WELCOME F EAS T I N G T H E E Y E , R AV I S H I N G T H E AP P E T I T E The East India Company has its flagship store in Mayfair, in the heart of London’s West End, amidst the boutiques of Regent Street, the jewels of Bond Street, and Piccadilly’s famed Circus. Here, in handsome Georgian surroundings, original as well as traditional delights for the British table are on display. Londoners and visitors alike come to see and taste what the Company is offering today, and we cordially invite you to do the same. However, to save you time - and to help you choose this year’s most inspiring gifts - we offer here (as well as on our website) a preview of some of the pleasures we have in store.
Did you know… The East India Company was responsible for founding Mumbai, Singapore, Chennai, Calcutta, and Hong Kong.
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FINE TEAS
A N I N V I TAT I O N T O T E A The East India Company first ‘discovered’ cha in China and decided to call it ‘tea’. Upon arrival in London in 1664, the Directors presented it as a gift to King Charles II, where it took the court and fashionable society by storm. Today, we offer the very best of the best in tea - teas to delight, intrigue, inspire, surprise and refresh - Oolongs and Orange Pekoes, brisk Assams and muscatel Darjeelings, smoky Lapsangs and floral Jasmines, rare ‘Golden Tips’ and ‘Silver Cloud’, along with herbal infusions, green teas, white teas, and even a Grey tea. Earl Grey was first written about in the 19th Century by George Staunton, an East India Company botanist who witnessed the Chinese scenting their teas with bitter orange blossoms. Regrettably unavailable in Britain at the time, its near cousin, Bergamot, made an acceptable replacement, and the British had to make do with this improvisation. Today, we use the original blossom, Neroli, together with Bergamot to create our Staunton Earl Grey, the only blend which can truly be said to authentically contain the original Chinese recipe.
Did you know… In 1773, while Londoners generally enjoyed their tea in fine china, with scones and jam, an altogether different “party” was conceived by American colonists in Boston. Unfortunately, this tea party ended with most of The East India Company’s tea at the bottom of Boston Harbour, brewing a revolution. 6
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GOURMET COFFEES
A RIOT OF COFFEES The first Coffees selected by The East India Company came from Felix Arabia (today’s Yemen), and were then taken further afield to Java, and Mysore, only reaching London some thirty years after tea arrived. You can imagine what happened at the first shop to start roasting coffee in London. ‘What is that delicious smell?’ Crowds gathered; a riot was only narrowly avoided; but coffee’s success was assured. Today we offer some of the rarest and most sought-after coffees from around the globe. Red Dragon Mocha Java. The Tiger of Mysore – Mocha Mysore. Cup of Excellence coffees from the Galapagos with a taste as big as a tortoise. Kona from Hawaii. The legendary Blue Mountain from Jamaica. The rarest Kopi Lowak. And Bourbon from remote St Helena where it comforted Napoleon in his exile. All these and more are offered with a bespoke roasting service to meet every taste and preference.
Did you know… The London coffee house boom coincided with the development of many of the City institutions designed to service the burgeoning East India Company trade. It was common practise for the news of ships travelling back from the East to be relayed to a coffee house named Lloyds, where those with maritime interests were to be found. A fledgling marine insurance business started there, which grew to be the world’s largest insurance company. 8
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C H O C O L AT E S C HO C O L AT E B E Y O N D C HO C O L AT E The cocoa bean, classified as cacao theobroma (literally ‘food of the gods’), originated among the Indians of mid America. The Aztec chieftain Montezuma liked it whipped into a froth, and served in a golden goblet 50 times a day. It was introduced into England in the mid 17th century as ‘chocolate’, and enjoyed an immediate thumbs-up. Chocolatehouses were almost too successful and became haunts of intrigue, gossip and wickedness! Today chocolate is definitely good - good for the heart, they say - and better still for the tastebuds now that our artisan chocolatiers have added the tease of eastern essences and spices to their glorious arts. The result is superbly tempered dark and milk chocolates in impossibly enticing selections: laced with Cinnamon or Peppercorn or Sea Salt (yes!) or Mukhwas (the ultimate Indian refreshment); and of course truffles, ganaches, pralines, and crèmes scented with extract of African violets or attar of roses for the gods who prefer their food in more familiar but no less gratifying forms …
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BISCUITS
A RTI S AN AL B I S C UI T S W I T H A BIT E O F T H E E AS T With all the exotic ingredients of the Orient to feed their creativity, our artisan pastry-cooks have reconsidered the biscuit. The results of their inspiration are here presented. Familiar biscuits with an unfamiliar twist. Unfamiliar biscuits whose acquaintance you will want to make. Sweet, savoury or thin-filled biscuits. Biscuits featuring rich textures, exotic ingredients, and daring combinations. Biscuits that add a whole new snap and dazzle to your seasonal repertoire. Savoury Mustard & Coriander… Thin filled Stilton Cheese… Rich Butter Shortbread with Clotted Cream… Addictive Sea Salt & Caramel… Decadent Orange Marmalade… and the deceptively sweet yet whistlingly hot Cherry, Chocolate Chip and Chilli… Be warned. Biscuits you can’t keep your hands off !
