Address: 181 Piccadilly, London W1A 1ER

Telephone number – Store: 0207 734 8040 Ordering: 0845 300 1707

Website: http://www.fortnumandmason.com/

Date of visit: 13 July 2010

Opening hours: Mon-Sat 10-8, Sun 12-6 or shop online 24/7

Summary:

This remains one of the “top” grocery shop for the gentry. Increasingly, the shop is full of tourists as most of the gentry will order over the phone or online.

The shop has had a refit several years ago and the “food” shopping is now over 2 floors – ground and basement. The rest of the floors are occupied by cooking equipment, bric-a-brac, clothes and restaurants. The fountain restaurant is still located on the ground floor where you can have cakes, welsh rabbit, salads etc.

On the ground floor, you can purchase, jam, mustard and various condiments, wine, tea, coffee, chocolates and cakes.

In the basement, you can still get pies and various smoked fish, pate at the deli. They also have a rack of green grocery – why anyone would come here to buy leeks is beyond me.

The various oils and vinegars located at the back of the basement still contain all sorts of wonderful stuff including proper aged balsamic vinegar and single estate olive oil. I was not so impressed with the spice and herb section – they only have the basic stuff (years ago, they had a wonderful selection like Dean and Deluca in New York).

They also have an unusual counter that sell insects from chocolate ants to deep fried tarantula – apparently a delicacy in Indonesia.

On the ground floor, they have various types of coffee and tea – The Algerian Coffee Store has a better selection at a lower price. Mind you, I don’t believe people shop here for anything other than the label as whilst I was there, people were going for all the pre-pack stuff in containers which bear the shop’s name.

Prices here are astronomical - for example, a caddy of this year’s Darjeeling First Flush (Spring tips) is now £25 for 100g – it does come in a nice box. When I  first started drinking this several years ago, it was £17.50 for 100g. A 250g box of Chocolate is £20 (c.f. a box of Leonidas is around £20 for 800g. Well, you get the picture.

They also do a roaring trade in wine. Their own label wines are usually quite good. On the whole, please nopte that F&M does not manufacture anything – its all sourced in and most are re-labelled under the F&M brand to “add values and price”.

From a shopping point of view, it’s worth going because it is a well know historic institution. However, nearly all their products can be purchased elsewhere at a lower price – under a different label.

By the way, they do not sell wet fish. You have to go to Selfridges or Harrods or a fish monger for that. 

E