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RECIPE Seasonal dishes to help
In the KITCHEN
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A wonderfully sweet traditional French pudding just perfect for making the most of your crop of raspberries this month...
RASPBERRY CLAFOUTIS with Ground Almonds
Preparation time: 10 minutes. Cooking time: 15 minutes to 18 minutes. Serves: Four. 4 eggs • 150g golden caster sugar • 1 tbsp plain flour, sifted • 2 tbsp ground almonds 142ml double cream • 200g pack fresh raspberries
Preheat the oven to 180°C, gas mark 4. Using an electric whisk, beat the eggs and sugar together for five minutes or until the mixture is pale and thick enough to leave a trail. Lightly whisk in the flour and almonds. In a separate bowl, whip the cream until it forms soft peaks. Using a large metal spoon, carefully fold it into the egg mixture. Pour the batter into 4 x 250ml shallow ovenproof dishes and gently scatter over the raspberries – they will mostly sink beneath the surface, but this is fine. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until set and golden – make sure the centres are firm. Serve warm with scoops of Vanilla Ice Cream. Make one large clafouti in a 1.5-litre dish, if you prefer. Cook for 25-30 minutes. Try with other soft fruits such as blackberries. n
“Unexpected monarch in bagging area...” when HM The Queen requires a couple of pints of semi-skimmed and something for tonight’s supper, she and her family have all hot-footed it to their Piccadilly grocer of choice since 1707...
Unexpected monarch in bagging area… when the royals want the very best products for their shopping basket, there’s only one place they trust. Bursting with magic and excitement, Fortnum & Mason has the Royal seal of approval…
A quintessentially British upmarket store we all recognise for its mint green branding, based in our world-famous capital city, providing luxury hampers, gifts, tea, coffee, chocolate… the list is fabulously endless! Incredibly Fortnum & Mason sell over 20,000 hampers per year and these are exported all around the world, in their renowned wicker box, proudly stamped with F&M, providing the perfect parcel of joy for its recipient, ranging from prices of £85 up to £1,000 – with one of the most prestigious hampers classically named ‘The Windsor Hamper.’
Fortnum & Mason’s flagship store is where you can discover extraordinary food and joy-giving things in Piccadilly, London. A total of six floors offering dedication to Homeware, Beauty & Fragrance, Gentlemen, Tea Salon, Fresh Food, and the ground floor where you enter the store, bringing you straight into the Tea & Speciality Food area.
They also have stores located in St Pancras Station, Heathrow Airport, and The Royal Exchange, but where did the story start for this luxury brand that reflects the glamour, sophistication and magic that we all love, widely known as the Queen’s Grocer.
It all started when William Fortnum & Hugh Mason established their first store in Piccadilly over 300 years ago, taking us right back to 1707, the same year that Great Britain was formed! William and Hugh met in 1705, Hugh Mason already running a small store inside St James Market and was landlord to William who had a post as a Footman in Queen Anne’s house.
It was from selling the half-burnt bee’s wax candles from Queen Anne’s house that gave Fortnum the money to be able to go into business with Mason. Originally it was founded as a grocery store, with a reputation of supplying good quality food which led to its rapid growth throughout the years, which then evolved to a focus on stocking exotic and speciality items, as well as basic provisions but by going the extra mile.
William Fortnum saw an opportunity to capitalise in the first area of ‘food on the go’ or ‘ready made meals’ in the 1700s there were many people flocking to our capital city for work, meaning they would need to buy food that they could easily enjoy without much fuss of putting it together, especially if they didn’t have anywhere to store or prepare it. This is when Fortnum used the advantage of pickles, preserves, and pork pies to sell to the hungry workers.
The store cruised through its early years paving the way for the future success that it would endure and how it would be a store recognised for providing the every-day items but with that special touch that made it completely unique to the Fortnum & Mason brand.
30 years after opening, the young enterprise set itself a task of how they could capitalise on creating food that was appropriate for long distance journeys.
