Tea Time in Wonderland

Posts Tagged ‘shopping’

The British keep a fascinating relationship to Xmas. From respecting splendid traditions to a terrifying commercial exploitation of the theme, or even modernizing it to the extreme (I saw fluo Xmas tress @ selfridge’s last year with sparkly reindeers)…

And they start preparing it early. I mean real early. Like now.

In August, a few cards will appear on the shelves here and there. Supermarkets will start promoting 1kg tin boxes of Celebrations and Quality Street – buy one get one free! Pubs and restaurants will hurry you to book your Xmas party, you don’t want to be late and left out, do you? In September, shops will shyly put forward their themed products too.

Even more fascinating are Selfridge’s and Harrods’ Christmas shops. At the latter, a huge room is dedicated to the occasion, thousands of decorations and cards arranged with great care… The whole place takes a leap in time:

For serial shoppers, this is true happiness. I have seen Americans buying a pile of real feathers angel wings… Japanese walking around with a basket of  bright garlands and balls… French admiring traditional candy canes…

But the real tourist hasn’t been forgotten:

Each one will find the perfect icon to decorate the tree this year…

In this country, you will even find cards for cats and dogs. Mums do not escape the fashion either:

Ideal gift for a baby shower, even if the decoration probably will only be used once.

Of course, you’ll find the perfect shoe size, er, stocking size to fit your wishlist…

Don’t forget the crackers…

…although you will find some will definitely explode your budget!

Harrods
Xmas shop 2nd floor
87-135 Brompton Road
Knightsbridge
London SW3 1RT

British seem to have a dual relationship with fashion. Either they will be very discreet, faded colours, shapeless clothes or strict tie and suit. Or they will mix and match styles, colours, textures, add a pinch of crazyness, a doze of retro, of vintage, of rock’n'roll. Flashy colours, boots in summer, high heels that wouold give you vertigo.

I am particularly fascinated by the hats. French, well, they will settle for a bob, a cap, perheaps a Michael Jackson/Billie Jean kind of hat. But here, what a collection you have for weddings and Ascott! 9 years in the country and I still gasp in wonder (and jealousy, I never dared to wear one of those although I’m dying to).  Some are large enough in diameter to be small parasols. Others are sculptural by their minimalism. Fascinating.

One of my favourite mad hatters is Gina Foster. I never go to High Street Kensington without a stroll via ther almost hidden Church Lane to see what she has in store…

Want something unique? Oh, she’ll have it. She’ll make every head turn!

Gina Foster
5 Kensington Church Walk
Kensington
London, W8 4NB

Fancy more classical but as stylish? Try CA4LA…

This is a real summer. I am amazed every single day by the lovely temperatures. Makes me feel like dancing and jumping around! Unfortunately,  when you are 3 weeks from giving birth, you look more like a whale, the elegance is gone. Soon snails will overcome me on the pavement. I’m counting on you to tell me about London gems!

- The free ping-pong tables project finally is launched tomorrow. Rush to St Pancras!

- You have until Friday to enjoy the food festival @ the Old Spitalfields market – cooking demonstration and free tasting, yummmy!

- On Friday, the Design Museum goes mad for recycling and green art. You can even try electric bikes. All this listening to a fab percussionist!

- Visit the parliament!

- Why not celebrate the 60ies @ Carnaby Street?

- Time to revise your Picasso knowledge…

- London parks are getting festive too!

- Add a pinch of poetry… and learn about Keats’ life right in the house and gardens where he used to live…

- Summer school holidays are on! Struggling to come up with ideas to keep the kids busy? You’re gonna love O2: mini golf, water games, trampolines…

- Or initiate them to opera with this version of Mr Fox -  only a few pounds.

- Did you know a few falcons actually nest on the Modern’s Tate chimney? Here is a chance to learn more!

- Sushi AND fusion food? Count me in!

- oh, and I’ll have cherry granita for desert…

- Speaking of ice-cream, Ben and Jerry’s launch their music and sweet treats festival this week-end @ Clapham…

- How could you resist a designers’ market?

- Follow Time Out to discover the oldest parts of London…

- Opera, art, walks, a pinch of madness with the in-transit festival….

- Too hot? I know what you need: a water tournament!

You’ll find me having a mocktail with friends @ Vista, a bar on a roof with a view on Trafalgar Square… I’ll also be following my friend Celine, a street-art specialist, to discover some more in London!

Ask any Froggie where his cheese heaven is in London, and he will answer Neal’sYard Dairy, La Fromagerie or la Cave a fromages.
Alternatively, the Borough Market is quite an experience (especially if like me, you do stop at every stall to taste).

