When in London, afternoon tea is a must…read more I booked a reservation with Fortnum & Mason a few months in advance but when we arrived on a Sunday at 12:30PM, there seemed to be plenty of open tables available. A live pianist played in the front entrance. Staff were kind and proper. They offered to hang our coats in the closet. Afternoon Tea came with refillable teas, sandwiches, scones, and desserts. A Savory Afternoon Tea was an option as well, which doesn't have any sweets. I enjoyed all of the sandwiches. Everything was equally delicious, except the Cucumber and Lemon Mint. The Suffolk Ham with English Mustard had a nice kick. The Egg Mayonnaise was a classic for me. The Coronation Chicken was a mini chicken salad in a sandwich. The Kames Bay Trout with dill Cream Cheese is a great combination. I'm not a huge scone person, but the savory scones were very good. The Fortnum Strawberry Preserve was our favorite. For the desserts, my favorite was the Dark Chocolate with Hazelnut Praline. The Hazelnut Praline cookie bottom was airy and crisp. The chocolate inside was a light mousse. All of the desserts were extremely fragrant. The Rose Eclair and Orange Mousse played no games. I also liked the Treacle Tart because of its nutty flavor. I was incredibly full that I couldn't finish the Coconut Loaf, which was my least favorite. For the price of £85 per person, it was well worth the experience and the quality of the food and the service. Treat yourself!

This was not just food. This was not just an experience of a lifetime. This was pure, unadulterated…read moreimmersion into the British Culture. The food here was fantastic and nothing I had experienced before. I'm obviously not one who partakes in Tea Parties all that often. But holy cow did this blow me away. The ambiance was upscale. You felt like a royal family while dining and eating the queen's favorite finger foods. The service was unfortunately subpar. But the whole experience is one of the few that can overshadow that fact. It's expensive. But well worth the price of admission.

The only reason I didn't give Wilkies five stars is because it doesn't have a pharmacy, or sell…read moremagazines. Other than that, it's got all the basics. You can buy household items, from DIY supplies to lamps, to toilet seats; hardware, sweets, canned goods, beauty supplies, toys pet food, office supplies, Oh, and did I mention it's CHEAP-- best prices I've seen anyware. It's a true general store, like Woolworths should have been. This branch is inside a shopping centre, so after stocking up on cleaning supplies, you can swing by Top Shop for a frock or WH Smith for a DVD.

Not visited the store in person yet, but am thrilled with their online service. I bought a fabulous…read moreornate mirror here for some ludicrously low sum, and saw the same mirror on sale in [a well known department store] for loads more. They seem to have everything you could want for the house in here at great prices, so I'll definitely be back. Quality seems variable, but goods never over-priced.

The stuff in Factory Outlet is so cheap, I felt a lot of pressure to buy things I don't need (and…read morehave no room for) just because they were SO CHEAP. Do I really need a full length mirror? No, but it's only £8! What about a cool black and white print of John Lennon? No, but it's only £8! Not everything was £8, but it was all cheap. Incense - 99p per pack. Cushions (nice ones!) £3 - £7, depending on size. Furniture included kitchen table and chair sets, night stands, foot stools, comfy chairs and couches, and I don't think anything was over 500. Near the back were tonnes of rugs in various sizes and for various rooms. Smaller items like dishware (a full set for £8! ... Maybe they did a study and 8 is the price that sounds like a really good deal to most people), jewellery boxes and clocks were also cheap. The key is that nothing really looks like it's from a bargain bin - or, won't once you take it out of the shop. I say, check it out.

I have decided that Muji has just become my favourite store of the moment. Maybe it is because I…read moream just a little bit of a geek when it comes to home wear, but I love sifting through the shop and examining the clever storage devices and gadgets. Lately I have been getting excited about the weather stations, the solar chargers, the clever international multi-adapters, the shower radios, the city pop-up cards, the wall-mounted CD players, the wind-up walkie talkies, the fair trade cotton sheets and so much more. I will admit that I have recently been suffering from a huge obsession with anything even remotely Japanese and this has obviously played a huge part in my love affair with Muji - but it's just so clever I doubt many people could resist. Muji will definitely be one of my top shopping destinations for Christmas gifts this year.

I don't quite understand Muji. What I mean to say is, there's so much going on it's hard to…read moredecipher what it actually is. Upstairs is a novelty stationers (although they do seem to have some useful items), come home appliance store, come knickknack store. Downstairs on the other hand is a clothing store, which is quite good for basic things like white shirts (which for some reason are incredibly hard to find), but if you want to be a hipster about town, you may want to think twice. My point is that there seems to very little sense of direction in Muji, as you can tell from the somewhat blasé customers it seems to attract. It's too small to accommodate the higher-class department store shtick (that torch obviously being held by places like Fenwicks... etc). Having said this there is a good clean atmosphere here, and it can be quite fun to look around... I just don't really know what I'm looking for when I'm their.

