It seemed appropriate that I end my British adventure with a bang. I had a number of gifts I needed to purchase, and Rachel had a “wish list” of teas and things she wanted. Not having had much opportunity to shop that week, as virtually all London stores close at 6:30 on most nights, Thursday night was the time to get things done, because most of the major department stores are open late — until around 8 or 9PM. So at the recommendation of a number of folks, I headed over to the legendary Harrods department store — owned by the notable Egyptian businessman Mohamed Al-Fayed (who’s son, Dodi, died in a Paris car crash with Princess Diana in 1997).
I knew that Harrods would be over the top, but I really wasn’t prepared for what was in store. Click on the “Read the rest of this entry” link for more. You won’t be disappointed.
Driving in the cab to Harrods from Gresham Street I got to see some of London’s most famous sights, including the Ferris Wheel on the Thames river.
The Harrods department store, erected in Knightsbridge in 1849.
The entrance to the Food Halls
The food halls are quite magnificent in sheer size, let alone their opulence. This is just one of the several ballroom-sized areas where you can buy any kind of gourmet foodstuffs your heart desires, including places where you can sit down and eat prepared dishes.
The sushi area.
A small selection of chocolates.
The Godiva display.
More fine chocolates on display
A partial view of the fine teas area.
The fine teas counter.
A view of the coffee and tea area.
A very fancy coffee bean dispenser.
I started to get pretty peckish looking at all the food, so I approached one of the cafes, this one specializing in charcuterie and tapas.
Jamon Iberico! I have seen the promised land!
Jabugo Iberico. Not currently avaliable in the US, as it is undergoing FDA approval. That didn’t stop me from ordering a nice sandwich ($30!).
Iberico Ham Sandwich
Cheese counter.
Just a small selection of the fine cheeses avaliable, many of which are raw milk.
The nice counterperson is slicing up some Stilton for me to bring back to my hotel as a snack, along with some nice aged Cheddar.
Here’s a close-up of the Stilton.
And the English Cheddar, a 16-month old.
A view of the Charcuterie and pre-prepared foods area.
A view of the Cheese cafe.
A selection of European Butters.
More butters.
Charcuterie
A number of Biltongs for sale
More charcuterie
Cured hams of all nations
It was pricey, but good.
Caviar
More caviar and smoked salmon
Terrines
Pre-prepared foods area
Aged Beef
Scotch Beef and Dutch Veal roster
Land of Bacon
Fish counter
More fish.
March 12, 2007 at 3:46 pm
That all looks lovely. I’m English, and I have lived in London for 4 years but haven’t been to Harrods - it’s mostly a tourist place.
Looking at all that bacon, I’m reminded of a strange comment someone left here a few posts ago - that British bacon has bones in! What! I’ve never seen nor heard nor tasted bacon with any bits of bone in. Also, the most common bacon here is back bacon, streaky bacon is really only used in stews, caseroles or pig-in-a-blankets, as the fat is not a feature of good bacon, it’s something to be trimmed off.
Wow, never knew I had so much to say on the subject of pig. I hope you liked our city - and will come back to try a greater variety of our national dishes!
March 12, 2007 at 4:46 pm
The variety is incredible and the amounts are massive .. elegant in the extreme …
Last visit there, we went to one of the eight dining options in Harrod’s … and as we were waiting for our order to arrive at the table, there was a flurry of excitement in the middle part of the diningroom .. it seems that the owner, Mohammed Fayed, himself, waltzed through the open space surrounded by his phalanx of bodyguards.
Jovial and gracious, Fayed stopped to chat with some of the patrons as he walked through. The server told us that this was a daily ritual with him and that he makes sure that he is highly visible each week to both his staff and the customers. Hey, this guy knows business backwards and forwards!
He even designed those Egyptian elevators and a pyramid on the top floor in which he expects to be buried one day …
March 12, 2007 at 7:22 pm
Nice pictures. They bring back happy memories of London trips. The food halls at Harrods are definitely spectacular, and are by far my favorite part of the store.
If you are ever in Berlin, you should check out the similar food hall on the top floor of the Ka Da We. It’s not as wonderfully elegant and visually spectacular, but the breadth of food selections is actually considerably larger, and probably used for daily shopping by the locals much more often. I wish they had something like either place in New York.
March 12, 2007 at 8:08 pm
Jason, just give me one reason why such a place could, or rather, does not exist in NYC or else State side ?
Besides, KADEWE in Berlin got Harrods beat.
March 12, 2007 at 11:02 pm
“Notable” is not the first word I’d chose to describe Mohamed Al-Fayed.
March 12, 2007 at 11:13 pm
Wow Jason…nice job. I was just there last week! I wish I had known you were there. I stayed in St. James and gorged myself on good pub fare like fish/chips, cumberland sausage, and beans. Yum. I would also recommend Fortunum & Mason just up the street on Piccadilly for teas, chocolates and all sorts of odd jams and spreads. I bought a tasty candy bar called a Kendal Mint Cake. I have to disagree with Kat though. I ate streaky bacon with my beans one morning and it was quite good.
March 13, 2007 at 9:01 am
Good god Jason. Its like some evil scientist mated Disney Land with a gourmet food shop.
March 30, 2007 at 8:55 pm
food hall is out of this world we always have the lobster
July 19, 2008 at 5:40 am
The food hall is amazingly PACKED. Once you go upstairs, its less crowded. Tucked away behind the high end dining ware stuff on the upper level is an excellent kitchen ware shop - where I got my replacement french press for a decent price.