Bye bye hamper, hello hot sauce: Fortnum & Mason return to their roots with a new collection of ingredients and cookware

What on earth do you get your in-laws to mark a special occasion? It could be a birthday or Christmas. Neither's easier because when it comes to gift giving for someone whose personal likes and dislikes allude you, it's always a minefield.

There has, though, always been a glimmer of hope in these times of stress — and that is that if at wits end, there's the always fail-safe, elegant and, crucially, appropriate Fortum & Mason hamper.

Until now.

Recently, Fortnums, on London's Piccadilly, decided to muddy the present-buying waters with the introduction of the Fortnum's Kitchen range — the idea: a present for the tasteful cook, good or not, in your life. It marks a pivot for the capital's famed upmarket department store which was established in 1707 by — unsurprisingly — William Fortnum and Hugh Mason, and hasn't always been so focused on foodstuffs.

Previously described by Country Life as the ‘spiritual home of sugared almonds’, and the first place in Britain to see sense and stock the greatest of all the tinned goods, the humble baked bean, it is perhaps fitting that Fortnums is now stocking a range solely comprised of premium ingredients and luxury cookware.

'Over the last few decades, tea and biscuits have been very much hero categories for us, along with chocolate, but we do want to be at the heart of extraordinary food,' explains Liz Morgan, Fortnum's Buying Director. 'Really focusing on ingredients is part of our strategy going forward.'

And it's not altogether that surprising. The store's current owner is the Weston family, whose operations began back in 1884, when George Weston bought a Toronto bakery. (The Weston’s also own Associated British Foods.) And, of course, Fortnums itself started out as a grocery store. And they invented the Scotch egg (at least according to them; various people like to lay claim to the creation of — in my humble opinion at least — the veritably disgusting delicacy). Two years ago, they revamped the third floor and introduced a food and drink studio. Is this less of a pivot and more of a brand returning to its roots?

The Miso & Black Garlic Flavour Paste and Orange-Infused Olive Oil, however, are anything but items that you’d find in a traditional British grocers. Likewise, the Sicilian Pistachio Paste, which is — its packaging declares — ‘perfectly paired with pesto, pastries and scones’, a far cry from Fortnum's Scotch egg days of yore (or lore), though much more appealing.

The range is 'all about integrity of ingredients and really well sourced,' Morgan says. 'We wanted to support people cooking at home to deliver the best quality meals and give them really simple solutions as well, because we know everyone's really busy and time is a premium.'

Citing their Secret Ingredient selection, Morgan explains the idea is that Fortnum has done the hard work for you. 'We've got Nduja and Tomato Sauce — if you've had a busy day at work, but you're having a friend over for dinner, you can just stir through some spaghetti, grate some Parmesan on top, and you have a restaurant quality meal.'

Pastes and marinades aside, there's also jellies which, it's suggested, go well with meats and cheeses, and various hot sauces.

While Fortnums is known as a British brand the range is internationally sourced. 'We would always look to the UK first to to source our products,' Morgan says. 'But again, we've really tried to look at what restaurants are serving in London and the rest of the UK and what people are cooking. So we're trying to, I suppose, represent that with what we're offering to the customer. It doesn't mean we're moving away from our from our British roots.'

The elegant kitchenware, designed by London-based artist Kelly Anna, is all white and Fortnums famed Eau de Nil and chefs were consulted along the way to ensure that the products are as practical as they are gorgeous.

Morgan calls Fortnum's Kitchen ‘more than just a selection of pantry staples’ and said the range was a commitment from the brand to maintaining Fortnum’s legacy as 'an authority in food'.

The best news? You can still create your own hamper and add in bits from the new range, allowing for the best of both worlds the next time your gift-giving capabilities are put to the test.