Are Fortnum and Mason hampers worth the money?

[bsquared]

It’s our wedding anniversary on Tuesday and I don’t fancy dealing with restaurants yet so am looking at picnics to eat in the park.

My first thought has been to get a Fortnum and Mason’s hamper, but there doesn’t seem to be very much in it for the price. Has anyone tried them?

www.fortnumandmason.com/products/the-hampton-picnic?taxon_id=2068

Its not a bargain is it.

Someone will come along soon and try to shame you for it being expensive, but to be honest, I thought it was completely worth it. The wines were lovely, everything was nicely presented, and great quality. It was definitely less than we would have spent in a nice restaurant. I say go for it! You just can't compare this to picking up some bits in M&S or having a takeaway.

If you can afford it then go for it. I don’t have experience of their picnic hamper but we usually get 2 or 3 hampers at Christmas and they’re amazing. Dh got me a cheese hamper from there one year as well - best cheese ever. Quality food will fill you up more than it’s cheaper counterparts so even if it doesn’t look like a lot I’m sure you’ll find its enough!

I have had their hampers as gifts and they have always been wonderful

I’ve had a couple of Christmas hampers as presents and I can’t help myself loving them. It doesn’t look like much for your money but I bet it will all be just that bit extra and delicious and there’s nothing stopping you bulking it out with some m&s picky bits if you’re worried about it not being enough

It's a bit meh for Fortnum & Mason. You don't even get a wicker hamper. Hummus, muhammara, crudites, smoked salmon and pre-cooked quails eggs are all pretty standard items that you can get from M&S and Waitrose. There isn't anything really special in the hamper. They aren't F&M products.

If you want F&M's best, I'd probably go for a bespoke hamper filled with boxes and boxes of F&M rose and violet creams where you chose what goes in it over the picnic hamper.

I'm assuming you are in London as F&M only deliver the picnic hamper within the M25. If you want the best food and aren't bothered about a souvenir hamper, a lot of fancy delis, grocers, cheese shops, patisseries, gelaterias and wine merchants are on Deliveroo during the day since lockdown, if you have anywhere nice near you. Borough Market is delivering too. Farmdrop has some great suppliers as well (their Kentish strawberries taste like my childhood).

If you can afford it yes. My Aunt, bless her, used to do her weekly shop at F&M (it was a while ago and she had was loaded!). We also used to be lucky enough to get hampers as gifts from suppliers, well before the gifting rules came in!!
If you like the contents you won't be disappointed. We love them. Enjoy x

My bosses used to get given these at christmas and when they invariably couldn't be bothered to take the 8th one home would fish out the champers and let me have the contents
I love them personally. If it's a treat and you can afford it crack on...
I think the sparking tea is nice and I love their chocolates and scotch eggs

Thanks, everybody. It is a bit of a treat, but I am going to trust F&M on quality and think of it as being the same as going out for a nice meal in a restaurant.

I do like the idea of picking a bespoke hamper, though ... might look into that before I order (... with scotch eggs and rose and violet creams). Am also quite taken with the idea that swanky food fills you up more than ordinary food (... is that really true?!).

Thanks for being so nice! Enjoy your weekends x

@bsquared it was me that said that about quality food - 100% true in my experience! Think of eating a McDonald’s - doesn’t really fill you up at all. Or for example I love Toby Carvery and I can eat a huge plateful and have a pudding. But we went to the Harrods Carvery once and it was amazing but I barely managed a normal size plateful and couldn’t contemplate one of the amazing puddings, I was completely stuffed. The difference was really obvious. Quality makes up for quantity for sure.

Have a great picnic!

Other than a hamper full of F&M rose and violet creams, this is one of my favourite picnic/BBQ accessories, a tealight raclette plate:

www.selfridges.com/GB/en/cat/boska-oak-partyclette_563-3003393-PARTYCLETTE/

I work(ed) in terminal 5 at Heathrow and often buy bits from their shop. Everything is always gorgeous. While I’ve never quite dared splash out their hampers as I can’t really afford it, I’ve always thought that they looked so beautiful.

I buy a huge wine hamper every Christmas. Worth every penny. I turn the baskets into toy boxes 🤣

Harrods have a carvery?!! How did I not know this?

As an aside, is there anyone else who remembers the pungent smell that the food halls in the big department stores used to have? Like roasting coffee, fresh fruit, fish and cheese all mixed in. The nearest equivalent I can think of is the scent of durian. Why don't they smell like that now?