need products because the shipping is cheaper than from England (lushcanada.com).

Toffee from Thorntons.

One of my favorite shops in London is Accessorize. They sell purses, scarves, belts, etc. There are several locations throughout London, including Covent Garden and Knightsbridge near Harrods. My favorite purchase is a purse that I bought in May and I've carried it all summer.

You should go to any supermarket (Tesco, Sainsbury's, Waitrose) and get biscuits. Others have posted their raves about McVitie's chocolate digestives, Hobnobs (crunchy, oat biscuits, with or without chocolate - plain or milk!), Jaffa Cakes. The range is wide. <BR>Also, chocolate bars like Crunchie, Flake, Wispa, Aero, Dime, Boost, Twix and lots of others don't have US/European equivalents, and at 50c or so each, they're cheap.

Nigel, I love Jaffa cakes. In addition, Cadbury bars are better than those in the U.S. which are made by Hershey. <BR><BR>Chocolates from Charbonnel et Walker on Old Bond street are to die for.

I'm hungry already. Thanks everyone!

I like to purchase a hand-painted enamel box every time I am in London. They are small and easy to pack. If you like to collect small items these are nice.

Books, scones, and toffee!

If you like tea, a hint would be to bring home the regular tea from a supermarket (i.e. Tetley's). For some reason, it's sooooo much better than the tea we have in North America. <BR><BR>I would also recommend the shoe shops there! So much more choice and a lot more fashionable, and they cost about the same as they would at home if you don't get too extravagant.<BR><BR>And I know they're supposed to be "out" now, but pashminas are a good buy as well.

A solid silver cream jug, about 250 US dollars. Table linen from Ulster. Marks and Spencer underwear or pyjamas. London teatowels from a big store (not from a souvenir shop). A model London bus from the London transport shop in St James Park station. A tee shirt to say Mind The Gap. <BR><BR>Welcome to London<BR><BR>Ben Haines<BR>

Kitty, good news! Lush is opening a store in San Francisco. No word as to the date though. I plan to be among the first in line to stock up on my favorite figs and leaves soap.