Day 1 in London : Tea at Fortnum & Mason

Thank-you to everyone for you kind comments about my previous post which featured my favourite pictures from our time in London. I enjoy reading and replying to each and every one!

As promised, here is a post with several pictures from our visit to the famous department store, Fortnum and Mason.

After our 7 hour flight, we travelled to our hotel, took a quick nap and then headed out to see what all the F&M fuss was about!

Upon arriving at the main entrance to the store, we saw these gorgeous faces above the door. I knew then and there we were really going to like this place!

 

We decided in order to see the whole store, we'd start at the bottom and work our way up. The spiral staircase leading to the basement (if you can call it that!), gave a breath-taking view of the floral department. Down here you could also buy wine and fine fresh foods like cheese and smoked meat.  They also had very pricey takeaway food that lots of people seem to be buying regardless of its cost!

Climbing back up to the ground floor, also know as the Food Hall, we gazed at the most scrumptious chocolates and candy (a lot of it being sold for Mother's Day the next day) as well as many Easter delights.  

Artistically decorated cookies always catch our eye (because this is a decorating skill that neither Afton nor I have!) and we found these spring biscuits particularly cute - and fun to play with!!

Up another flight of stairs took us to Women's Accessories where we could purchase the most beautiful kid-leather gloves, silken scarves or hats and fascinators perfect for a summer wedding.  

This was our favourite:  

After all of this shopping and climbing, Afton insisted on a break mid-way up.  I am sure it was just the overnight flight making her tired but it was a good excuse to survey the architecture in this lovely old building.  

Next stop -- Homewares.  

Tea-towels, pots and pans, cookbooks, small appliances - you name it and need it for your home - it was here!

However, as usual, my favourite section was the china and dinnerware.  

I could have bought a ton of things, but I stuck with a couple of pieces by Emma Bridgewater that were the perfect momentos of our time at F&M and England.

And at the top of the building: The Jubilee Tea Rooms.

I booked our high tea experience months in advance  and I was glad I did.  Being Mother's Day weekend, the Tea Room was booked solid with reservations every 90 minutes all weekend long. 

Here, like every room in the store,  we were greeted by huge vases of fresh flowers.  They looked and smelled glorious!

We were seated quickly and enjoyed the sounds of a live singer/pianist who jauntily gave us renditions of old classics like "Michelle" and "The Way You Look Tonight."

Isn't the menu pretty? The whole Tea Room is decorated with this pretty shade of teal green. The tea pots and all of the tableware are this hue as well. The menu went with the theme perfectly. 

It was Afton who noticed the one "non-teal" thing in the room - these pretty pink and peach tulips in the middle of the table. Coincidentally, they matched perfectly with the flowery dress she had chosen for the occasion!

Both Afton and I opted for the "Sweet Afternoon Tea."

This maximized the amount of baked goods we would receive.  Otherwise we could have chosen a "Savoury Tea" where some of the sugary goodies are replaced by quiches and herbed scones.  Afton's high tea was child-sized and cost half of what the grown-up version does. If she wasn't a tea drinker, she could have had freshly squeezed juice or a glass of milk.  

But both of us being tea lovers we each of us chose a flavour of tea. I had Countess Grey made especially for F&M  and she chose a  Strawberry Black tea.

So what goodies did we receive? Here's a list:

-tea sandwiches (5 for me, 3 for her) 

- scones (2 for me, 1 for her) with two kinds of jam and clotted cream 

- dainty desserts (see below - mine on the left, hers on the right)

Truth be told... Even with all of those yummy bit and bites to enjoy, my favourite part of the whole service was the scones. 

 Look at that clotted cream! And that blueberry jam was to die for!!

After consuming all but 3 of the dainty sweets, Afton and I were full and completely satisfied.  

I asked our server ( a lovely Australian woman) for our bill.  

She laughed and said, "You aren't done yet.  There's another whole course of food yet to eat!!"

What??  

Yes indeed.  We still had to choose a slice of cake off of the cake server nearby to finish off our meal.  

We opted to have it packaged up to take with us.  I picked a pear and almond Victoria Sponge and Afton chose a slice of Battenberg cake. They looked delish, but there was no way we could eat it that night!

(You want to know when we DID eat it?  

The next morning at the Earl's Court tube station, waiting for the underground. We got a few funny looks from people passing by, but we didn't care.  Those cakes were darn delicious!!)

By the time we left the store, evening was falling and the street and store lights were coming on.  The building looked even more elegant in the light of the setting sun.  

Would we recommend tea at F&M??  Absolutely.  It's not cheap, but it is the perfect way to celebrate a special event or to just have some quiet time together with a loved one.  

Afton gives it a big "thumbs-up," too. The Tea Room was definitely a child-friendly place in terms of environment and food choices.  

Do you want to hear about more of our London adventures?  Good because next time I'll share a few pictures from our day out in Salisbury.

Hugs to all,

Bronwyn