For a more picturesque time, I love Paxton and Whitfield. They hold a quaint shop in the gentlemen’s quarters, Jermyn street. And trust me, it hides wonders. It used to only be a stall @ Aldwych market in 1742… Thanks to the partnership of Mr Paxton and Mr Whitfield, it could settle here in 1797. So chic royalty fell for it too -  Queen Victoria appointed them official cheesemongers in 1850. And they still have the honour of servir her Majesty the Queen and Prince Charles.

XXth century proved harder – competition of continental cheese, two world wars… Still they made it -  switching to grocery style, adding cream, eggs, milk, butter to their shelves. Even Winston churchill was a fan, swearing that A gentleman only buys his cheese at Paxton and Whitfield…

Just step in and smell… How wonderful! You’ll find here the very best of French and British spcialties… The inside is adorable, the counter is covered with delights, here and there a touch of another time… The team is also so very friendly (even though you’re only taking pictures) and are happy to make you taste this or that novelty.

Fancy a different celebration / wedding? Try this, order a cheese – pyramid!

Sliding to modern times -  you can now order online.  Or join the cheese club for £35 a month and get a special delivery of 4 cheese by courrier…

Paxton and Whitfield
93 Jermyn St
St James
London
SW1Y 6JE

One of my first memories of England is stepping in a Woolworths and watching, fascinated, grannies chosing sweets, one by one from a pick and mix range. Depending on the time of the day, they would be replaced by kids just out of school or teenagers going to the movies…

Supermarkets have since exploited the idea. Even M&S have theirs now. Pleasure multiplied by the variety of tastes and the possibility of trying a new variety or event just take the pink ones only because you like them better… Mr Humbug also seems to extend, there’s even one @ Waterloo station: rowas of jars filled with classic sweets. Touristic villages also tend to play this nostalgic note to attract visitors of the day.

However, it all misses, I don’t know, a touch of magic. The jars usually are plastic, cheap, remind me of a supermarket range. Buying them under a colod electric light tends to erase the charm too.

Strolling through the flower stalls on Columbia rd, I stepped into Suck and Chew. How different! A rainbow of colours and a retro atmosphere too… Glass jars of all sizes, cormonation mugs filled with lollipops, Ladybid books from the 70ies, labels as if typed on a writig machines, forgotten flavours, truffles, British flags planted amonst them, the kindness of the staff… Although you do have a £10 notes, you’re looking for coins in your pocket. You’re going to have two liquorice ones, and, er, three rhubarb and custards, and one kola cube and… Your mouth is watering already.

Sparkling with sweet happiness!

Suck and chew
130 Columbia Rd
London E2 7RG

Open Saturdays 13.00-16.30 and Sundays 09.00-16.30

Fancy a little more sugar and childhood nostalgia? Try Hope and Greenwood @ Covent Garden…

Ready for the week-end? Steady… go!

- Wish the Queen a happy birthday: every year a special parade takes place but do arrive early!

- Vintage and retro shopping? Try the Cabbages and Frocks market every Saturday…

- Enter the Matrix @ the White Cube gallery…

- Have a free ice cream @ Covent Garden on Saturday

- Go for a magical and musical bus ride on Saturday -  it’s all part of  Spitafields’ music festival!

- Love knitting? Give up pub-crawls for a knit crawl for a change…

- It’s summer fair time! Try Marylebone for a farmers’ market, kids’ games and music, of course! There’s also a summer pop-up bar around there….

- Use forgotten empty spaces in London? The answer in pictures…

- Barbican plays it mysterious, surreal and full of desires…

- Meet Marvel’s superheroes @ Mme Tussaud…

- Get a new skin @ the Wallace collection…

- There’s still time to grab a ticket for the Hampton Court Festival – always with a fireworks finale…

- Decide to take a day off next week for a £3 lunch!

- This way for a brand new look on London….

- England, shocking? @ the Tate only…

You’ll find me… all around London, discovering secret gardens open specially for the Open Garden Square week-end…

This week-end is planned to be rain-free – throw away your umbrellas!

- Museums will be open late this week-end – check the events here!

- Happy Birthday to the Tate, 10 years old! A fab program is planned for the coming days. The occasion to see their community garden too, generally closed to the public (a few pics here)

- Stop at Fortnum and Mason, skip the delicatessen part, head for the first floor and have a look at some calorie-free but appetizing works of art…

- Chase a giant banana, it’s for a good cause… Or would you prefer a few steps of tango?

