Fortnum & Mason

Our Junior Pastry Sous Chef Celine Homsey has experienced some of London's most famous 5-star hotels, such as The Dorchester and 45 Park Lane, but is also a trained scientist.   "I was a chemist at school. I have a degree in forensic science, and a postgrad in bio-pharmacy. My work with pastry in Hospitality is chemistry, but it's just applied to something delicious that you can eat!"   Celine operates between the Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon and our Bakery - working across both Hospitality and Retail.   How did you hear about Fortnum's?   "I knew what I wanted so I looked up vacancies on the Career website, and it happened very quickly after that. It was very serendipitous timing."   So how did you connect chemistry to pastry?   "It was an evolution, and more curiosity at first. I was always baking on the side. I worked in food ingredient testing, learning about how flavours are put together. I also ran a clinical trial for six years, before learning about tea tasting, ingredients and food development. I became interested in doing more of that kind of work for a living. I continued academic studies in parallel to develop my knowledge of the food industry."   What do you enjoy most?   "The variety of events at Fortnum's, high volume production and logistics planning. Being incredibly organised to ensure things are as streamlined as possible. I really enjoy that side of it. And everyone in the team having variety in their work, but also knowledge, to be able to cover multiple roles."   What's unique about working for Fortnum's?   "We have our own food tech team in-house to support, it's a very structured way of working and I have more insight into the bigger picture at Fortnum's. It's good to liaise with our Buyers also and understand how that side of the business works. You have to be highly collaborative to do your job well and succeed here. It's never quiet!"   What more can we do to attract women into Hospitality careers?    "I want to make sure women are visible within our industry, and in high profile roles. Fortnum & Mason creates a fantastic platform for that to happen, as we have so many high profile events and opportunities for our hospitality teams to be a part of. I have always felt supported in terms of my development, and I want others across our teams and restaurants to feel they can progress too."   What gives you most satisfaction?   "Seeing the satisfaction of our team with the results of their hard work is very rewarding, particularly as they are working so strongly together at the busiest time of the year. This, combined with producing a high standard of desserts to elevate the customers' experience is what our job is ultimately about."   Favourite thing to eat, or to make at Fortnum's?   "Oh, Stem Ginger biscuits or Toffolossus are the two big favourites the team always ask me for! To make at Fortnum's, I would say Puff Pastry and Choux pastry, definitely."   #pastrychef #hospitalitycareers #womeninhospitality

🥂 Will your Christmas be sparkling? 🥂 🎄 Could our festive elves make your Christmas wish come true? 🎄 Our award winning Concierge Team can see you now, and no wish is too big, too small or too complex! To find out more about our services, contact: concierge@fortnumandmason.com or call +44 (0)20 7465 8668.

If you're a Fortnum's follower you might have a favourite Christmas product...? But have you tried one of our new customer favourites, the Christmas Almond Mince Pies? As an alternative to the traditional mince pie, let our Grocery Buyer Syrie tell you more... #christmas2024 #fortnums #facesoffortnums #mincepies

Practically genie-like in their ability to make even the most impossible festive wish a reality, our complimentary Concierge Team is at your service this Christmas — and no request is too big, too small, or too complex for our experts. To find out more about our services, you can contact: concierge@fortnumandmason.com or on +44 (0)20 7465 8668. #fortnums #christmas #fortnumschristmas #snow

Bringing our Christmas windows to life this year, required some incredible craftsmanship to make the vision of our visual merchandising team a reality. Sitting alongside Mojo Creative's hand-carved, hand-painted animals, passers-by in Piccadilly will see a reindeer whose golden antlers grow into branches - which are also home to various delicate paper birds and foliage. The artists from Edinas Paper, who specialise in bespoke, sustainable installations, were behind these elements... all of which were inspired by our packaging. To take a closer look at the creation of these festive creatures, please watch this short film. Our thanks again to everyone who brought this year's extraordinary windows to life. #christmas2024 #windows #Piccadilly #fortnums #achristmasextraordinary EDINAS PAPER

