Fortnum & Mason

Champagne with fish and chips? And what to drink at Christmas? ‘Anything said with absolute confidence and in absolute terms is normally nonsense,’ says Oscar Dodd, Fortnum & Mason’s wine and spirits buyer, when it comes to discussing the oft-heard truisms about wine, beer and spirits. But not everything you hear is so wide of the mark... ‘They say that the English drink their red wine too old and too warm, and their white wine too young and too cold,’ he adds. ‘That is certainly true.’ Our thanks to James Fisher and the team behind the Country Life podcast who talked to Oscar about his career, pet hates and why you really shouldn’t be saving that bottle of champagne you have under the stairs. They also discuss the amazing discoveries in the world of drink that are changing the industry — including Fortnums’ non-alcoholic sparkling tea. Oscar also shares his tips on the best tipples to buy for the Christmas period, from whisky, wine and liqueurs to the indispensable seasonal bottle of sherry. And you can see all of the drinks he mentions at fortnumandmason.com. Oscar has spent over two decades in the wine and spirits trade, starting out by trading university in to stack shelves in his local Oddbins, where he fell in love with wine within a matter of weeks. His career has taken in everything from obscure vineyards that play Mozart to their grapes to help them grow, to walking the streets of New York City persuading people to drink more absinthe. You can listen to the full interview with Country Life on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify or Audible now. It's a real winter warmer. https://lnkd.in/e762pjY8 #facesofFortnums #drinksindustry #foodanddrink #christmas2024 #countrylife

Following the launch of a new pop-up store in Heathrow's Terminal 4 recently, this month also marks the 10th anniversary of our first Heathrow location in Terminal 5. Wherever our customers are jetting off to, at Heathrow we're hoping to offer them a little piece of Piccadilly, as they make their journeys across the globe.  A big thank you to all of our team members past and present, who have been part of the team over the years. #teamFortnums #facesofFortnums #airport #retailcareers

Tiffany Tse is our Senior Chef de Partie in the Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon, we went to find out more...   What's your career background?   "I was working in Hong Kong, then came to London two and a half years ago to work in an Asian restaurant, and overall I've worked in pastry for 7-8 years."   What was your training?   When I was young I was always baking and cooking at home, so when I grew up I joined a French company called Eric Kayser that worked with pastry in Hong Kong. I was interested in learning the Western style of pastry. The methods and ingredients differ, because in Europe there are more dairy products, but in Asian cuisine lard is often used instead of butter. There's also more focus on baking and hand-craft in Hong Kong. I like to have a knowledge of both, and I love to learn.   How did you apply?   "When I arrived in the UK, my former colleague at Eric Kayser, was by that time working at Fortnum's, so I heard about the job then."   What gives you greatest job satisfaction?   "For me it's all about the making, and I get real satisfaction if I think people are enjoying the things I'm making. It's also about producing food to high standards."   How do you maintain that?   "The challenge is that you're not the only person making it, so you have to always trust your team mates to prepare food to the same standard as you. Sometimes you make everything in a process by yourself, but sometimes a relay or a handover is required, so you'll take over. We are often required to perform other tasks due to the very specific timings we follow as a team. A large proportion of the jobs we do are technically challenging. As an example, even something that looks very simple on the surface, such as filling a Choux, has to be done to a very specific set of requirements. It has to be hollow inside due to the filling, and then filled in a very specific way."   Favourite Fortnum's products?   "I really like the biscuits, and I know that's a very typical answer. But I do like the pistachio and clotted cream ones! I also like the truffle honey, as a savoury example."   Any hobbies?   "I like to go home, listen to music, watch movies - simple things really...but I also like to go to live concerts and shows in London."   How important is team support at such a busy time of year?   "Our team is really good, we know each other's personalities and strengths. We also know how to get things done on time, because we've worked together for some time now."   Fortnum's in Hong Kong - have you visited?   "At the beginning of the year I went home to see my family, and I popped in to see Fortnum's team at the K11 Musea. The Reservations Manager showed me around and I was able to meet the team, but also discover how they serve afternoon tea. I met the Pastry Chef, Hazel Lee while I was there, who then visited us in Piccadilly a few weeks ago."   Great to have you on Team Fortnum's Tiffany!   #pastrychef #womeninhospitality #hospitality #chef #teamfortnums #facesoffortnums