Three Things You Didn’t Know About Fortnum & Mason
IT’S A LARGE OPERATION! VERY LARGE! Fortnum & Mason has 708 employees, quite a number considering the retailer has just five locations. Founded by William Fortnum and Hugh Mason, it underwent a £24m refurb in 2007 and turns over £130m/annum. AFTERNOON TEA IS A REAL TREAT Afternoon tea is served for £60/head with individual pâtisseries and your choice from the retailer’s Cake Carriage. The retailer also invented ruby chocolate to use in its cakes; a development which too it 13 years to perfect. THERE’S A REAL BUZZ ABOUT THE RETAILER In 2014 the reailer created a new pied-à-terre for Fortnum’s bees. There are four hives, each six feet tall, on the roof of the retailer. The Buckfast bees produce the most sought-after honey in the world.
Fortnum, with the help of his staff, developed the intelligent idea of wrapping a hard-boiled egg in scrumptious sausage meat and coating it in beautifully fried breadcrumbs, this is where the world’s first Scotch Egg was born, in 1738. Now over 280 years later, the same recipe is still used, you can buy yourself a delicious box of six for £22.95! When you read the description, you can see why they are still a successful choice of snack for their shoppers.
Deliciously moist, each Scotch Egg contains a free-range egg with a vibrant orange yolk coated in British outdoor-reared pork and a generous coating of crisp homemade breadcrumbs. The ideal lunchtime treat.
In 1794 another opportunity of services they could provide was quickly added to the list when they became a Post Office. They provided letterboxes which were collected six times a day, this was a service they offered for nearly 50 years before the General Post Office was founded in 1839.
Fortnum & Mason has proudly supplied their produce to our country’s heroes and military personnel, in the early 1800’s in
Napoleon war time Officers often purchased their own goods to take with them, such as dried fruits and preserves. Queen Victoria then ordered for a huge quantity of tea to be sent to the soldiers in the Crimean War in the 1850s, and again for the Officers in World War I. In 2012 in celebration of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, F&M sent 15,000 tins of tea & biscuits to her majesty’s troops around the world.
Holding the reputation for a high-class grocer and leading provider of tinned goods, meant that in 1886 American entrepreneur H J Heinz went directly to F&M with his samples he had brought with him from America of his Baked Beans. Fortnum & Mason quickly snapped up all the samples, seizing the opportunity to be the first store to introduce Baked Beans to Britain.
In 1902, King Edward VII set the biggest challenge that Fortnum & Mason had yet received, “Bring me the finest tea in all of the land.” It was a challenge they calmly took in their stride knowing that they would be able to provide a tea with such excellence and difference like no other, after all, they are Fortnum & Mason. After much travelling and research, The Royal Blend is made using Assam from India and Flower Pekoe from Sri Lanka. They say that ‘the splendid blend of the two comes a smooth, honeylike flavour that still sets the benchmark for tea, 100 years later.’ Now they have over 80 varieties of tea, creating the exceptional cup for the extraordinary, however Royal Blend is still the most popular choice.
The hampers show another area that F&M start to make their mark in history, in 1911 when the shop suffered smashed windows from the Suffragettes campaigning for votes for women, Fortnum’s response to this was
to send out hampers to the women once they were released from prison.
By 1920 F&M had a dedicated department purely for expeditions, this was just in time to help supply goods for the 1922 British Mount Everest expedition; another way their hampers ‘pitched the flag’ in another historic event. F&M successfully shipped from Southampton items such as: plates, soup plates, butter knives, condiments, tinned products, 60 tins of quail in foie gras and four dozen bottles of champagne... basically a 1920s dinner party!
Ensuring that Fortnum & Mason would always be at the top of their game with the produce it offered with the special touches it was renowned for, King George V’s Jubilee in 1935 was the perfect time to show off the capabilities of what they had to offer. With all the international visitors flocking to Great Britain of Princes and Maharaja’s – they ensured a stock of food suitable for Hindu’s & Muslim’s were readily available, even offering liveried Indian servants.
They also have other equally controversial links to the royals; in June 1937 King Edward VIII abdicated from the throne after choosing his wife, when he was faced with the ultimatum of choosing his role as king or to marry his love, the American divorcee. Edward then went on to living in exile in a French castle, however he still managed to maintain breakfast in the style of a king! With a huge love for kippers, Fortnum & Mason were flying Craster Kippers over to France each day to be enjoyed for the first meal each morning!