Did you know… That biscuits were a staple diet on early voyages of The East India Company, specially designed to last the long nautical journeys. The only thing that helped wash down these ‘biscuits’ was a glass of punch, a derivation from the Hindi word paanch, meaning 5. The five ingredients used in the original Indian punch were water, arrack, tea, fruit and sugar. 12
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M A RRM MA MA L A D EESS && JJ A M SS
A J UG G E R N AUT O F MA R M AL ADE S AN D J AM S Accustomed to fine British fruits and the traditions of conserve and jam-making at home, the possibilities of eastern spices soon caught the British attention in the East. Ginger (a favourite spice) went famously with rhubarb. Strawberry jam blossomed if you added a tweak of pepper or champagne. And the ultimate in luxury was Fine Cut Marmalade with Gold Leaf, served when the Maharajah came to breakfast. Today we offer many of these magnificent East/West co-productions - but not invariably, because every now and then it’s nice to come home. See our ultra-fine true-blue British staples like Victoria Plum, Damson, and of course Orange Marmalade with Whiskey, so treasured by servants of The Company when they laboured under distant skies. And for the truly adventurous... delve into the Black and Green Olive savoury marmalade.
Did you know‌ The East India Company incorporated eastern traditions into its way of life. In China, the restorative properties of gold are still honored in rural villages, where people cook their rice with a gold coin to replenish the mineral in their bodies. 14
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M U S TA R D S & CHUTNEYS MU S T-H AV E M US TAR DS A ND C H UT N E Y S When the British in India discovered the pleasures of curry, they naturally acquired a taste for Indian chutnee too, a luscious condiment prepared with fruits or vegetables and spices. Their affair with piquant foods soon extended to mustards and horseradish and tickly sauces ad lib. All this provided a cue for our artisan cooks today to assemble a range of condiments drawing on our heritage. Here you will find traditional English, French, Anglo-Indian and even Japanese recipes, influenced by regional flavours and ingredients, including basil, mirin, and chillies – some of them hot like our Bulldog Mustard, other more temperate, all of them adding that essential je ne sais quoi to the civilised table where only the very best quite cuts the mustard.
Did you know… Juggernaut, bungalow, thug, jodhpurs, pyjamas, khaki, and dungarees are, like chutney, a few of the ‘English’ words we brought back from India – adding fibre to the English language as well as richness to English life! 16
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CORDIALS
Y OUR S C O R DI AL LY Even with Singapore Slings, Hong Kong Hangovers, and Gin & Tonics to temper the searing heat, servants of The Company often sought elixirs from home. In this tradition, we offer our range of Cordials and Essences, using bewitching ingredients like jasmine, hibiscus, and poppy - to add flavours, tints and tones to iced teas, punches, or seductive evening cocktails - bringing refreshment to the virtuous as well as the wicked at any time of the year!
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SA LTS & SU GA R S A U N AT U RE L In the 17th century, The Company traded in salt as a highly lucrative business whose possession often led to conflict. The salts we peacefully offer today are totally natural and come from lands as diverse as Persia and Hawaii - or such that you might have found in the bazaars of Samarkand.
S A LT S & SUGARS
And as a sweetener? Sugar. Today our range of unrefined sugars are specially selected from fine Mauritian cane for delicate teas, to Reunion Island Demerara for rich coffees and special chocolate sugar for everything else!