Famous for serving the needs of travelers for centuries, Fortnum & Mason is delighted to announce the launch of a new pop-up store in Heathrow Terminal 4, to offer a little piece of Piccadilly to passengers as they make their journeys across the globe.     Situated amongst other luxury retailers, the pop-up has been designed to replicate travel trunks, that have sprung open to reveal a multitude of Fortnum’s treasures. A model of a hot air balloon hovers in the centre of the space, urging customers inside to explore the products displayed on the inner shelves of the modular design.     Yesterday our CEO Tom Athron, Retail Director Sean Ghouse and members of our Fortnum's T4 team met with Heathrow's Retail Director Fraser Brown and Gemma Adley, Senior Account Manager Food & Beverage for Heathrow Airport Retail, to celebrate the opening.   The pop-up showcases some of the brand’s most iconic products, including renowned tea blends, like Royal Blend, and Fortnum’s Sparkling Tea. Fortnum’s extraordinarily enormous and delicious Lossus biscuit range will also be available, as well as a host of other biscuits, preserves and sweet treats. Guests can look forward to tasting these products at the samplings which are scheduled to take place every day, with a constantly changing offer.   For those looking for the perfect gift, Fortnum’s will also provide product personalisation of our Champagne and Sparkling Tea ranges, an experience that allows customers to personalise the label with their own message. Gift boxes will also provide customers with easy gifting solutions when en route to see friends and family, with digital gift messaging available allowing customers to record a video message that is shared with the recipient, for a totally bespoke gifting experience.   Open to customers now, this new pop-up marks the 10th anniversary of our first Heathrow location in Terminal 5 and will be in situ until September 2025.   A huge thank you to Fortnum's project and property teams, and to everyone in Retail who contributed to our latest launch. Another fantastic effort from Team Fortnum's.   #retailcareers #airportretail #heathrow #teamfortnums Fraser Brown Gemma Adley

🎁 🎄 It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Hong Kong - with a range of festive retail activations arranged for our customers in the K11 Musea. For our Retail shoppers we can only start in one place, thanks to our visual merchandising team, visitors walk through our Christmas bauble archways. Our most famous - not to mention the most popular - visitor Father Christmas, is back to share his unique storytelling once more, with all sessions now sold out... so here's hoping all of our visitors know what's on their Christmas lists beforehand! Eagle eyed customers will have spotted us playing our "Christmas Extraordinary" film, while offering guests hot chocolate and mulled wine. We will also be hosting exclusive shopping events featuring personalised calligraphy, while our 181 restaurant is offering a festive menu, or for day time treats there will be a special Christmas afternoon tea. Bringing our Christmas campaign to life in Hong Kong is a huge effort from our front of house and back of house teams locally, with tremendous support in advance from everyone in retail, head office, visual merchandise, Marketing and Buying at Fortnum & Mason. Fantastic team-work across time zones behind the scenes makes it happen. Our thanks to everyone involved, we'll soon be raising a glass of sparkling tea to celebrate Christmas in Hong Kong. 🎁 🎄 #teamFortnums #hongkong #christmas2024 #retailcareers

🎁 🎄 It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Hong Kong - with a range of festive retail activations arranged for our customers in the K11 Musea. For our Retail shoppers we can only start in one place. Thanks to our visual merchandising team, on arrival visitors walk through our Christmas bauble archways. Our most famous - not to mention the most popular - visitor, Father Christmas, is back to share his unique storytelling once more, with all sessions now sold out... So here's hoping all our visitors know what's on their Christmas lists beforehand! Eagle eyed customers will have spotted us playing our "Christmas Extraordinary" film, while offering guests hot chocolate and mulled wine recently. We will also be hosting exclusive shopping events featuring personalised calligraphy, while our 181 restaurant is offering a festive menu, and for day time treats there will be a special Christmas afternoon tea. Bringing our Christmas campaign to life in Hong Kong is a huge effort from our front of house and back of house teams locally, with tremendous support in advance from everyone in Retail, Head Office, Visual Merchandise, Marketing and Buying at Fortnum & Mason. Fantastic team-work across time zones behind the scenes makes it happen. Our thanks to everyone involved, we'll soon be raising a glass of sparkling tea to celebrate Christmas in Hong Kong. 🎁 🎄 #teamFortnums #hongkong #christmas2024 #retailcareers

