Hackett

One of my favorite menswear shops in London is Hackett.  There is nothing more British than a man in a rugby shirt

Here are some items from their current collection.

Rowing Rugby

Snow Polo shirt

Fair Isle Jumper

Check out the kids collection. My son has several of these shirts, and just looks adorable in them.

Hackett - one of my favorite British stores for the boys in my life.

        

Renting a Vacation Home

Have you ever considered renting a vacation home?

Although we love to stay at hotels (especially The Four Seasons), we have also rented houses, villas or apartments for some of our vacations ever since we were in our twenties. Our first experience was a farmhouse rental just outside of Prague. My husband and I were coming from London, and 3 of our friends came from the US. It was a wonderful experience, there was plenty of room for the 5 of us and we used it as our base as we explored as far away as Vienna. For those of you that don't want to give up room service we have also stayed in houses on hotel properties and that is the best of both worlds, lots of space, and all the creature comforts of a hotel.

Our most recent experience was last summer when we rented a 17th century thatched cottage in a small village in England. We all agreed that it was our favorite trip there ever. Partly because we just had so much space to roam around in during our free time! We love each other but now that the children are 16 and 13 we all appreciate some quiet time to ourselves. There were plenty of country walks to be taken, a small summer house hidden away at the bottom of the garden to explore, plus the children each had their own room to escape to. We stayed in Wiltshire and it was a great location for day trips to Devon/Cornwall, Bath, Oxford, London, Portsmouth and Stonehenge.

We used Hideaways to book our cottage. Highlights of our trip were afternoon tea at Fortnum and Mason, visiting HMS Victory in Portmouth, Oxford university tour (Harry Potter fans keep your eyes open), tickets to see  Les Miserables in London, a walking tour of Bath and many, many beautiful country pubs.

Travel Tip : If you have an early morning flight then consider spending your last night at an airport hotel.

Do you have any travel tips?

      

Cordings

There is a wonderful shop on Picadilly in London called Cordings. It describes itself as the home of quality country clothing for Gentlemen and Ladies since 1839!

The store has been partly owned by rockstar Eric Clapton since 2003, and although he is a country boy at heart, his position as Design Director at the store has certainly infused their range with more high fashion items such as leather jodhpurs and Spanish riding boots similar to those worn by Kate Middleton.

Here is a taste:

They do ship to the US, but I am lucky enough to get to shop there in person twice a year, and my husband is there even more frequently than that.

Next time you are in London I hope that you will visit Cordings. It's a British institution. (And Wallis Simpson used to shop there!)

Pickett - round two!

My daughter and I went shopping in London last Autumn.

We took a stroll down the Burlington Arcade and as usual I stopped to drool over the handbags in Pickett.

I purchased this tan Helen bag. I wanted a larger size than they carry so had it custom made, and then shipped to the US. It only took a few weeks and I love, love, love it!

I bought the same bag last year

in black cherry

Next time you are in London I recommend a trip to the Burlington Arcade, both for the beauty of the Arcade itself, as well as for the luxury shopping it contains.

Gloves

I just love gloves.

When I worked in London, I always wore gloves in the winter, and remember that the first thing I did every day when I got on the train was to sit down, take off my gloves and place them in my lap.

I don't want to admit how often I forgot to put them back on! But because I lost so many pairs it means that I was always looking out for a new cute pair, and I guess I have never lost the habit.

I just spotted these 3/4 length gloves at Talbots.

A fab find don't you think?

Claridges

In just a few short weeks my husband and I will be staying at Claridge's Hotel in London.

We have not stayed there before but it is in the heart of the West End, so will be in easy walking distance of Bond Street, Covent Garden, Hyde Park and all of our usual haunts.

I'll post pictures of our actual room when we get back, but here are some images from the web to give you an idea of the decor - it's very British!

We have booked a table at Gordon Ramsay's restaurant for our first night. We'll be a little jet lagged so eating at the hotel is very convenient.

Marks and Spencers - M&S

I am going to be in London in a couple of weeks, and so have been looking at the websites of some of my favorite stores to plan my shopping. I always stop by M&S for nightwear and lingerie. I am planning on buying this nightwear ensemble....

