Visit London – Fortnum & Mason (& Tea)

Margot Cooper è una specialista del tè, presso Fortnum & Mason, uno dei grandi magazzini più belli di Londra, aperto nel lontano 1707… Una storia tutta British!

Margot Cooper (Standard British accent)
I’m a tea specialist at Fortnum & Mason. I came to London to study but I was working in a tea shop at the same time. It was really where I built my passion for tea. I love working for Fortnum & Mason. It’s such a quintessentially English store. I like to think of it as like walking into a big, old Georgian house which it kind of is, so it has that really lovely homely feeling. We have a wide variety of teas from all over the world. Our rarest tea is probably a hand-picked wild Chinese tea. The leaves have got a slightly purpley tinge to them and actually this is the first batch that’s been sold outside of China. My favourite departments here in Fortnum & Mason – obviously tea is really important to me but obviously also cakes and the chocolates and all the sweets. And then downstairs to the cheese and the wine and a great range of charcuterie and fish and meat and everything. The favourite moment in my working life was probably being presented to the Duchess of Cambridge a couple of years ago when she came into the store. It was really special to see her and the Queen and the Duchess of Cornwall all in the store at the same time. It was a pretty special occasion. One of my favourite things to do in London is just to walk around and the distance between tube stops isn’t very far at all. So walking between them is a great way of seeing London. I think you see it in a totally different way and you see more people and you see more of the amazing architecture. You really have to learn to look up as well. It’s lovely to be able to share the stories of our English tea ceremony with other people. I think in Britain we have a lovely, relaxed atmosphere with our afternoon tea. So even if it is just a cup of tea and a piece of toast or a crumpet, it’s just something that brings people together and you can all kind of collectively enjoy that moment together.

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