The first week of December in 1984 will always be special for Kathryn Catanzaro, it was her first at Fortnum & Mason...  What did you know about Fortnum's? "Retail is in my blood and I've loved it from day one - I used to work for Dickins & Jones (my Mum was a very respected buyer there). After working there for a few years, I was looking for a new opportunity in London, so I selected a few stores to write to. The best of the best was Fortnum & Mason. I was asked in for an interview for the position of Jewellery & Cookshop. I was 24 at the time and I met Liliana Prescott at my interview, who was held in high regard. Liliana was an Italian lady who was one of our Directors, very lovely, very well dressed and someone who had quite a presence. She was my first direct boss. I was also given the China and Glass department to work in (on the lower ground floor). The staircase went down to this beautiful, carpeted floor, with all these magnificent table settings. I remember customers would come in and just point at the table and say, 'we'll have it', so they would buy everything on display - even the candelabra in the centre. I spent 20 years as a buyer there, during which time I had 2 daughters - in those days you took a much shorter maternity leave of just 5 months, before coming back to work full time.  A new era... "From the year 2000 the business swapped all the Buyers around to give them new departments. As a result, I cried all day in the Cavendish - which was a hotel nearby. I really did! I was being swapped with a buyer on the second floor. There was perfumery, bath, childrenswear and babywear, and all things fragrant. So, I went off to cry for the day, but in the hotel, I discovered the buyer for the second floor who was also crying! It turned out she felt the same as me. Since then, I've been on the second floor for over 20 years, and I've never looked back. Famous customers at Fortnum's? Yes, many household names over the years. My favourite was Ron Moody, who was famous for starring in the movie Oliver, so to serve 'Fagin' was for me, a personal joy. Favourite things? One of the first things I bought was a tea cosy, but it was the most elegant thing you ever saw...! It was made by Pierre Frey; it had a beautiful design and trays to match. You always remember your first purchases. Hobbies? I really love being a grandmother, spending time with family, my two daughters and their grandchildren. My husband is Italian, we spend a lot of time walking and we love looking for mushrooms in Epping Forest. We also visit Sicily when we can, as well as eating out and socialising with friends. How do you reflect on the last 40 years? "It is a momentous and significant period of time. I've been lucky and privileged to buy for a number of different departments in this fabulous store and visit wonderful places with my colleagues."   Great to have you on the team Kathryn. #facesofFortnums #teamFortnums #retailcareers #fortnumandmason

Hello, DECEMBER! The countdown starts here. 🎄 🎉 Shop Christmas and all-things-Fortnum’s in-store now! 🎄 🎉 #Christmas2024 #FortnumsChristmas #Fortnums #AChristmasExtraordinary

From the shores of Mauritius, to the Kia Oval and London's O2 Arena, our Comis Chef Nandini Gurriah, is passionate about pastry, and decided to follow her muse to our world famous Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon.   How did you join Fortnum's?   "I was a regular Chef working on big events, but I wanted something bigger in terms of a personal challenge. I have always been very passionate about becoming a pastry chef, and I wanted to work on afternoon tea, in a company where I could learn more. I'd heard about Fortnum's so I applied. At first it was hard because there was so much to do during service, but once I got used to it I was very happy in what I was doing. It's a very supportive environment and I think they're the best pastry team."   How important is team work?   "We're never quiet...so if you are working on Pastry but are asked to work on Bakery and Cakes, you learn everything. It also means you cover colleagues if someone is unwell or on holiday. Working with another person and learning their processes day by day, takes a bit of time initially, but little by little you get there."   What were events at the Oval and the O2 like?    "We served performers who came to play at the arena, but also famous cricketers at the Oval, so it was fun, but I really wanted to be a pastry chef...which I knew I needed new skills for. You have to be passionate to work in pastry."   What are your favourite things to make?   "I love to make our Pink Eclairs, and the rose cream which goes inside. The Fig Tart from the Spring menu is also lovely, and the Ginger Loaf that we are serving now."   What gives you greatest satisfaction?   "Achieving certain things, while getting to know more... it really builds your confidence. Each time we see the bookings at the start of the day, you wonder if you can manage it, but you feel a huge sense of achievement when you do."   How could we attract more women into Hospitality?   "Advertising via social media like Facebook and Google Ads, and interview more women who work here. More stories and videos will bring to life the work we're doing, and new recruits understanding our kitchen in more detail would be interesting."   Hobbies? "I like swimming due to growing up in Mauritius, but also cycling and baking, I like to try new recipes. I also love visiting various places in Kent, like Canterbury, which is a favourite."   People who you admire, or who have inspired you?   "I learned a lot from Alice who used to be our Senior Sous Chef at Fortnum's, who was very hard working and taught me a lot."   Favourite Fortnum's products?   "I love many types of tea and I love the lemon biscuits we stock."   Do you like Christmas time?   "I always ask friends and family to come to Piccadilly at this time of year, so the can get their Christmas decorations, take pictures and enjoy the feeling of being in London at Christmas time."   Great to have you on Team Fortnum's Nandini!   #pastrychef #womeninhospitality #chef #teamfortnums #facesoffortnums

We loved this brief clip of our Assistant Buyer for Confectionery - Olivia DeHaney - talking about our Milk Chocolate Owl matchbox. Part of Fortnum's 'A Christmas Extraordinary' this year. 🎄 We thought you might enjoy it too? 🎄 #achristmasextraordinary #christmas #confectionery #milkchocolate #facesoffortnums