The Best Things to Buy in London
Have you spent months planning a trip to London? In all of your research on things to do and places to eat, you might not have thought about the best things to buy in London yet.
Finding a souvenir in one of the world’s most famous cities isn’t hard. Every attraction will have a gift shop. It’s highly likely you will walk through at least one on your London trip.
The Most Popular Things to Buy in London
In any big city you can find T-shirts, keychains, refrigerator magnets, snow globes and postcards. In London, popular iconic souvenirs include Big Ben figurines, small red busses, metal telephone boxes filled with bad tea bags, something from Harrods and umbrellas. In Central London, you will find countless trinkets displaying a Union Jack.
But, why not aim for something with a more local feel? Consider bringing home souvenirs from London that actual Londoners would typically buy, enjoy and want. Or maybe get souvenirs that are created by local artists?
After living in London for over a decade as an American married to an Englishman, I have had time to really explore and learn what the best things to buy in London are.
The Best Things to Buy in London: Tea & Hampers
Tea in England
Drinking tea all the time isn’t just a British stereotype. It’s what people do here. For real. All the time.
But, to be honest, most drink the very inexpensive brand PG tips or Yorkshire on a regular basis. You could grab a box of it here or go for something a little more royal and posh like tea from Fortnum & Mason.
This iconic British luxury department store currently holds royal warrants from His Majesty the King and the Prince of Wales. Famous British chefs who rave about Fortnum and Mason include Nigella Lawson and Mary Berry. Charles Dickens was a fan too.
What’s great about choosing Fortnum and Mason tea is that you can find many of their popular products at World Duty Free in Gatwick and Heathrow airport. Keep this in mind in case you don’t have time on a short trip to London to go to the flagship store or satellite shops.
It won’t necessarily be cheaper, but you can save it for last minute and not worry about finding room for it in your checked bag.
Buying a bone china teacup that was made in England is an option, but I always worry about an item so delicate breaking on a long international flight. However, online you can find many beautiful coffee and tea accessories. I have the tea timer and use it daily!
Fortnum and Mason Hampers
The ultimate Christmas gift from London you could send yourself or someone else is a Fortnum and Mason hamper. They rank really high on the Royal’s list too.
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Sports Memorabilia
Team Scarves and Jerseys
It’s not nearly as common for British people as it is for Americans to wear gear that displays their team’s colours or logo. But, they suit up for the match. Rather than a team jersey, most will likely have a scarf to throw around their neck so they can make sure their vocal cords are nice and warm when they need to chant for their team.
When I visited Madrid, I bought a Real Madrid hat after taking the stadium tour. You can take stadium tours in London and also grab some memorabilia at the end.
Stadium Tours
There are quite a few London teams you could choose from and some iconic stadiums to visit.
Some that I suggest are:
- Wembley Stadium Tour, see the England football team’s home turf
- Chelsea FC Stadium Tour
- Arsenal Stadium Tour
- Tottenham Hotspur Stadium Tour
- London Stadium Tour, the stadium built for the London 2012 Olympics and now home of West Ham United
Restaurants and Regional Chefs’ Cookbooks
Restaurants
Depending on where you eat in London, you might be able to buy one of the restaurant’s or chef’s cookbooks.
Chefs
If you haven’t kept up with British cuisine over the past decade, you might not realise how far it’s come. London has around 80 Michelin star restaurants!
Popular British Chefs and restaurants with books are:
- Nigella Lawson
- Jamie Oliver
- Gordon Ramsay
- Michel Roux
- The Pie Room by Calum Franklin (the ‘Pie King’)
Best Things to Buy in London- Travel Gifts
The ultimate gift store for travel lovers in London is Stanfords in Covent Garden. Inside you can find stationary, globes, notepads and paper. You’ll find tons of gifts for people who love London, gifts for travel addicts and gifts for map lovers.
You’ll also see that they host events each month for travel enthusiasts!
Christmas Gifts from London
Ornaments
If you have visited London for Christmas you know how gorgeous it is here. There are tons of souvenirs you can get for yourself or anyone who loves London and Christmas.
The Tower of London actually has a nice selection of Christmas ornaments. Additionally, Harrods Christmas Shop is one of the first to open each year in early Autumn. Selfridges and John Lewis also have nice ornaments.
Traditional Food
If you’re a foodie like me, perhaps the ultimate Christmas food gift would be Christmas pudding. But, although it’s stereotypical here, it’s not necessarily something everyone eats.
However, that’s because they don’t know the best place to go in London for delicious Christmas pudding.
If you can get to Borough Market, visit Mclaren’s Christmas pudding. This can be at any time of the year. Like fruitcake, Christmas pudding keeps for a really long time.
You can read about their history as a family owned small company and what makes their offer so different and lovely. Trust me- I didn’t like Christmas pudding until I tried their recipe. And you MUST follow the directions to eat it properly like a British person too! It’s quite spectacular!
Christmas in London
Don’t ruin your London trip with a bad itinerary! Your dream Christmas in London starts here.
From sparkling lights to perfect itineraries, self-guided walks and everything in between, our brand new Christmas in London guide is packed with festive magic! (and Mr Sunny’s holiday sausage roll recipe)
Don’t miss out on your Christmas like a movie!
Best Things to Buy in London- Most Unique
And then there is the one souvenir that you can be guaranteed no one else has- your photos.
I think the best idea to commemorate your London trip is something showing your experiences. What about creating a calendar on Shutterfly of all your best photos? This way, every day you can be reminded of something special you did while visiting London.
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Best Things to Buy in London- What NOT to Buy
For shopping, there are certain British brands or clothes, shoes and handbags that I recommend in my American’s Guide to Shopping in London.
However, I will quickly highlight some things to buy in London that I would SKIP! Tons of websites suggest that you go to the M&Ms World store in Leicester Square. That just doesn’t make sense to me. You can get the candy at any convenient store in America.
Also, Harry Potter merchandise is easily accessible on Amazon, so I wouldn’t take up space in my suitcase for it either. But, grabbing this picture at either the Warner Bros. Making of Harry Potter Studio Tour or at St. Pancras International Station is one to put in that photo calendar I suggested.
What memorable souvenirs have you bought in a destination? Have you ever taken a photo and had it printed to remember your trip?
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Agree about Fortnum and Madon tea. Also, for better quality souvenirs, try the Queens Gallery or Buckingham Palace gift shops. Some gifts are pricey but you can also get affordable ones.
Thank you for the feedback and suggestions! When I bring gifts home to my family from London, they are either from Fortnum or something nice and royal themed. Before I moved here I thought Harrods was the most iconic. I now realise that British people really value Fortnum and Mason more.