Fortnum & Mason

Afternoon tea.  Biscuits.  Wicker hampers.  These are the things that Fortnum & Mason are known for ... at least, to those who live in England, or, perhaps have a friend who does.

Broucher.

"First founded in London’s Piccadilly in 1707, we are proud to have remained an essential destination for anyone in search of extraordinary food, exceptional service and joy-giving things ever since. Everyone remembers their first encounter with us, and no wonder – over our centuries of history, we have been committed to delivering a sense of pleasure to anyone who walks through our doors."

I'll be honest - I had never heard of Fortnum & Mason when one of their aforementioned wicker hampers showed up on my doorstep, a (VERY) generous Christmas gift from a friend, who had lived in London for a while.  It was loaded with goodies, mostly classic English products, many of which I'll admit I was unfamiliar with.  But this is very much Fortnum & Mason's thing, wicker gift hampers, you send to your friends (unless you live in the UK, where you can visit their stores in person, attend high tea, etc).  It promised, and delivered, joy.

I didn't read up on the company history that much, but, wow, around since 1707?  Clearly, an institution there, even if I hadn't heard of it.

Christmas Provisions Hamper: Conents.

"From little to large, food hampers to picnic baskets, gourmet food boxes to gift hampers, our handwoven wickers come in all shapes and sizes - and for all manner of occasions too. Whether a birthday, retirement, new house, new job, new beginning or new arrival, send a hamper packed full of extraordinary things to eat, drink and enjoy."

Our hamper was large, and filled to the brim, with condiments, confections, desserts, coffee and tea.  I couldn't wait to dive in.

Christmas Provisions Hamper: Guide.

It came with a guide describing what was inside, along with guidance on how to best serve each item - the Christmas Shimmering Strawberry Preserve and Buck's Fizz Orange Marmalade should go on my hot-buttered toast Christmas morning or my Boxing Day leftover cold meats.  Speaking of Boxing Day, the including Boxing Day Pickle is to be used as garnish alongside my turkey, ham, or beef.  And they are sure to clarify that the Sparkling Spiced Rum Butter is "essential" to pairing with the St. James Christmas Pudding.

Since I wasn't entirely familiar with some of this, I appreciated the (opinionated!) guide.

Confections / Snacks

I started with all the confections, of which our hamper had several.  They were all fine, but not remarkable in any way.

Reindeer Bites

First up, the beautiful looking "Reindeer Bites".

They were ... fine.  Thick white chocolate shell, smooth enough slightly minty white chocolate ganache inside.

I wanted more mint flavor, and a smoother filling though.

***.

Cocoa Dusted Milk Chocolate Almonds.

"As tempting from the outside as they are inside, these traditional confections are as welcome a gift as they are an after dinner treat. Milk chocolate and almonds have also been happy partners, and our delicious milk chocolate almonds are finished with a dusting of exquisite cocoa to elevate the flavour and experience even further. Made from the finest ingredients, these chocolate-covered almonds are an irresistible treat for all to enjoy."

Next, a little tin of cocoa dusted and milk chocolate coated almonds.

These were ok.  Absolutely not distinct in any way.  No different from any other brand almond coated in milk chocolate and cocoa.

The almond was crunchy, a bit too roasted for my taste though, it made the almond flavor very pronounced and fairly bitter.  The chocolate was soft and decent enough quality, but certainly not remarkable.

There isn't much more to say about them.  Highly average.

***.

Dark Chocolate Coated Ginger.

"As tempting from the outside as they are inside, these traditional confections are as welcome a gift as they are an after dinner treat. The warming and spicy bite of ginger is complemented by bitter, velvety dark chocolate – creating a delectable treat that’s difficult to put down."

Next, another tin, this with dark chocolate ginger.

These were more interesting than the chocolate covered almonds.

The dark chocolate was a richer flavor than the simple milk chocolate on the almonds, but it also was really sweet.  Strangely sweet.

The good sized ginger chunk inside packed a bit of a bite.  But still ... not much different from any other brand of similar item, and again, not distinctive in any way.

***.

Christmas Stuffing Nuts.

"The most wonderful nut of this festive season. Combining the classic flavours of sage and onion stuffing over a simply delicious selection of nuts. Fortnum's Christmas Stuffing Nuts are just like Christmas in a jar."

Next, something savory: "Christmas Stuffing Nuts".