By 1951, Britain had been battered with debt due to the war and it was fair to say Fortnum & Mason were feeling the strain. Canadian businessman Garfield Weston bought the store and added to his retail collection. As Garfield Weston understood that the important key to success with Fortnum & Mason was to remain true to its roots and to operate in the same way providing new exciting tasty options in a fabulously British way. Throughout the 50s, uniforms would be strict and smart, pinstripe trousers, tails & waistcoats. Only ever changing to red coat tails for the festive season. In 1964, a new clock was commissioned for the front of the store weighing a hefty four tonne.
It was a tribute to the founders and showing the store was proud to keep its links to the past. The clock has two 4ft figurines of Fortnum & Mason themselves, which are transported out on the hour to show them take a bow whilst looking at the clock. Some say it shows them coming out to check the high standards of the store are being upheld.
Over the years, Fortnum & Mason has enjoyed strong Royal links as well as their seal of approval; the department store referred to sometimes as the ‘little palace’ of pleasure. As well as Royals, it attracts many celebrities that go for the delightful shopping experience, Ringo Star, Liberace, Michael Caine, Joan Collins are just some of the faces seen over the years.
On 1st March 2012, The Queen opened the Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon accompanying her was the Duchess of Cornwall & the Duchess of Cambridge. To which also led the Queen to be able to inspect and view the 60 Diamond Jubilee products that had been created in celebration of her whole reign.
n For more information see www.fortnumandmason.com.
Pop, Fizz and Clink for Victory Churchill’s go-to Champagne is our vintage choice for those aiming to ‘keep calm and carry on...’
It’s common knowledge that Churchill’s go-to Champagne was Pol Roger. The wartime leader drank about two bottles a day in his prime, about 42,000 bottles in his lifetime. If you’re keeping calm, and carrying on, treat yourself to a post-lockdown toast with chums with a vintage from 2006-2012 elegant with complex aromas of white flowers, quince and subtle brioche overtones. n £85/ 75cl / 12.5% ABV
The Wine Cellar
Wine of the Month
Ovens Farm Bacchus, Louth, England, 75cl / 13.5% / £26.99
A very much local wine that has Europe on the run. Pale gold hue, aromatics of cut grass, complexed with lime blossom. The palate has notes of citrus fruits, hedgerow herbaceous character and a hint of green pepper to the finish. Dry, crisp, and clean palate with good structure and a long finish. Partner this wine with goats cheese or Feta; herby dishes, or with fish.
£84, 6 x 75cl. www.ovens farmvine yard.com, or 07919 320290.
WE’RE ON CLOUD WINE THIS MONTH WITH SOME TIPPLES FOR EASING BACK INTO NORMALITY. HERE, EMILY BROWN SUGGESTS GARDEN PARTY WINES FOR POST-LOCKDOWN...
RIOJA & ROLL: A choice trio of Spaniards including a couple of Rioja stars...
When life hands you lemons.. add salt & tequila!
1. Muga Selección Especial Reserva Rioja is a superb Rioja, perfect for dinner parties! This is an intense Rioja with powerful fruit flavours. Medium to full bodied, £57.00 / 1.5l / 14% vol.
2. Chivite Finca Villatuerta Chardonnay promises smoky lemon notes with a sweet and powerful finish. Perfectly paired with a light chicken dish. A dry wine, 2014 vintage, vegetarian & vegan. £14.99 / 75cl / 13.5% vol.
3.Muga Rioja Rosado with its tropical fruits & fresh citrus notes is a salmon-coloured, dry, lively rosé with red apple and tropical notes. A beautiful balance of sweet flavours. £9.99 / 75cl / 13.5% vol.
Though tequila has a reputation for being a little uncivilised when taken in quantities, in small measures it’s pleasant enough. One serving suggestion is its deployment in a traditional margarita. This is a tequila that’s full-bodied with orange and grapefruit notes, ideal for a summer afternoon in the garden. Rested for added complexity, the orange and grapefruit notes are balanced by the sweet cooked agave and woodiness, making this a full-bodied tequila. £27.50 / 70cl / 38% ABV.
n Our featured wines are available from the best local independent wine merchants, supermarkets and online, prices are RRP and may vary from those stated.
