Christmas 2024
- Thread starter Lullabelle
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- christmas
If it's from Geordieland, it's probably a bottle of Newquie Brown or some canny scran...
I don't want to know what outrageous price you paid for some coffee, tea, marmalade, shortbread and a few chocolates....
Harrod's is not a popular brand right now. Maybe you don't know about all that but it's been in the news a lot here.
It’s not been a big story here, but it did tickle the headlines for a bit.
Just for fun, I went through to see what the cost would be if I swapped in readily-available American items for the Harrod’s ones, and I did it in two tiers (because I have no life
) - one using just average name-brand products and one using more upscale products, and you might be surprised. You know what really costs, if trying to replace like for like? The hamper itself. Yes, I can get open baskets for cheaper, but a closed hamper with those types of fasteners in that size isn’t a cheap as I thought it would be.
Of course, I could be very diligent and conduct and exhaustive search, but I based mine on about 20 minutes of research, just for fun. That wicker was kicker.
I used to take international (language) students to Harrod's in the 1970's. It was literally a cultural experience, with the very finest British (and some international) brands available. We'd wander around the store and then have Afternoon Tea on the top floor.
In the 80s and 90s, it was more or less the same. However, my last 3 visits (2008, 2015, 2022) have convinced me that Harrod's is just an appallingly expensive outlet for people who want to throw their money away. The ground floor has been "franchised" - so you get a Dolce & Gabbana space, a Calvin Klein space, a Gucci place, a Versace place, a Chanel place... The food hall has been decimated and now only occupies about 1/8th of the space it used to have. I can actually remember going there just to see the Fish presentation. I believe in that moment, it cost over £1,000 a day just for that; but the store made that amount in the first 5 minutes of opening. Now, the Food Hall is a glorified M&S. I , for one, will not be going back there.
That’s not quite fair on M&S
M&S focus on selling the best quality available at that price point, which his now often very close to usual supermarket prices. Harrods though has turned into a theme park for tourists - not that it doesn’t still have some good stuff!
Fortnum and Mason’s however still produces a lot of the same food products is has for hundreds of years. They started making hampers in 1700 n something. You can still order a variety of fresh lunch hampers from them now.
I don’t think their products are badly priced for premium products, £5.95 for a jar of marmalade isn’t horrendous.
Harvey Nichols though, I think that place can be a bit kings clothes.
Agreed. Next year TastyReuben maybe try a Fortnum and Mason hamper? I am not sure really why you want these Christmas hampers (usually hampers are given as gifts in the UK not ordered for oneself) and I did once ask you what you did with all those wicker baskets! I can't remember what you said...
We ordered a hamper from F&M one year, and while the hamper was nice enough, it was pricier than a similar one from Harrod’s, but the real deal-breaker going forward is that they’re sold here through Willams-Sonoma, and the selection is very limited and their ordering process and customer service are horrendous. Too many bad experiences with W-S to do that again.
I just looked through theirs! Possible for next year, but a lot of them are just bags/boxes, not actual wicker…to me, it ain’t a hamper without the hamper!
It’s a gift we give ourselves (have you never treated yourself to something special?) and it reminds us of being in England - sure, I could go and buy some Lipton tea and Hersheys chocolate, but it really wouldn’t be the same, right?
They’re placed around the house. Here are two:
One Harrod’s, one F&M, and we do use them on occasion, like picnics and when we’re traveling next week for Thanksgiving, we’ll have some stuff we’re bringing along packed in a couple. No cardboard boxes for moi!
Well, sometimes I do treat myself. But then it would be something really special such as caviar or fresh truffles. Tea, coffee and biscuits in a wicker hamper wouldn't cut it! It's not luxurious enough.
Good topic for new thread...
20/20 for that. Fortnum & Mason's is still an enjoyable experience; a touch of old school luxury. I bought some hot cross buns for my mum there in 2022. not cheap, but at least they were original F&M. Harrod's has turned into an expensive bazaar.
I guess we all have our thresholds, but for us, it’s more than just the actual items in the hamper, it’s also about the fun of looking through them all online, picking one out, then anticipating its arrival…it’s the whole experience of it all that counts.
It feels very old-fashioned, and prim and proper and, yes, luxurious, even if it is just tea and biscuits…it’s tea and biscuits from a far-flung, almost mythical establishment, and for a little bit after it arrives, it’s like it’s 1910, and we’ve just gotten this nice little delivery. It harkens back to another place and time, really, which makes it feel very special indeed.
I usually order tea, coffee, jam and marmalade from Fortnum and Masons at Christmas (and a couple of other points during the year) for the same reason TR does, it's a bit of a treat and a relatively good value one when you look at the joy you get for the coin you paid.
£6ish for 25 cups of happiness, bargain.
I just really wish I hadn't tried their sugared almonds, normal sugared almonds now just don't cut the mustard and those little beauties aren't cheap
£6ish for 25 cups of happiness, bargain.
I just really wish I hadn't tried their sugared almonds, normal sugared almonds now just don't cut the mustard and those little beauties aren't cheap