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GIFT HAMPERS £90 Temptation
£35 Savour
Featured Products: Caramelised Pecans Enrobed in Milk Chocolate; Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee Caddy; First Romance Tea; Fig Olive Savoury Marmalade; Dark Chocolate Bar with Mukhwas
Featured Products: Salted Almonds Enrobed in Milk Chocolate; Caramel & Sea Salt Biscuits; Cheddar Cheese Filled Biscuits; Roman Mustard
£45 Tantalise
Featured Products: Raspberry Extra Jam; Lime Pickle Strawberries Enrobed in White Chocolate; Custard Apple Green Tea; Seville Orange Marmalade Biscuits
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To order:
Web: www.eicfinefoods.com | Email: gifting@eicfinefoods.com Phone: 44 (0) 203 205 3395. M-F, 9:30am - 5pm.
£45 Adventure
Featured Products: Mustard & Coriander Savoury Biscuits; Bulldog Mustard; Cherry, Chocolate Chip and Chilli Biscuits; Governor Aungier’s Bombay Chai; Chakra: Life Force Infusion; Crystallised Ginger Enrobed in Chocolate;
£75 Intrigue
Featured Products: Admirals Reserve Cheese Biscuits; Indian Spices Biscuits; Li-shan Oolong Tea; Green & Black Olive Savoury Marmalade Gift Boxes are available in Red, Silver or Blue. Please select your preference while ordering.
ÂŁ750 Wonderland
To order:
Delicacies from England to the orient and beyond, this is the ultimate hamper. Truffles fit for a Baroness, extravagant Mysore mocha blends, mustards with a smoked twist and more - a gourmand journey to enchantment. Featured Products: Black Peppercorn Savoury Biscuits; Mustard & Coriander Savoury Biscuits; Cheddar Cheese Filled Biscuits; Indian Spices Filled Biscuits; Butter Shortbread & Clotted Cream Biscuits; Caramel & Sea Salt Biscuits; Seville Orange Marmalade Biscuits; Strawberry & Pepper Jam; Rhubarb & Ginger Extra Jam; Australian Murray River Salt; Vanilla Island Cane Sugar Green & Black Olive Savoury Marmalade; Fig Olive Savoury Marmalade; Mango Chutney; Chilli Jelly; Bulldog Mustard; Lapsang Souchong Mustard; Cappuccino Coffee Beans Enrobed in White Chocolate; Macadamia Nuts Enrobed in Milk Chocolate; Real Raspberries Enrobed in Milk Chocolate; Fine Milk Chocolate Bar with Sea Salt; Fine Milk Chocolate Bar with Nutmeg; Baroness Box Chocolate Truffles; Bombay Chai Caddy; British Peppermint Caddy; Christmas Tea; The First Estate Assam Caddy; Staunton Earl Grey Caddy; Jasmine Green Tea Caddy; Tiger Mysore Mocha Mysore Caddy; EIC Mugs x 2; EIC Books (tea/chocolate/coffee/spices); Medium Leather Trunk
Web: www.eicfinefoods.com | Email: gifting@eicfinefoods.com Phone: 44 (0) 203 205 3395. M-F, 9:30am - 5pm.
Gift Boxes are available in Red, Silver or Blue. Please select your preference while ordering.
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£200 Director’s Collection
To order:
The finest things were kept for the directors of The East India Company. In this spirit the Director’s Collection contains teas, chocolates and biscuits hand picked by experts and presented in a hand crafted wooden box. Featured Products: Butter Shortbread with Clotted Cream Biscuits; Seville Orange Marmalade Biscuits; Caramelised Pecans Enrobed in Milk Chocolate; Bombay Chai Caddy; The East India House Directors Blend Caddy; The Staunton Earl Grey Caddy; EIC Books (Tea/Chocolate/Coffee/Spices); Wooden Keepsake Box
Web: www.eicfinefoods.com | Email: gifting@eicfinefoods.com Phone: 44 (0) 203 205 3395. M-F, 9:30am - 5pm.
Gift Boxes are available in Red, Silver or Blue. Please select your preference while ordering.
