My favorite food purveyor outside France is London’s Fortnum & Mason. It opened as a grocery store in 1707 and in the ensuing 316 years, has become a preeminent food hall and source for high-end products - teas, salmon, sweets, jams, ham, you name it. If swish eats is your thing, F&M is your place. The store has expanded considerably, but its trademark remains foodstuffs, notably world-renowned exotic delicacies. Three restaurants are located within its walls on Piccadilly and the Fortnum & Mason outdoor clock, built in 1964, chimes the hours while two figures representing the store’s founders, William Fortnum and Hugh Mason, appear and bow to one another. Perhaps F&M are most famous for gourmet food baskets called hampers, a posh gift one remembers forever. But now, in the run-up to King Charles III’s coronation in less than a month, they’ve pulled out all the stops.
© 2024 John Oliver
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