Short Sleeve Spot PJ's

As for the lingerie... I think I'll keep that a secret but you can check out their selection here!

Arthur Price - Old English cutlery

OK, so yesterday I let you in on where I like to shop for the men in my life when I am visiting London.

But lets get to the good stuff.

This is one of the places that I like to shop for items for my homes! It is called Peter Jones and is located in Sloane Square.

It is a department store so sells clothes etc, but I like their houseware department. My favorite purchase last year was......

Arthur Price Old English cutlery

I love to buy my cutlery in England, because a basic place setting comes with a table knife, a table fork, a dessert spoon, a dessert knife, a dessert fork, a soup spoon and a tea spoon. I also use the dessert knife and fork for children as they fit more comfortably in their little hands. They're also perfect as a salad knife and fork.

Fish knives and forks

Pastry Forks

We use this cutlery everyday, and love it.

British Traditions : Tea

What happens when you put a couple of English people in a room for 30 minutes or more?

One of them will suggest "Shall we put the kettle on?"

We drink a lot of tea. Coffee too, but there is nothing like a good cup of tea, and you will find me whipping up a batch of scones as the slightest excuse.

To make a cup of tea you need to start with boiling water.

The easiest, fastest way is to use a cordless kettle. Mine is from Williams Sonoma....

But I also like this one is from Target...

Make sure that you buy a cordless one, so that you don't have to unplug it every time you need to fill it up. Whenever I need boiling water for cooking, I always get it from the kettle, its so much faster than waiting for it to heat up on the stove.

Next you need the tea.

I use PG Tips which is available in most US grocery stores. I love teabags, because there is no measuring, just use one bag per cup...

I also love Twinings English Breakfast.

If using a teapot...

Put a little boiling water in and swish it around to warm the pot, then toss that water into the sink. I always add one teabag per person and then one for the pot, so a teapot that serves 6 people needs 7 teabags. Add the boiling water and then allow to steep.

When ready to serve add the milk to the cup, and then pour on the tea, stirring as you pour. There has always been a great debate about which goes in the cup first, the tea or the milk. I prefer to add the milk first.

If making it in the cup...

Place the teabag in the cup, pour on the boiling water and allow to steep. Remove the teabag, and then stir in the milk. It doesn't taste quite as good this way, but if I'm just making a cup for myself then this is the way I do it.

My tea service is Wedgwood Clio.

I also have the coffee service...

I have expresso cups...

and coffee cups...

And I use these as my tea plates....

I started collecting this service when I was in my twenties, and for many years, I would receive pieces as gifts for Christmas or my Birthday, and each time I entertained I would buy something new.

Take your time choosing your own china pattern, and use it. I love my china, and am much happier using it and buying the occasional replacement piece than I would be if it were packed away carefully in boxes.

Afternoon Tea and Shopping at Fortnum & Mason

One of my favorite shops in London is Fortnum & Mason.

It is located at 181 Piccadilly, and is close to both Green Park and Piccadilly Circus tube stations.

I love the China, Glass and Silver department on the first floor, it is the perfect place to find things like silver salt spoons and other bits of nonsense that have no place in a modern lifestyle, but that we love anyway.

Fortnums is also known for its food halls, and is the perfect place to pick up a gift to take home.

The fishcakes at The Fountain Restaurant are fabulous, and who wouldn't love dining in this beautiful pink and green restaurant?

Updated in 2013:
But for me, the highlight of a visit to Fortnums is that it also a great place for a spot of afternoon tea. The St James tea room, located on the fourth floor was refurbished in 2012 and is now called The Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon after being opened by the Queen and the Duchess of Cambridge. I highly recommend that you make reservations either online or on Open Table before you go. There is no formal dress code but do dress up as if it's a special occasion. I went with my children last summer whilst my husband met with some friends and we were nicely dressed but in clothes suitable for a day of museum hopping. I honestly think that they might have turned us away if not for the fact that I had made reservations. Luckily they let us in and I promise you the curried chicken sandwiches are delicious.

The second floor is where you will find handbags and jewelry as well as a spa.

Great shopping, and great food under one roof, what more does a girl need?