Ok, these were awesome.  I also thought the packaging was unique, a sealable glass jar with a rubber seal and old school hinge.  I was glad to add it to my pile of fun jars once it was empty.

But the nuts.  Inside the jar was mixed nuts (almonds, cashews, brazil nuts, pistachios), with a fascinating "stuffing" coating.

Christmas Stuffing Nuts: Close Up.

The distribution of nuts was more strongly in the almonds direction than anything else, which was a bit regrettable, as the nuts I was most excited about were brazil nuts and cashews.  But all were well coated and seasoned.

The coating is made with a bunch of herbs (sage, rosemary), plus requisite stuffing ingredients like onion, garlic, and, to make it festive, dried cranberries.  The coating was delicious, it really was stuffing-esque.  Not necessarily what I think of putting on nuts, but it made them a fun savory snack (although they do have sugar in the coating too), and I could instantly imagine a slew of applications for them besides just finger food snacks.  Chopped up on top of mashed butternut squash?  Chopped and added to actual stuffing?  So many possibilities.  I loved the bits of fried, dried onion that I sometimes found too.

Which nut I was most into changed nearly every time I had a handful.  Many days it was the cashews.  Strangely, it was never the brazil nuts, the ones I expected to like the most.  Oh, and the funniest part?  More times than not, the almonds, the ones I was feeling so "eh" over, ended up my favorite, as the seasonings were the perfect match for the almond flavor.  The only ones I never really wanted were the pistachios.

There were even days when I liked the dried cranberries, again, the flavors just worked, and even though I'm not a dried cranberry fan in general, here, yup, I wanted them.

Overall, really a fun, unique, tasty product.

****+.

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Pistachio Turkish Delight.

"Fortnum’s exquisite Turkish Delight has been made in Istanbul by the same family-owned firm of artisans for 20 years. 

Crafted from an exclusive, traditional recipe, our firm, fragrant Turkish Delight is flavoured with nutty pistachio and lavishly powdered with icing sugar."

Finally, turkish delight, which I wasn't really excited for in any way.

But ... these were the exception to every other Turkish delight I've ever encountered.  They weren't awful!  They didn't let me down!

Another person I shared them with agreed.

Soft, nice chew, lovely pistachio flavor.  Best turkish delight I've ever had.

****.

Baked Goods

Next up was the baked goods.  These were all very, very British.

Christmas Cranberry & Cognac Fruit Cake.

"It’s no surprise our Fruit Cakes - from our delicious Dundee Cakes to the decorated marzipan kind - have stood the test of Christmastime. All satisfyingly rich and filled with luscious fruits, this Christmas favourite mustn’t be missed from your feasting table."

Yes, Fortum & Mason makes an assortment of fruitcakes.  And I had one.

I'll admit it now.  When I tried this, I had previously only had fruitcake once in my life, at the Sheraton on the Park in Sydney, when they served it in the Executive Lounge during the holidays.  I am not anti-fruitcake exactly, just, mostly unfamiliar.

The Cranberry & Cognac seemed to be the fanciest though, not only because of the cognac, but also, the extensive toppings.

It came beautifully packaged.

Fruit Cake: Unpackaged.

"True to hearty, heady Christmas traditions, this handmade Cranberry & Cognac Fruit Cake will truly elevate your festive feast."

I broke into it to reveal the block of fruitcake.

I'll be honest, I wasn't sure where to go from here.  Did I slice it? Warm it? Top it with something?

Was it breakfast? Dessert?

I turned to the internet for answers.

It seemed clear that everyone has unique theories on what you should do with fruitcake, how to consume it, and when.

Simply sliced, room temp, with tea for afternoon treat was most common.  With vanilla ice cream or clotted cream certainly seemed more appealing to me, which some do recommend.  Others still mention serving it with a slice of nice cheddar, which reminded me of Fergus Henderson's famous Eccles cake from St. John (which I've had before in London!), or, closer to home, my family's way of serving apple pie with a slice.

So I tried it many ways.  I had a whole 1200+ calorie fruitcake to consume myself, after all!

Fruit Cake: Inside.

First, I just sliced off a piece, which gave me a great glimpse into what it was made of.

The mix of fruit was raisins, currants, cranberries, glacé cherries, and figs, plus a little bit of candied citrus peel.  Also in the mix of course was the cake base (flour, butter, sugar, egg), but it was minimal compared to the fruit components.  Oh, and of course, cognac.

