‘I bought £117 picnic from King Charles’ favourite shop – £4.50 snack blew me away’

A YouTuber was left in awe by one item at one of the UK’s most iconic – and priciest – food stores.

Fortnum and Mason, the posh people’s grocer, proudly displays not one but two royal warrants – marking recognition from Queen Camilla was well as . The monarch is such a fan of the store, in fact, that he chose it as his partner to develop his brand of good from Highgrove. But is the 317-year-old London food store really that much better than a humble Asda or Tesco?

Intrepid YouTuber Harrison Webb ventured inside Fortnums’ fabled Piccadilly premises to find out. Within moments he found a box of Christmas chocolates – admittedly weighing in at a hefty 1.6kg – that cost £175. The bustling shop had no shortage of customers, despite the sky-high prices, but then some of the fare on offer was worth every penny.

He singled out Fortum and Mason’s scotch egg as being particularly well worth its £3.50 price tag – and so it should be. While you can get a two-pack of Scotch eggs for around a quarter of that price, Fortum’s is the home of that particular delicacy.

Former royal footman William Fortnum, who co-founded the shop in 1705, came up with the idea of wrapping a hard-boiled egg in sausage meat and breadcrumbs, and the practical, portable snack has become known around the world.

Harrison tried one out, and it did not disappoint: “This is probably one of the best Scotch eggs you’re ever going to have,” he declared. “Everything is done perfectly. If you’re ever in London definitely come and give this a try.”

Fortnums’ scotch egg shares some of its ingredients with their sausage roll – a chunky treat that dwarfs similar offerings from Greggs or Pret.

Harrison was very impressed by the sausage roll too. He added: “The filling in there, the flavours, the herbs …the sausage meat is just so well-seasoned. The pastry is brilliant it’s not crispy but I imagine if you put this in the oven this is going to be honestly unbelievable.”

He added that, while it’s a good deal more expensive than the average high street sausage rolls, the sheer size of the Fortnums offering makes it great value. He continued: “Value-wise, £3.50 for this I think is brilliant. I don’t think even regular supermarkets do a sausage roll that big for £3.50.”

All in, though, Harrison’s premium picnic from Fortnums – which included two pasta dishes and a selection of delicious chocolates. cost him just over £117. He was delighted with most of his purchases, but at those prices you’d have too be a king – or a queen – to shop there regularly.