- Surely you will not resist a little shopping? The Spirit of Summer Fair will compensate for the missing sun…

- A little girl’s dream: the dollhouse festival. So cute!

- Why not a pop-quizz @ Selfridges? (And if you are hunting elephants, you’ll find one close to their official elephant shop)

- Finf out more about the Women’s library archives…

You’ll find me… savouring tapas @ Casa Brinsida, discovering the newly re-opened Florence Nightingale museum, and -so not laugh!- at the cress festival to enjoy their farmers’ market. Your turn: what are your advice for the week-end?

- How about a ghost hunt with the London Ghost week?

- Yummy times! Head for the Real Food festival for a gourmet experience. Plenty to taste, countless demonstrations! Great for kids too with a butter churning workshop, milking demonstrations, animals to pet…

- Fairtrade fan? Join the party! Film and music also are part of the fun.

- if you love vintage clothes,  head for Clerkenwell!

- Add a little elegance to your week-end with the Grace Kelly exhibition @ the V&A…

- Take the boys (whichever age, grown ups included) to dream @ the Toy boat exhibition @ the Greenwich Maritime Museum. Adorable. There’s a pond whithin Greenwich Park where you can rent a small boat and go round or just bring your own toys to float… And why not stop @ the Greenwich food market for a bite?

- Don’t miss the Covent Garden May Fayre and Puppet festival. We went last year and had a fab time with the non-stop Punch and Judy shows and admiring the collection of puppets… A few pictures this way (sorry, the text will be in French though).

- Why not a pics exhibition? Atlas presents faces of our times – splendid photos of famous people that marked our century. Albert Einstein, the Queen Elicabeth II, Picasso…

- if you like knowing all the tricks, try the I remember you exhibition, a film in which Keira Knightley plays. You’ll get to see how the scenes were prepared.

- Dance in the streets! Well at least, Carnaby Street…

- Finish with a hit and try these cocktails inspired by the Chelsea Flower Show…

You’ll find me hunting elephants in Green Park. I can’t wait to see the 200 Morris Dancers on Trafalgar Square on Saturday. What are your plans?

A future trip in mind? Want a bit of adventure in your life? Take refuge @ Stanfords, THE ideal travel bookshop.

Classical and original guidebooks,  funny social studies (try the ones on the French for a good laugh. Trust me, I am French), detailed maps for any country you might think of… You will fill your bag a lot more than you expected!

In 1852, Edward Stanfords thought hard about the British colonies expansion: travels were the future, he was convinced. To be successful, you need to be the best and to prove different. He got huge maps of various continents printed -  gentlemen loved to show off those in their reading room – even better, he ordered the first precise map of London (though it is only in 1966 that the first A to Z, with its complete listing of streets, was published. Did you know a woman was behind it all? Read Mrs P’s journey to learn more!). He was applauded by the Royal Geographical Society for it.

From 1947 on, the company focuses on foreign mapping. They act as pionneers at the type. You name it, they have it: topographic, thermic, geological, hiostorical, nautical… Their reputation is a success in no time. Even Sherlock Holmes in The Hounds of Baskerville buys a map from them! The public is more and more eager to travel -  a huge market opens., whether for generic or out-of-the-way travel books.

Since 2001, you can also find a great range of travel fiction, travel novels, travel stories of all kind. Keep an eye on their website for travel conferences too.

The third floor are a real treasure chest, the decoration surfs on the travel theme too. Oh, and this is the perfect place to find a travel or camping gadget, and gifts for junior or experienced travelers!

Stanfords
12-14 Long Acre
Covent Garden
London WC2E 9LP

What’s around?
- Cocktails!
- Yummy frozen yogurts!
- A cute retro looking sweets shop…
- My favourite cupcakes in all of London…
- A little haven of peace…

Tourist stepping into Harrod’s are often so fascinated with the richness of the food court that they forget to raise their eyes to the Art Nouveau tiles… Sadly, there’s no information to be found abour them on the web. Only the artist’s name, WJ Neatby, does come back as well as the creation date, 1902 (this Harrods building opened in 1905).

On the meat and fish side, the works are dedicated to the key animals…

Each door is surmounted by semi-circular pannel inviting the visitor to step ahead…

The theme is even kept on the fruit and veg side, lemoms and grapes up to the ceilings!

Keep your eyes up for this last one, still pretty modern althouh it is more than a 100 years old, a colourful stained windows ceiling…

And if you feel like practising your French (sorry! Plenty of pictures, though), have a look here for…
- the Egyptian escalator…
- the sweet side of the food court…

Harrods
87–135 Brompton Road
Knightsbridge
London, SW1X 7XL