And then the topping: more glacé cherries, both red and green (so festive!), and nuts (pecans, hazelnuts, almonds), and sweet apricot glaze.

I tried it.  It was sweet.  Very, very sweet.  I expected a dessert item of course, and knew it had candied fruit, but, wow, sweet.

Basically, a moist, dense cake, mostly made from very sweet dried fruit.  Not just dried fruit though, clearly, sweetened, and infused from the soaking, dried fruit.  Unlike most dried fruit, it was quite soft, not chewy.

I'm not sure why it was called "Cranberry & Cognac" fruit cake though, as the cranberry was not the dominant fruit.  The cognac though was clearly essential to the recipe.

Fruitcake with Gouda.

It was clear to me that it was really too sweet to just eat on its own in a large slice.  I needed to temper it somehow.  Normally I go for whipped cream or ice cream with my sweet desserts, but this was just so sweet already that the idea of savory cheese sounded much better.

I didn't have any cheddar though, so I made due with gouda.

It ... kinda worked, but I really needed a sharper, aged cheese.  A serious cheddar would have done miracles.

Fruitcake with Whipped Cream.

Next I tried whipped cream, as I didn't have clotted cream.

It did help, but, since my whipped cream (just from a can) was sweetened, it was still just a bit too sweet overall.

Next up, I heated it, and paired with ice cream, but since I like ice cream paired with hot desserts, but that still wasn't quite it for me.

The best version, which I finally discovered, was paired with some very slightly sweetened whipped creme fraiche.  The tangy, not sweet, nature helped compliment the crazy sweet fruitcake.

Let's just say ... I think fruitcake has a reputation for a reason.  I finished it, but, it took some effort to really enjoy.  Acquired taste?

***.

St James Christmas Pudding.

"Handmade at every stage, our St James Christmas Pudding is filled with delicious dried fruits and a well-judged quantity of Pusser's Full-Strength Navy Rum alongside Fortnum's Cognac. Pair with our rich Cognac Butter for added spicy aromas and a delicious, boozy kick."

"This light and elegant Fortnum's St James Christmas Pudding contains the finest dried fruits – Vostizza currants, Californian raisins and Turkish sultanas – as well as a well-judged quantity of Pusser’s Full-Strength Navy Rum and Fortnum’s own cognac, which is softer on the palate than ordinary cooking brandy. A small team of experienced cooks complete every stage by hand, from buttering the bowls to tying on the muslin lids, and the puddings are carefully matured so that they are as good as homemade. Made with vegetable suet in place of the traditional beef suet, this will please even those who aren’t wild about Christmas pudding."

Next up, another holiday "favorite", like fruit cake, certainly an acquired taste: traditional steamed boozy pudding, the St. James's pudding.  Made from a similar base of dried fruits like the fruit cake (raisins, sultanas, currants) this time, and citrus (lemon zest, orange juice, candied orange and lemon peel), and booze (rum and cognac), but a very different product, no sweet glace cherries, no nuts, and a different style of sweetness, very heavy on the sugar, treacle, and molasses.

While you *could* microwave it, instructions were pretty clear that you should steam it, for a full hour and 15 minutes.  It wasn't hard, but it took time.

While it looked petite, and I wondered about the stated 6 servings, it turns out, much like the fruit cake, just a little of this went a long way.  So sweet, so dense.  

It was ... ok.  I wished I had the cognac butter to pair with (I had already used it), but set about trying a few things: butter (yup, definitely good to soak in and give more richness), Cool Whip (hey it was on hand), which actually worked ok, and ice cream.  Amusingly, a mix of butter and cool whip worked best.

Anyway, it was fine.  Very very heavy in the dried fruits, and just like the fruitcake, something you need to be in the mood for.

***.

Christmas Classic Biscuit Selection.

"A collection of every biscuit from our ‘Tall Tin’ biscuit range, this delightful assortment includes buttery Rose, delicate Violet, decadent Chocolate & Macadamia, festive Walnut, Apricot & Orange and fiery Lucifer’s Biscuits. The perfect assortment of biscuits for an afternoon of dunking this festive season."

Our hamper also had a tin of assorted cookies.  Er, biscuits that is.

I had a hard time figuring out what each of the biscuits was.  Partially because the first one I picked up looked like it had pistachios in it.  I looked at the list of cookies in the tin:

• Chocolate & Macadamia Nut
• Rose
• Violet
• Lucifer (Ginger & Chilli)
• Walnut
• Apricot & Orange (also known as "Christmas Teatime Biscuits").