I love tea lattes and it's hard to find places that do then correctly. This place is a gem on…read moreBroadway, I had spent an hour eating lunch and trying to unsuccessfully get on WiFi to do some work at the deli across the street, and stumbled across this cute little tea shop. No coffee, they only serve tea drinks, a few tea accessories and plates, and a small assortment of food and baked goods. The matcha tea latte was one of the best I've ever had and it paired really well with the oat milk. They also have almond or soy milk, so plenty of dairy-free options. The matcha latte was not sweetened and it was delicious - they use high quality matcha that you can really taste, unlike other matcha tea places that unnecessarily sweeten the tea to mask the matcha flavor. The size of the tea was also pretty large and it was all really excellent. They have one long communal table and some seats along the window so you can do a little bit of work or reading, and their WiFi was fast. The food is very limited but what they have looks good - they have avocado toast and toast with nut butters; the pastries look tasty too. I'll have to get one of their toasts next time I'm here. They also have energy balls if you're looking for a little snack. Overall, I'd recommend this place if you want a quiet and cozy place to hang out with a friend or a date, or want to get some work done. I'll definitely be back here for the matcha latte or other of their tea lattes.

Tiosk is adorable. I like that they've got a nice selection of very healthy things. It was a little…read moreconfusing to order some stuff but what we got was delicious. We had a wholesome lunch bowl with buffalo mozzarella, tomato and pesto. Probably one of the most amazing tasting lunch salad bowl things I've ever had. That mozzarella melted in my mouth and the tomato concoction was so delicious. The bowl was filled with small amounts of multiple incredible flavours and was quite filling. We also had an order of the avocado toast. Thick crunchy delicious pieces of bread with avocado and what I think was tahini. Nice! Also, a great location. We'll have to try their desserts next time. Just know that this place is SMALL!

I passed this little shopfront a few weeks ago on my way to Ladbroke Grove tube station. In the…read morefront window was a large orange leather bag with an amazing burnished bauble dangling down the front. Of course, calling the leather by an obligatory color wheel name really doesn't do it justice. That, and the fact that I'm female and have to express color via sexy monikers like, slate, cornflower, and aubergine. So, let's say the bag was more of an umber, a burnt umber. Yes, that's much better. Anyhoo, I saw it, but didn't have time to pop in and have a look. But I didn't forget the pretty leather bag. This weekend I walked by once again, and it was still there. I had to go in for a closer look. The shop itself is small and cluttered with exotic looking fabrics, beads, bangles, and leather goods. The shopkeeper turned out to be the owner, and explained to me that premise of his store. He stocks unique items handmade by women's groups across Africa and the Middle East. I saw a beautiful wallet made in Egypt, and learned the bag I had my eye on was made by a tribal woman in southern Ethiopia. The owner sources their wares directly and was even able to tell me the name of the woman, who made the bag (he lived in the region for 4 years prior to moving back to London last year). Every part of the bag, from the beautiful leather to the fabric lining is sourced and produced within Ethiopia. The coolest part, however, has to be the brass bangle. He explained to me, that in this war-torn region, the women go about collecting the spent, brass, shell casings and then melt them down to fashion jewelry, that they then sell. That's where this piece got its start. It's quite heavy and just lightly adorned with scroll works around the edge. That sealed the deal for me; I had to have it. It was a tad pricey, but definitely worth supporting a cause. He also gave me eight per cent off for joining the mailing list. They'll be doing some events in the coming months, that I will be more than happy to attend. If you're looking for a unique piece for yourself or as a gift, and want to support a great cause, come check this place out. I'm looking forward to my next purchase already!

From the owner: Danaqa is a retail outlet that sells unique, handmade, beautiful personal and household…read moreaccessories, including jewellery, handbags, belts and scarves as well as cushion covers, table runners and napkins, vases and bedspreads. Danaqa offers bespoke luxury products inspired, designed and made in the developing world, supporting its growth and future. Unique creations and an experience beyond luxury can be expected. Danaqa is attitudinal in approach, appealing to women and men from 25-55+. We specialise in completely unique accessories for woman and home. We are an ethical retailer that sources amazing pieces from women's led businesses in developing countries. Our beautiful leather handbags, stunning silk scarves or amazing made jewellery are all stunning - as are our handbeaten metal vases and beautiful features for the home.