Harrods is probably the most famous department store in London. It’s also really hard to navigate. Perhaps this is by design, so potential customers pass more high-end merchandise. After all, some of the wealthiest customers in London shop there, or have their people shop for them. But for the casual tourist who just wants to window shop in the food halls at the center, the maze is a bit annoying.
Sure, there are smaller items like rolls, pastries, jars of jam, pieces of cheese, boxes of tea, and so on, that are affordable for most people. But after being warned by the tour director that the same items are marked up heavily just because they come from Harrods, I decided to stick with admiring the selection. There is a lot to admire, starting with the store itself. It’s kept the elaborate Victorian and Edwardian columns, ceilings, arches, and crown moldings, while gleaming like any upscale modern establishment.
I’m not sure what’s more beautiful, the building or the merchandise. Right by the door where I came in was a selection of caviar, smoked salmon, and whole gourmet fish. To my other side was a whole wall of baked goods, and directly ahead was a truly international deli case. Many of the salads looked Mediterranean or Middle Eastern, but there were also ready-prepared slices of beef Wellington. On the other side of the deli I found all sorts of exotic fruits, including cacao pods. Oddly enough, after coming home I saw cacao pods at Woodman’s.
On a side note, if you’re ever in the produce department at Woodman’s, take a minute to smell the guavas, especially if they’re a bit overripe. The intoxicating tropical aroma is impossible to describe. Anyway, back to Harrods, where there were no guavas, but the meat cases had luxury wagyu beef, authentic Spanish jamon iberico, and any cured meat you can think of. And I’m pretty sure the cheese case contained every cheese mentioned in 1000 Foods to Eat Before You Die (the food halls themselves are featured on pg. 15).
As far as I could tell, the non-perishable (or less perishable) items like coffee, tea, honey, jams, oils, chocolates, and confectionary were more significantly overpriced than the others, though overpriced might not be the right word. There’s a quote from somewhere that “everything is worth what its purchaser will pay for it.” It’s the law of supply and demand. Perhaps because the “dry goods” can be kept for longer, the sellers can be comfortable charging more, knowing whatever doesn’t sell one day won’t be wasted. Or maybe those items are in higher demand as gifts.
In fact, the store website suggests that the chocolates and hampers (basically gift baskets) would be perfect for the hard-to-shop-for relative or business acquaintance. I’m sure they would be. Everything in the chocolate hall was beautiful, and Harrods chocolate is known to be of exceptional quality. But a mixed 15-piece box of chocolates is $35. 325 grams (just over 11 ounces) of mixed chocolate almonds is $27. And a 16-piece chocolate truffle selection box is $40. Granted, some of those are in collectible tins, but that’s still out of my price range.
For the cost of 2 of those items, I could get a bulk bag of pecans, make a batch of cinnamon sugar nuts, eat half of them, make another batch, and have enough for several homemade gift baskets. With the money left over, the baskets and tins (which have been passed back and forth between friends and relatives since about 1995) could be finished with Lindt truffles, clementines, and some homemade cookies and/or Chex mix. Maybe it’s just me, but that feels so much more personal. And who doesn’t love cinnamon sugar pecans?
After finishing my window shopping, there was still plenty of evening sunlight to ride the Underground to visit the Tower of London. (Another interesting thing is that because the British Isles are further north than many Americans might expect, it stays light really late during the summer. In July, there was still some twilight at 10pm.) The inside was closed (not sure why they don’t stay open later in the summer to profit from the long days and tourist surge), but I had a great view of the outside of both the Tower itself and the Tower Bridge. Even from a distance, the arrow slots in the walls were clearly visible. Add in the multiple layers of walls, and the Tower could rival any modern maximum-security prison.
And on the ride home, there were a few drunk guys doing pull-ups on the handhold straps hanging down from the subway roof. I was a little worried the straps would give way, injuring them physically or mentally, but they held firm. Since drunken pull-ups are apparently a common thing, the train engineers probably factored that into their designs.
Point is, even if buying much from Harrods is out of your budget, it’s well worth a look around. If only they had free samples, which might encourage hesitant shoppers to buy.
Feasting Through Time 