Sugar-loving Londoners — make haste to Piccadilly, as Fortnum & Mason has just opened a sweet new department.
500 types of confectionery and over 300 varieties of chocolate (150 of which are new additions) are available in the posh store's refurbished confectionery area. These take the form of truffles, caramels, chocolate bark, dragees, marzipan, pralines and ganache — in a sugar frenzy that would put Willy Wonka to shame.
A Knickerbocker Glory Truffle is one of the new additions to the menu, along with the more questionable Heinz Baked Bean Truffle. This is a nod to the fact that Fortnum & Mason was the first UK stockist of Heinz products, peddling the famous beans as far back as 1901.
Other truffle flavours include Rose & Violet, Kent Honey, and Royal Blend (this is, after all, the 'Queen's greengrocers' — a holder of two Royal Warrants).
The store's Piccadilly windows have been given a mouthwatering cocoa-themed makeover to celebrate the £1.14m makeover, but no licking the glass please.
Those who prefer to imbibe their chocolate are catered for with a hot chocolate wall, for refilling previously purchased containers of the good stuff — an environmentally-friendly move.
Sophie Young, Confectionery Buyer at Fortnum & Mason, said:
This will be the most extraordinary, joy-giving chocolate destination in all of London. We’re very excited that customers can finally see the new department for themselves and try some of our innovative and exceptional chocolate and confectionery — a constant source of pride for everyone at Fortnum’s.
