WARNING: DO NOT CONTINUE IF YOU ARE HUNGRY. GO GET A SNACK.
I'm warning you because otherwise you may be subject to uncontrollable hungers, strange desires to spend copious cash, a finger twitching to find Harrods' mail-order department, or possibly even a desire to lick the screen.
I'm a fan of food fests of all sorts, of indoor and outdoor markets, and more. But none of them is quite like this, with its overwhelming cascade of variety and its carefully-curated displays of fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, confections, breads, beverages and more.
Sort of a champagne wonderland, even for people like me who don't care for champagne.
To my surprise, the Food Hall is not a late-comer to Harrods, although its current form is certainly due to the growth of a gourmet market; Harrods actually began in the 1840s as a food store, adding the rest later.
Suited for a cosmopolitan city, the varieties are stunning. Where some stores might have sections organized by country or region, Harrods seems to tend toward blends: in a display of chicken dishes jerk chicken sits next to harissa and tandoor versions.
Even more typically British foods come in multiple varieties; Scotch eggs, above, are hard-boiled eggs wrapped in fried sausage. At Harrods, you can find them wrapped in at least four different kinds of sausage as well as one in pork and black pudding.
Plenty of quick grabs for lunch, but if you've a bit more time, but only a little bit, your skewers are available ready for the grill, along with packed salads and a tempting assortment of traditional savory pies.
Say cheese!
Or an assortment of caviar and little blini to eat it on...
And for those with champagne-and-caviar tastes, there's also 'designer fruit,' such as this high-falutin' melon that is carefully-grown, one to a vine, before being shipped to Harrods for sale at Marie Antoinette prices.
Of course, there's also real-world fruit and vegetables...
And fresh meat and fish...
Bread, of course...
And tea in amazing varieties...
Coffee of all sorts...
Gifts for one's host and hostess..
And, saved for the end, of course, dessert. And dessert. And more dessert!
May we serve your coffee and brandy now?
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