None of these sounded like pistachio.  Literally, the only one I could identify was the chocolate & macadamia nut.  I could kinda guess the rose and violet.  But after that?  Confusion, as I saw pistachios, I saw raisins.  I still think the tin just had invalid information on it.

Anyway, Fortnum & Mason makes an insane number of biscuits, mostly little tea cookies like these, some more shortbread style, others more like florentines, but mostly, just little cookies designed to go along with tea.  I was amused by some of the names though:  Cornish Fairings, Lancashire Flips & Yorkshire Parkin.  Uh, wat?

I'm not a cookie girl, but I tried all 6 varieties.  I liked them, strangely.

Christmas Teatime Shortbread (Apricot & Walnut).

"Evoking memories of Christmas past, our Apricot & Walnut biscuit tin is a festive celebration, beautifully complementing our famous teas. Sweet with a hint of tart, and ever so comforting, the biscuits are lifted with the zing of orange and finished with a touch of cinnamon to give it that warming note."

It took me forever to figure out which kind of biscuit this was.  It was the first I tried.  And I kinda liked it.

A shortbread for sure, buttery, sweet.  Inside was little bits of fruit, chewy bits, dried, I think raisins and apricots? (Answer: apricots).  And then crunchy nuts.  Perhaps pecans? Walnuts? (Answer: walnuts).  I really couldn't tell.

By my third cookie, I finally figured out these were the "Apricot & Walnut" cookies, with dark colored Turkish apricots (that is what was throwing me off!), also sold as "Christmas Teatime" biscuits.

I liked it though.  A good shortbread, lots of texture, nice sweetness level.  Perfect alongside a cuppa (coffee, in my case).  My favorite of the 6.

****.

Chocolate & Macadamia Nut Biscuit.

"This best-selling biscuit has attracted quite a following in Fortnum's Food Halls. Intensely chocolatey without being overly rich, each biscuit is made with gently crushed macadamia nuts, plenty of butter and very good chocolate. Crunchy, nutty, buttery and chocolatey - no wonder it has such a loyal fan club."

Next, the chocolate one.

Chocolate shortbread base, good crumble, buttery.  Studded with mini chocolate chips for extra chocolate goodness, and macadamias for some crunch.

Another one I actually liked ... for a little crumbly shortbread cookie.  My second favorite, and just barely in second place.

****.

Lucifer's Biscuit (Ginger & Chilli).

"This surprising biscuit does many things that a biscuit shouldn't - but it's been a huge success among our customers. Each buttery biscuit is made with fresh ginger and just the right amount of chilli; as you munch, the heat builds up slowly and finishes with a warm and well-judged chilli kick. Infernally tempting, it's the biscuit that bites back."

This was a fascinating biscuit.  A slightly softer style, darker color.  The buttery, sweet shortbread didn't come out as strongly, since there were so many other elements.

The first thing I tasted was ginger.  A really nice ginger base.  If you like gingersnaps, this is for you.  It did also have a tiny bit of heat, adding a complexity I've never had paired before with gingersnap.  A slightly fire-y gingersnap.

If this sounds like something you'd like, then, go for it.  For me it was fascinating, but, I'm not that excited about gingersnaps.  Others enjoyed them.  My 4th pick, because it was interesting at least.

***.

Violet Biscuit.

"There is no end to the biscuits that we like to invent, and this particular example is a true original. The crisp butter biscuits are subtly flavoured with French crystallised violets for a gently aromatic taste."

I was feeling pretty optimistic about the biscuits by the time I tried this one, studded with little bits of purple.

But, um, wow.  Yes, I was eating flowers.  This was way too floral for me.

The base was good buttery shortbread, and I liked the bits of almond for crunch, but, gah. Flowers.  I didn't finish it.  Least favorite, no question.  "It is like eating perfume, said another."

**.

Rose Biscuit.

"This sweet, buttery biscuit is studded with almonds and scattered with French crystallised rose petals, which give a very delicate rose flavour that never overpowers. Sophisticated yet crunchy, these biscuits make an elegant addition to afternoon tea."

After the violet one, I was a bit scared by the rose.  Same exact recipe, with almond bits, buttery shortbread base, and this time, "rose fragments".

