Fortnum and Mason

It has been my habit or rather tradition over the years to do a major part of my Christmas shopping at Fortnum and Mason. While their selection of food is rather traditional and heavy-weight for consumption most of the year round it is just the ticket for a hearty winter solstice feast and to put fire into your blood for braving the dark and chilly winter London streets. The traditional recipes are almost a taste of Dickensian London, however it seems that not all is well at the Windsor’s favourite grocery store and for the first time in my life I have faced the disappointment of sub-standard produce compounded with disdainful service. One of the highlights of the Christmas treats has always been their Champagne Truffles, perfect for passing round the dinner table when nobody has room for a helping of Christmas pudding - but not any more. Tempted to sample one early we were disappointed to find that they had been reduced to sickeningly sweet flavourless balls with a distinctively cocoa powder after-taste worthy of a Woolworths stocking-filler; they had to go back.

Now I know that shop-girls are renowned for their stunningly gormless remarks so it was in keeping with the mythology that claiming that we could not return them as we had “disturbed the packaging” but upon greeting a shop manager it seemed remarkably sloppy that he should seem so disdainful and uninterested. He could have at least have said that he was slightly sorry that we didn’t like his chocolates but he really didn’t give a damn. Perhaps they only care about their American tourist clientele now who are so used to the taste of Oreos that Ferrero Rocher seem like fine chocolate?

From now on we are getting our Christmas treats from La Maison du Chocolat, now that is what I call fine chocolate.