London {where to shop}

When I was in London last month, most of my time was spent helping Noah get ready for his big audition, but I did find a few moments to sneak out and do a little bit of shopping. These are some of my favorite places to shop in London. 


The Savanna

I have lived on three continents in my many years as an ex-pat. What that means is I have foods that I love and miss from all of those places. An Italian restaurant in Niger, Tex-Mex and BBQ from the US, and biltong from southern Africa are just a few of the things on that list. In Rome when I am craving biltong, I buy Coppiette di Suino , which is a surprisingly good substitute. When I go to London, my first stop when I arrive in Victoria Station is always to The Savanna, a small shop stocked with everything a homesick southern African could want; Mazoe orange, Ghost Pops, Zoo Biscuits and 4 different kinds of biltong.  

Rococo Chocolates
3 Moxon street

I am a sucker for pretty packaging. Pair that with chocolate and it can only mean trouble. Just off the Marleybone High street is a small outlet of the pretty chocolate shop, Rococo Chocolates where I buy too many tiny Mini Bee Bars with delightful charming wrapping and promise myself that they are all gifts. 

Daunt Books
83 Marylebone High Street

I love the ease and speed of Amazon.it and my kindle but nothing beats a real bookstore filled with real books. Daunt Books is one of those bookstores where you want to buy every single title you see. Particularly when you spot books that your friends just wrote. Edwardian in style with wooden floors and tables piled with perfectly curated choices, a trip to Daunt almost always means purchasing an extra baggage allowance for our flight home. 

Selfridges & Co. 
400 Oxford Street

While I waited for a new season of Downton Abbey I discovered another British period drama. Mr. Selfridge is a delightful glimpse into the life of the bold American, Harry Gordon Selfridge and his iconic department store in Marylebone. A few hours at Selfridges is always on my London itinerary. I love the food court here that has a culinary mishmash of my favorite things like biltong, artisan cheddar cheese, and a Krispy Kreme donut kiosk. You could spend an entire day here shopping for chocolate, shoes, stationery and gorgeous home goods. 

& Other Stories
256—258 Regent Street

All those High Street stores start to look alike after a while.  Top Shop, River Island, blah, blah, blah.  I didn't have time to sift through the racks so I really needed a one-stop-shop that wasn't overwhelming.  My well-traveled pal Elizabeth had mentioned she had discovered such a place on one of her trips to London. & Other Stories is indeed exactly what I was looking for.  Cute, well-priced clothes and shoes, fantastic makeup and fun jewelry and accessories. All of that AND it is Scandinavian. I am sure this is just the type of place Katrin, from my latest TV obsession, Borgen, would shop.

Liberty of London
Great Marlborough Street

I have been shopping at Liberty since I was a teenager. With its Tudor revival facade and dark wooden floors and staircases, a visit was always like a treasure hunt. I used to head straight up the stairs to the small hidden room on the top floor filled with fabric remnants and drastically marked down items. This sadly no longer exists in quite the same way.  Now I go to the chocolate room on the ground floor which is one of the best one stop chocolate shopping stops in London. I wish I had bought more bars of the Prestat dark chocolate with pink Himalayan salt.