It was much better, entirely different really.  The rose wasn't nearly as floral or dominant, although it was clearly still there.  It was also very, very sweet.  Rosewater is used for many desserts for a reason.  Think ... a hybrid between an Indian/Persian dessert and an English shortbread.

Overall, this wasn't one I loved, too sweet for me really, my 5th pick overall, and not one I really wanted more of (although I was happy to finish the one I had), but others enjoyed these quite a bit.

**+.

Walnut? Pistachio?

"These crisp, light and buttery biscuits are rich in the finest English clotted cream. Added to the mix are chunks of pistachio, producing an extremely moreish nuttiness and crunch."

And finally, the ... pistachio.  I'm sorry, these were not walnut. They were clearly pistachio.  I think my tin was mislabelled.

A simple, sugar butter shortbread, with bits of nuts.  Fine, tasty, but I liked the one that had bits of fruit in it slightly more, making it my third pick.  Very solid classic shortbread.

***.

Condiments

And lastly, our hamper had some spreads to enjoy with our morning toast, all very festive in nature.  These were all winners.

Christmas Sparkling Spiced Rum Butter.

"Fortnum's Sparkling Spiced Rum Butter is the ultimate accompaniment to mince pies or Christmas pudding. Gently spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg and swirled with edible glitter, this is decadence at its most delicious. "

Hold the presses.  And go get this.

This was crazy delicious.  Available *only* as part of hampers, so, if you are hoping to get just it, sorry, no luck.

One tiny taste and I was hooked.  I didn't need a mince pie, Christmas pudding, nor fruitcake to go with it.  I was happy to just lick this from a knife (I mean, what, I didn't do that).  It was great even just on toast or a bagel too.  So boozy, so very boozy.  Kinda sweet.  Slightly spiced.  Great texture, slightly thick, spreadable, and melted in beautifully to any warm item I put it on.  The sparkle wasn't really noticeable, but yes, it has edible glitter in it.

I did eventually have it with a Christmas pudding (although not their brand, it was a Waitrose Remy Martin aged Christmas pudding, and, although the rum of course accented the cognac, it wasn't really how I preferred to eat this).

Butter + sugar + rum + spices + uh, edible glitter is as awesome as you'd expect it to be.

****+.

Bucks Fizz Marmalade
with edible glitter. Medium Cut.

"A fizzy, festive twist for Christmas breakfast."

"Open the ultimate breakfast marmalade, bold and balanced with complex citrus flavours and Marc de Champagne. Glittering with edible silver sparkles, this is a festive treat worth"

Have you ever thought, "gee, you know what my marmalade needs?  It needs glitter!"  No?  Yeah, me either, but Fortnum & Mason set out to solve a need we never knew we had with the the Buck's Fizz Marmalade.

Buck's Fizz Marmalade: Side View.

"Our Bucks Fizz Marmalade is lovingly made in Oxfordshire with Seville oranges, prosecco and a dash of Marc de Champagne. Each jar is speckled with gold sparkles and contains a lightly crystallised slice of fresh orange."

The marmalade starts out as classic orange marmalade, with large, fairly stunning, pieces of orange, zest and all.  Even in the jar, it is a stunner.

The flavor is of course citrusy and tangy, as any marmalade should be.  Both brown and white sugar balance it out, turning it into a sweet spread, but it still retains quite a bit of zing.  I can't say I tasted the prosecco or marc de champagne, but they must have added ... something? 

And ... the glitter?  Well, it made the jar sparkle, for sure, but I found that once it was spread onto anything, it was quickly lost.  Fun, still lovely to present this way, but not actually useful in practice.

Overall, a fine marmalade, and a lovely looking item to give as a gift.

***+.

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Strawberry & Fortnum’s Champagne Preserve

"This favourite among English jams uses two types of strawberry: sweet and juicy Cambridge Favourite and little Tiega strawberries from Turkey.  To add more flavour and sparkle, we stir in a modest helping of Fortnum's champagne and Marc de Champagne."

"Packed with sweet and juicy Cambridge Favourite strawberries, miniature Tiega strawberries from Turkey, and a helping of both Fortnum’s champagne and Marc de Champagne - a similar drink to Grappa, made from the grape reminace, stems, skins and pits from the Champagne making process."

The sparkly marmalade had a friend in the strawberry preserve, another shimmering spread.  I didn't really taste champagne in it, but, it was good strawberry jam, er, preserve.  Better than average, and yes, it had glitter ... that you couldn't really see when it was spread on toast.

***+.