Monday, November 05, 2012

Pretty Paper


Over the weekend, I visited the Fortnum & Mason website to buy a Christmas pudding.  Although it was never really an annual tradition in my family to serve Christmas pudding, there were a few holidays when my parents ordered one from Fortnum & Mason.  I remember it vividly.  Well, actually, I can't remember if I liked the taste or not.  What I do recall, though, were those terrific china basins in which the puddings were packaged.  And being the sucker that I am for a pretty package, I felt that this year I needed to order a pudding, although I admit it's more for the bowl rather than the pudding itself.

So, while I was on the Fortnum & Mason website, I noticed that they now sell cakes from Demel.  Well, that excited me because I visited the venerable patisserie while in Vienna a few years ago.  Their chocolates are absolutely delicious, but what I liked even more than the chocolate itself was, wait for it...the packaging.  I even saved two of their candy bar wrappers.  They've been sitting in a drawer for five years, and heaven knows what I'll ever do with them.  Still, you can't just throw away wrappers like this:



After leaving the Fortnum website, I just had to visit the Demel site.  I didn't order anything considering that I had a high-calorie pudding on the way to me, but I certainly did spend time browsing.  Just look at their chocolate box that is based on a Wiener Werkstätte design:



Then there's Les Orangines containing candies of orange fondant and orange marzipan:






And for you cat lovers, the Katzenzungen milk, which is described as cat's tongue shapes made of milk chocolate:





And then, as usually happens when surfing the web, I somehow ended up on another site, this one with even more charming boxes and bags, the French chocolatier Maison Boissier:











They even have chocolate petals:






Then I found the pretty boxes of Prestat chocolate from England:





At this point, my confectionary tour ended because I knew if I didn't stop, I'd be up all night.  I didn't even make it to the Laduree or Charbonnel et Walker sites.  If you know of other sites with packaged chocolates and candies like those at Demel and Maison Boissier, please let me know.  I might be ready to take another tour very soon.

11 comments:

  1. Great to read you like traditional English Christmas Pudding. Expect you have already seen the Edward Bawden/F & M books, but in case you haven't:http://stjudesgallery.co.uk/artists/e_bawden/alacarte.htm

    This has inspired me for a future GS post...

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    1. I am aware of the Bawden/F&M books, but have not seen them in person. Seems as though I need to add them to my ever growing wish list!

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  2. I love Demel and they were open in The Plaza briefly and will be reopening soon.
    http://www.demel.at/en/frames/index_ny.htm

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    1. I heard that they had opened a boutique in The Plaza, and I'm sorry to hear that it didn't last very long. I do hope they reopen soon!

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  3. Debauve & Gallais in Paris has a very royal and glamorous box of chocolates that are available in the US.
    The Marquise de Sevigne brand of chocolates from France has changed their packaging but you can get a whole box of the "Sevigne" flavor that comes wrapped in foil with a picture of the Marquise on top. They only ship within France but have a couple of stores in Paris.
    Both brands are delicious.
    Although I have yet to try them A La Reine Astrid is another Parisian brand of chocolates located in France and named after the late Queen of Belgium as a tribute to her by the founders of the brand.

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    1. Thank you so much, paintbrush! I'm off to search for their websites. