Anyone who has had a conversation with me that has lasted more than 20 minutes knows I am a complete sucker for Fortnum & Mason, but that’s a whole different blog post in it’s own. Before I even begin, let me assure you this is not a product endorsement, nor does F&M even know I’m doing this.

Last night I found myself in Dubai Mall, (ok, I made sure I was found in Dubai Mall). I needed to buy a present for my uncle, as we’re having dinner at his place this weekend. Bloomingdales failed my budget, Pottery Barn failed to impress me, stores were closing in 30 minutes, so no surprise, I marched over to my trusted allies at Fortnum & Mason.

Without getting into too much detail about how much I love this place and it makes me feel like Royalty blah blah blah, I’ll cut to the chase today: I got my uncle my two most favorite items:

– 100 grams of Valentines tea, which is a harmonious blend of white tea,  roses, and hibiscus. It is, in my opinion, the best tea they stock.

– A tin of Chocolossus cookies. These are dark chocolate macadamia cookies dipped in more dark chocolate. These are so sinfully delicious and SUCH a treat to have for an indulgent evening tea.

AND, while I was sifting through the jams, trying to decide which one(s) to get, my husband made himself useful and suggested something that I hadn’t tried before: The Fortnum & Mason Core Honey Pack. First of all, how sweet of an idea is that?

Honey is something just about everyone loves. Not only is it a safe option to take to someone’s house when you’re visiting, but it is also one of the best Get Well Soon gifts possible, (not everyone is into teddybears as much as I am). We got a box for my uncle and my husband got one for himself- being the honey junkie that he is.

This trio of honey jars is impressively packed in a Tiffany blue/green box. The fact that this is the signature color for Fortnum & Mason packaging is one of the biggest reasons I’m in love with this place.

The box includes:

A jar of Shropshire Honey; this had a fresh, clean and minty taste and a thick and creamy texture.

A jar of Spanish Orange Blossom Honey. This one had a smooth, deep flavour that is fresh, nutty and treacly.

A jar of Hungarian Acacia honey. Acacia honey is my absolute favorite, but honestly, my amateur tastebuds couldn’t really differentiate it much from the Langnese Acacia honey that I usually buy. 

While I’m quite pleased with the simple elegance of this as a gift, I am yet to put these honeys to the authenticity tests: are they real honey or do they have sugar/water added to them.

Stay tuned for more on that.