Recently, I set out with a spring in my step most out of sorts with the frosty Friday morning it accompanied. Anyone who saw me strolling along Oxford Street might well have wondered what could inspire such enthusiasm at 8am on a day so icy. Since I hold you dear, my readers, I’ll share with you why. I was on my way to one of my favourite places in the whole of London to test out their new 2014 Christmas food hampers! Where else but, of course, Selfridges?
The morning, hosted by the wonderfully friendly in house marketing girls, began up on the new rooftop restaurant of Selfridges; The Chalet. If you haven’t been yet this winter, you must visit. It’s probably the most Christmas’y place I’ve seen in London so far.
You enter through this wonderful arched corridor of fairy light adorned birches into a chalet inspired dining room looking out over the London sky line. Just magical. The morning was made even more unintentionally special by the fact that, due to the elevators failing, we had to enter the restaurant through the Selfridges back office! Getting a glimpse into the inner workings of this legendary store was a real thrill.
We unpacked each hamper and took our time exploring each exclusive little treat. First up, these wonderful chocolate biscuits which had, I kid you not, over a half centimetre thick coating of chocolate all around. Really naughty but undeniably delicious. Salty, sharp Nocellara Sicilian olives, wonderful cheese, plump panettone and crisp charcoal crackers. Most have selections of high quality tea and coffee in too. The afternoon tea is particularly delicious and comes in these little silken bags – hardly your standard builders brew. An especial highlight was a little pouch of ‘toffee coal’, aka cinder toffee or honey comb. This is a Northern sweet that I haven’t had since I was a child and is just delicious. More grown up surprises came in the form of the wine selections; dark red Chianti, tart Touraine Sauvignon, Brut Champagne.
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The hampers come in a variety of sizes and range from £65 (including afternoon tea, earl grey tea, strawberry and raspberry jams, shortbread and Christmas fruit cake) to an eye watering £1000 (including a lot of high end wine – hence the price tag-, a side of smoked salmon, a York ham and a selection of virgin olive oils, Modena balsamic and chutneys. You can also get these fun ‘hat boxes’ at £60 with ‘desk top’ treats such as a mug, Selfridges notebook, more tea and sweets. If the prices seem high, the fact that all the products are custom developed just for one perfect Christmas with the Suppliers in a sustainable and fair way which protects the planet goes some of the way to explaining this. All the hampers themselves too are beautiful and make great picnic boxes afterwards!
And so, this 2014 the Selfridges team have yet again excelled themselves in putting together what are probably the most famous Christmas hampers in the UK. Quite the thrilling breakfast and always a treat to get a sneak preview!
And so, this 2014 the Selfridges team have yet again excelled themselves in putting together what are probably the most famous Christmas hampers in the UK. Quite the thrilling breakfast and always a treat to get a sneak preview!
Stores selling the hampers: London; Birmingham; Trafford & Exchange Square, Manchester.