Earlier this week the Leafies 2024 Award ceremony was held at Dartmouth House, which Fortnum's were proud to be a part of once more. The awards ceremony was an opportunity for attendees to taste many of this year's winning teas and meet the producers. Alongside the UK Tea Academy, earlier this year we hosted the Leafies 2024 judging panel in our 3rd Floor Food & Drink Studio (pictured), with experts from Taiwan, China, Sri Lanka, India, Japan and the UK taking part. An estimated two billion people around the world drink tea, but not everyone will know the intricate details of a tea leaf really closely. As Financial Times Drink Columnist Alice Lascelles said: "Judging tea is a lot more holistic than judging wine or whisky because you assess the raw material as well as the end result. Each entry is delivered to the table, and brewed, alongside dry and steeped leaves, so you can see, touch, taste and smell the tea in all three states." Our Tea & Coffee Buyer Ottilie Cunningham agrees: "Tea tasting is a very precise art – the teas are all brewed to a specific standard and we assess each one on the basis of the appearance and aroma of the dry leaf, wet leaf and infusion – and of course its taste." "All teas will differ depending on their origin and how the tea has been processed (for example, whether it’s an oxidised black tea, or an unoxidised green tea) but what we’re looking for is a tea that is bright, aromatic, clean-tasting and has a lovely flavour!"   Ottilie adds: "From our perspective, being involved in the Leafies gives us the opportunity to see/taste teas that we otherwise might not know about. For example, we have been introduced to some fantastic producers in Japan that has resulted in us having a much richer listing of extremely rare and exquisite Japanese teas on the counter in Piccadilly."   Some of this year's Gold-medal winners will be on sale at Fortnum & Mason, including Yame Tea Kumaen’s phenomenal Gyokuro Saemidori (a steamed green from Japan) and Sinharaja Wiry Tips, a super fine black tea from Lumbini in Sri Lanka. You can also watch UK Tea Academy's YouTube short 'The Leafies International Tea Awards 2024: Finding the Winners' here - https://lnkd.in/eAgDqs3X Congratulations to all of this year's nominees and winners. #leafies2024 #tea #mastery #timefortea

For our Redcoat Sarah Sutherland, Fortnum's isn't just a job, it means so much more than that.   Through our products, and especially Christmas-time at Fortnum's, she has a story to tell that's fully woven into generations of her family. Sarah joined the business 3 years ago, and this will be her fourth Christmas with us.   We met her recently to find out more... "My Grandad ('Gramps') - was the director of a carpet company, and when he first opened his business he would deliver those carpets with a horse and cart. He was also an account holder at Fortnum's, and appreciated the finer things in life, so my mother grew up always having Fortnum's Christmases.   But when my Nan passed away Gramps gave up on everything for a while, as he felt he was unable to function without her. This eventually meant that he lost his business. As a result he moved in with my parents, and my 3 siblings - sleeping in our dining room - which actually helped him I think. So Gramps then became our resident chef and chief storyteller, even to my children as they were growing up.   What makes this still so personally relevant to me today, as a Redcoat for Fortnum's, is that he always made sure that he saved all year round, and ensured that we too could have Fortnum's Christmases. So when I hold the Glace Fruit selection (for example) - which was always one of his favourites - it's keeping something very special alive for me...and my own family now.   And it wasn't just the Glace Fruits either, Christmas crackers were top of the list, along with marzipan fruits, violet creams - but no Christmas was ever complete without the sugar mice!   I should also mention that my great nan would make a trip here each month for supplies, such as tea and preserves well into her 80s. Before doing what I do now, when I was younger I actually trained as a florist from the age of 14, and was always required to make fruit baskets and hampers (before I took a different path into education and production arts - costuming shows and making props). The hampers reminded Gramps of Fortnum & Mason of course, so he used to tell me that I needed to get myself to Fortnum's and get a job! I just used to laugh it off at the time, but here I am now - he very much got his wish.   Thanks Gramps.   #christmas #grandad #glacefruits #facesoffortnums #storytelling #gramps

What a year it's been for our Concierge Team at Fortnum & Mason - shortlisted not once, not twice, but three times in the last few months, having already received two awards for their outstanding service. And while they narrowly missed out on the Supplier of the Year Award last night (in a competitive field with 14 other finalists), our team were highly commended at the fourth annual Strategic PA Network Awards, held at The Grove in Hertfordshire. We're incredibly proud to have them as part of Team Fortnum's. To find out more about our Concierge Services visit our website here: https://lnkd.in/eFpSsrtT. #concierge #awards #teamfortnums #christmas2024 #customerservice #gifting