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£100
World Traveller
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To order:
Tastes inspired by The East India Company’s voyages and heritage. Expect the unexpected – jasmine pearls from China, twists on a British marmalade theme and more. Featured Products: Mustard & Coriander Savoury Biscuits; Seville Orange Marmalade Biscuits; Fig Olive Savoury Marmalade; Lapsang Souchong Mustard; Delicious Art Mini Jams Gift Set (Gooseberry and Elderflower Extra Jam, Orange Thick and Dark Marmalade, Greengage Extra Jam, Rhubarb and Ginger Extra Jam, Orange Fine Cut Marmalade); Delicious Art Mini Alcoholic Jams Gift Set (Strawberry and Champagne Extra Jam, Orange with Brandy Marmalade, Peach and Armagnac Jam, Orange with Whisky Marmalade); Real Raspberries Enrobed in Milk Chocolate; Fine Milk Chocolate Bar with Nutmeg; Bombay Chai Caddy; British Peppermint Caddy; Jasmine Pearls; Red Dragon Coffee Caddy
Web: www.eicfinefoods.com | Email: gifting@eicfinefoods.com Phone: 44 (0) 203 205 3395. M-F, 9:30am - 5pm.
Gift Boxes are available in Red, Silver or Blue. Please select your preference while ordering.
£100
Sweet Indulgence A collection of surprises from white chocolate enrobed strawberries to a Champagne jam and more... Pure feminine indulgence to lavish on a loved one. Featured Products: Caramel and Sea Salt Biscuits; Strawberry and Champagne Extra Jam; Chilli Jelly; Latte Coffee Beans Enrobed in Milk Chocolate; Strawberries Enrobed in White Chocolate; Chakra Herbal Infusion: Bliss; Marigold Basket flowering tea; Chakra Bliss Candle
To order:
Web: www.eicfinefoods.com | Email: gifting@eicfinefoods.com Phone: 44 (0) 203 205 3395. M-F, 9:30am - 5pm.
£35
Time Stops for Tea For those with a penchant for afternoon tea – teas and biscuits packed for traditionalists with a taste for decadence at tea time. Featured Products: The First Estate Assam Caddy; Strawberries Enrobed in White Chocolate; Butter Shortbread with Clotted Cream Biscuits; Strawberry and Pepper Jam
Gift Boxes are available in Red, Silver or Blue. Please select your preference while ordering.
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ÂŁ25
Eastern Dreams
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ÂŁ20
Staunton Tea Set
Spices are the inspiration. Unique spiced tastes from a hand picked edit of teas and delicacies. Be transported to a world fit for a Maharaja.
A hamper for the tea connoisseur with a taste for a delicate infusion from China and a love of historical tales.
Featured Products: Bombay Chai; Dark Chocolate Bar with Mukhwas; Indian Spices Filled Biscuits; Mango Chutney
Featured Products: The Staunton Earl Grey Caddy; Caramel & Sea Salt Sweet Biscuits
To order:
Web: www.eicfinefoods.com | Email: gifting@eicfinefoods.com Phone: 44 (0) 203 205 3395. M-F, 9:30am - 5pm.
Gift Boxes are available in Red, Silver or Blue. Please select your preference while ordering.
FINE WINES In addition to our range of fine foods, we present an exclusive selection of fine wines and champagnes. Enjoy them on their own, or include them with any gift box to add that extra touch of luxury…
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Little Beauty Pinot Noir, Marlborough New Zealand 2009
Price £23
With hamper £20
Hailing from a boutique vineyard in New Zealand, this Pinot Noir shows notes of baked red summer fruits, plum, raspberry and red cherry with savoury, smoky depth of character and hints of vanilla bean.
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Brouilly Les Thibaults Loron, Burgundy, France 2009 (Half Bottle) Price £14
With hamper £10
Made from 45 year old vines grown in the deep sandy soil at the foot of Mount Brouilly. A deep intense ruby coloured wine revealing aromas of fresh red fruit.
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Pouilly Fuissé Aux Chailloux Domaine Jean-Pierre Sevè, Burgundy France 2008
Price £23
With hamper £20
With under 800 cases per vintage, this wine is from Solutré, one of the finest of all the Pouilly Fuissé villages. Yields a lovely white wine, full of warm, honeyed fruit perfectly supported by the oak ageing.
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Chardonnay de l’Ardeche, France 2008 (Half Bottle)
Price £14
With hamper £10
A classic, unoaked Chardonnay with a combination of richness and freshness. A fresh, crisp apple aroma followed by subtle notes of tropical fruits on the palate with a well balanced finish.
