In 1707 Hugh Mason had a small shop in St Jamess Market and a spare room in his house. The Fortnum family had come to London from Oxford as high-class builders in the wake of the Great Fire, helping to establish the St Jamess and Mayfair areas as the most fashionable in London. William climbed another rung by taking a post as footman in Queen Annes household – and the room at Mr Masons. The Royal Familys insistence on having new candles every night meant a lot of half-used wax for an enterprising footman to sell on at a profit so while the Queens wages paid the rent, Williams enlightened sideline melted down into enough to start a respectable business. The rest, as they say, is grocery.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
To commemorate the event, they are selling, for this year only, The Tercenturian Hamper<\/i>. It needs The Capitalization. You see, it's £20,000.<\/p>\n
![](\"http:\/\/www.flubu.com\/images\/LJ\/fm300hamper.jpg\")
<\/center><\/p>\nIt contains:<\/p>\n
* Cup of Excellence Coffee Gift
\n * 3x 250g caddies; Ladies\u2019 Travel Set includes Jewellery Roll, Slippers, Mask and Cushion
\n * 25 Person Foie Gras en Croûte, 1.09kg
\n * Balsamic Treasure Trove, 2x 250ml bottle, 3x 50ml bottles
\n * Two pairs of Cashmere Socks in pink and grey
\n * Side of Smoked Scottish Wild Salmon, min. wt. 1.6kg
\n * Beluga Caviar, 200g tin
\n * William Yeoward Caviar Glass Dish
\n * Château d\u2019Yquem, 1er Grand Cru Sauternes 1996 5 ltr Jeroboam
\n * Le Montrachet Grand Cru, J Prieur 1995
\n * Leather Cigar Holder
\n * Two William Yeoward Champagne Flutes
\n * William Yeoward Champagne Jug
\n * Three-tier Rich Celebration Fruitcake, min. wt. 8kg
\n * Château Latour, 1er Grand Cru Classe Pauillac 1970
\n * Gentleman\u2019s Leather Jewellery Box
\n * Silver-plated Elephant Place Settings
\n * Two Cashmere Scarves in pink and brown
\n * Silk Box filled with a Selection of Chocolates, 2kg box
\n * Beaufort Cheese, min. wt. 2kg
\n * Cropwell Bishop Whole Baby Stilton, min. wt. 2.2kg
\n * Highgrove Ham, min. wt. 5.7kg
\n * Krug Champagne, Vintage Collection 1981, Magnum
\n * Tercentenary Champagne Truffles, 250g drum
\n * Vintage Port, Fonseca 1955
\n * Herend Tea Set for Two
\n * Tercentenary Ceramic Tea Caddy containing White Tea, 40g
\n * Château Margaux, 1er Grand Cru Classe Margaux 1983
\n * St James Christmas Pudding, 1.81kg ceramic basin
\n * Griottes, 227g wooden box
\n * Fortnum\u2019s Favourites, 2.8kg box
\n * Wood and Steel Cigar Cutter
\n * Baron de Lustrac, Armagnac 1900
\n * Hand-engraved Stationery
\n * Wine Notes Book in Leather
\n * Entertaining Book
\n * “The First Three Hundred Years”, Fortnum & Mason Book
\n * Chunk Comb Honey, 14lb jar
\n * The Paragon Crackers, box of six
\n * William Yeoward Glass Honey Pot
\n * Lime Curd, 908g jar
\n * Lemon Curd, 908g jar
\n * Fortnum & Mason Apron, Oven Glove, Tea Cosie and Tea Towel
\n * Two leather Luggage Tags in red and black<\/p>\n
Presented in a three-tiered English willow hamper set.<\/p>\n
TWENTY THOUSAND POUNDS OMGWTFBBQ!!!11!11!11oneone!!1!<\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
This year marks Fortnum & Mason's 300th anniversary. From their FAQ: In 1707 Hugh Mason had a small shop in St Jamess Market and a spare room in his house. The Fortnum family had come to London from Oxford as high-class builders in the wake of the Great Fire, helping to establish the St Jamess…<\/p>\n