🌲 Do you see what we see? 🌲 Fortnum’s Feast of the Season Christmas Windows are HERE! And have now been unveiled at our Piccadilly flagship store. Each window scene showcases its own character and story, all hand-carved and painted by expert artisans. Inspired by Fortnum’s festive packaging, the displays feature animals such as a show-stopping reindeer with golden antlers that grow into branches, and an elusive mountain hare. Playful mice weave through the windows, adding touches of humour, charm, and holiday mischief that bring warmth to each scene. Spanning two windows, the centre-piece of the display is a magnificent reindeer that appears to break through the window-glass. The antlers are home to delicate paper birds, which have gathered an array of colourful Christmas baubles for their nests. The following six windows each reveal a unique winter scene, beginning with two squirrels exchanging gifts and sharing a kiss beneath a sprig of swaying mistletoe. A woodland display follows, illuminated with sparkling fibre-optic lights and hand-carved owls. In our fourth window, a playful hare tugs at one end of Fortnum’s signature Eau de Nil ribbon, while a small mouse scrambles to wrap its gifts at the other end—capturing a moment of festive, light-hearted chaos. The Fortnum’s crackerdile from this year’s Christmas crackers grins widely as a mouse dances within his open jaws, while another mouse pampers him by painting his toenails. Next, a fox and pine marten gather around a beautifully decorated wreath, followed by the grand finale where a pelican, basking in a fountain of sculpted water, is served champagne by a mouse in a joyful nod to a Fortnum’s festive feast. Sallie Smith, our Head of Visual Presentation, said: “Fortnum & Mason's Christmas windows are renowned for spreading festive joy to everyone who views them. This year, our displays are inspired by our beautiful selection of Christmas products, featuring our newly launched packaging. The designs showcase majestic animals and birds, lush foliage, decorative borders, and striking colour combinations. These elements come together to create our 2024 windows, highlighting just how extraordinary a Fortnum’s Christmas can be.” 🌲 You can view our window display now as we begin our late-night shopping hours. 🌲 #christmas2024 #windows #Piccadilly #fortnums #achristmasextraordinary #Christmas 

🪔🎉 Our thanks to Chef Cyrus Todiwala OBE DL FIH (pictured here with Fortnum's Chefs), who hosted a very special and intimate evening at our Food & Drink Studio this week, preparing a delicious Goan-inspired fish thali in honour of Diwali. 🪔🎉 Many will know Cyrus as a familiar face at food festivals across the country, as well as on our television screens appearing regularly on shows such as Saturday Kitchen. He has also written six books and is the proud recipient of a Craft Guild of Chefs’ Special Award. His passion for Asian cuisine and sustainability contributed to him being awarded an MBE by HM The Queen in 2000 for services to education and training, and he received an OBE in 2009 for his contribution to the hospitality industry. 🪔🎉 Born in Bombay, Cyrus came to England with his wife Pervin in 1991. A few years later, the pair opened Café Spice Namasté - a restaurant that continues to attract loyal customers to this day. 🪔🎉 Following a welcome drink on arrival on Wednesday evening, our guests were treated to an incredible variety of dishes, including: Suncta Chim Caldine - a light green mild prawn curry; Nishtyachem Kapang - a fillet of fish marinated in red masala, rolled in semolina and pan fried; shredded cabbage and green beans tossed with grated coconut, cracked mustard seeds, cumin and fresh coriander, and; Kismur - a red onion salad with crumbled dried shrimp and roasted coconut. 🪔🎉 Dessert on the night was Dactulo Chao Ishteem pudding - a steamed crème caramel flavoured with tea and mulled spices. 🪔🎉 Our thanks to Cyrus and to all of our guests who chose to celebrate Diwali with us at Fortnum's this week. To find out more about forthcoming events go to our website and click on Restaurants, Stores & Events. Ellan Prem Appadurai #diwali #foodie #fortnums #fishthali #HappyDiwali #FestivalOfLights #Diwali2024