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Sandeman’s Vintage Port, Portugal 1980
Price £65
With hamper £55
From Portugal’s Duoro region, this fortified wine offers a deep colour and truly intense flavour, culminating in a remarkable finish. As a top name in Port, Sandeman’s 1980 vintage promises a depth of character.
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Gardet Celebration Champagne
Price £25
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Gardet Celebration Champagne (Half Bottle)
Price £17.50 With hamper £15
With hamper £20
Gardet Celebration Champagne is crisp and toasty with balanced acidity and aromas of flowers and fruits. Ripe and elegant on the palate with a complex and long finish.
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Pol Roger Reserve
Price £35
With hamper £30
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Pol Roger Vintage
Price £50
With hamper £45
Price £65
With hamper £60
10 Pol Roger Brut Rose
One of the most elegant Champagnes, we are proud to offer a select range of Pol Roger for every special occasion.
11 Pol Roger Cuvee Winston Churchill 1999
Price £110
With hamper £110
12 Pol Roger Cuvee Winston Churchill 1998
Price £240
With hamper £240
A champagne made in the honour of Sir Winston Churchill, Pol Roger’s most illustrious devotee and customer.
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This robust blend is a closely guarded family secret but likely to feature a large part Pinot Noir with some Chardonnay.
A REMARKABLE GIFT For the person who has everything, or for extra-special events like weddings and anniversaries, we offer gift trunks filled with exquisite delicacies, ranging from £500 to £10,000. A truly bespoke gift, each trunk can be filled with the treasures of your choice, including fine wines and accessories and customised to include the recipient’s name. Call our team on 44 (0) 203 205 3395 or email gifting@eicfinefoods.com and we would be happy to help you plan the most exceptional gift for any occasion.
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ORDERING INFORMATION
DELIVERIES
ORDER ONLINE http://www.eicfinefoods.com
ENJOY COMPLIMENTARY UK DELIVERY ON HAMPERS OVER £100*
ORDER BY INSTORE Please visit our store in London and ask for the Store Duty Manager. ORDER BY TELEPHONE +44 (0) 203 205 3395 ORDER VIA EMAIL gifting@eicfinefoods.com Replies sent within 24hours except on weekends. LAST ORDER DATE FOR DELIVERY Last order day for delivery within UK before Christmas is 16th December Last order day for delivery within Europe before Christmas is 12th December Last order day for delivery for all other destinations before Christmas is 9th December Last order date for pick up in store 20th December GIFTING SERVICES CORPORATE SERVICE We can offer gift selection and bespoke service requirements. Please contact call us or email ; gifting@eicfinefoods.com. MESSAGE CARDS If you wish to provide personalised message cards for each gift, there is an additional surcharge of £1 per card for this service.
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GIFT WRAP Each gift box can be gift wrapped at a charge of £2.50 per box including wrapping paper and ribbon. Bespoke gift boxes can be put together in store using items from our range of fine foods ; £2.50 will be charged for this service as well as the cost of the container...
DELIVERY TIMES In addition to our standard deliverys we offer next day and Saturday deliveries within the UK. We are also able to deliver worldwide. We track all our deliveries and for full delivery information visit us at; http://www.eicfinefoods.com/help/delivery/ EXPORT RESTRICTIONS Hampers/Gift Boxes/Gifts that contain alcohol or food items may not be suitable to ship outside the UK. Please confirm when ordering. The East India Company Fine Foods Ltd cannot be held responsible should local customs authorities wish to confiscate any particular item, or damage occurs during customs inspection or for any charges made for import duty under any circumstances. For full details ; http://www.eicfinefoods.com/help/delivery/ GENERAL CONDITIONS TERMS AND CONDITIONS For full terms and conditions including export duties, returns and privacy policies can be found at http://www.eicfinefoods.com/help/terms-conditions/ or can be sent via post on request. Registered and flagship store address The East India Company Fine Foods Ltd 7-8 Conduit Street London W1S 2XF *Individual Hamper Price must be above £100 to qualify for free delivery.
Continue the journey at
7-8 Conduit Street, London, W1S 2XF Cover Illustration: Camille Rousseau