Fortnum & Mason

First founded in London’s Piccadilly in 1707, we are proud to have remained an essential destination for anyone in search of extraordinary food, exceptional service and joy-giving things ever since. Everyone remembers their first encounter with us, and no wonder – over our centuries of history, we have been committed to delivering a sense of pleasure to anyone who walks through our doors. Look where I will... I see Fortnum & Mason. All the hampers fly wide open and the green downs burst into a blossom of lobster salad! Charles Dickens

Like all great exercises in creation, Fortnum & Mason began with light. The insistence of Queen Anne's household on fresh candles every night spelled a legitimate perk for an enterprising footman: spare palace wax to sell on. By 1707, William Fortnum's enlightened side-line had melted down into enough to leave royal service and start a business with his landlord Hugh Mason. The rest, as they say, is grocery.