Middleton Monday - Fortnum & Mason

In honor of today's Middleton Monday, I've dedicated today to one of my London loves - Fortnum & Mason

Back in March 2012, Kate along with Camilla and the Queen Mother popped into Fortnum & Mason to see the store's renovated restaurant- The Diamond Jubilee Tea Station, which was named to mark the Queen's 60 years on the throne. 

Our girl looked polished as always in a blue coat by the italian label M by Missoni - and I think she did a repeat underneath with her Zara blue cornflower dress. 

Fortnum & Mason, the quintessentially English store in the heart of Piccadilly, has been a part of London life for more than 300 years! Fortnum and Mason was founded in 1707 and has since become a British icon. F&M is recognized internationally for its high quality goods and has held numerous Royal Warrants over the past 150 years.

Founded as a grocery store, F&M’s rep was built on supplying quality food and saw rapid growth throughout the Victorian era. Though it has developed into a department store now recently expanded to offering jewelry, beauty products and garments, it continues to focus on stocking a variety of exotic, specialty and basic foods, spices, jams and teas.

 

Fruit and Flower section on the ground floor of Fortnum & Mason

The St. James Hamper

The English Essentials Hamper 

Although they offer a large range of goods, Fortnum & Mason is famed for its loose-leaf tea and its world-renowned luxury picnic hampers (I WANT ONE SO BAD…and I know my mom would love one as well). The store first distributed these hampers to Victorian High Society for events such as the Henley Regatta and Ascot Races. These hampers – which contain luxury items such as stilton cheese, champagne, quails eggs and smoked salmon – remain super popular today, especially around Christmas time and can cost anywhere from £35 up to £25,000. If you're wondering, I would love love LOVE the English Essentials Hamper...just saying. 

Happy Middleton Monday!