High end department store Fortnum & Mason was founded in 1707 and is now an instantly recognisable brand known and loved for its vast selection of luxury foods and drinks, and its hampers are highly coveted
A man spent £120 on a Valentine’s Day hamper from luxury retailer Fortnum & Mason and was floored by the contents inside. The upscale department store, based in London, was first established in 1707 as a grocery shop, but quickly became known for its high quality food which saw it experience rapid growth.
It has since developed into a department store and even boasts a tea shop and multiple restaurants. Despite expanding into other departments, its food hall is still famous and beloved thanks to its eclectic array of food, and its coveted and instantly recognisable hampers. Carmie Sellitto, who posts online as @touchdalight, ventured to the popular store and purchased a £120 Valentine’s Day hamper. On Instagram, he unboxed the products and shared his thoughts on what was included for the hefty cost.
Kicking off his video, he opened the lid and said: “First impressions, it’s got a bunch of hay.”
Carmie removed the decorative shredded paper and held up a small box containing a slab of chocolate comprising four squares with heart detailing. He opened the packaging and explained: “It’s got a little leaflet that says ‘to and from’, sadly I won’t be sending this to anyone so this is pointless.”
Of the chocolate, he said: “Wait, that actually looks unreal. The detail in this is crazy – they’ve got circles on the back.”
He split the chocolate in half and displayed the centre to the camera, then took a bite. Carmie continued: “It has honeycomb and salt on top of it, the flavours are actually insane. This is getting a 10 out of 10.”
The content creator then moved onto the next item in the hamper, a “really beautiful” silver tin with embossed detailing. Inside the tin, there is a “decent” selection of Turkish Delight rose sweets.
Carmie quipped: “It must be real silver considering how much I spent on this.” He then sampled a cube of the rosewater infused jelly and branded it “insane”.
He then said: “So far, I’m actually really impressed with this hamper.” He scored the Turkish Delight a nine out of 10.
Next, he held up a round, pink box containing “milk and dark chocolate flowers”, which he opened and described the intricate detailing of their appearance as “unreal”.
Carmie said: “These genuinely look too beautiful to eat”, before taking a bite. He went on: “This chocolate tastes like expensive Advent calendar chocolate – I can’t lie, it’s the best.”
The content creator scored them an 8.5 out of 10.
He then unearthed a box of fudge, which included generous slabs of the sweet treat, decorated with dried raspberries and more.
After sampling the fudge, Carmie said: “I can’t lie, it tastes absolutely beautiful. That first bite, it was melting in my mouth. I genuinely think if I took a bite and let it sit in my mouth, it would, like, completely dissolve.”
He rummaged around in the basket and declared there was “still so much in here”, pulling out a tin of the brand’s popular “chocolate pearl biscuits”. On the Fortnum and Mason website, they’re described as “all butter biscuits” that are “choc-full of Valrhona Chocolate Pearls”.
He tried one of the biscuits and said he was “confused why everything was tasting so good”. Carmie likened the biscuits to “shortbread” which he said was his “favourite kind of biscuit”.
Also included in the hamper was a jar of strawberry and gooseberry conserve and, finally, a tin of 20 ‘Berry in Love’ strawberry and honeyberry large leaf tea bags.
Carmie then asked viewers whether they believed the hamper was worth the £120 price tag. In the comments section, fellow Instagram users were keen to share their thoughts.
One person said: “I actually think that’s quite good for £120, out of my price range but the basket is a must.”
Another agreed: “I think that’s pretty good” while a third said: “You’re paying for the basket and the name but I love it.”
Someone else added: “I think that’s quite a good deal for F&M, you get to keep the basket and make use of some of the pretty boxes! I would buy,”
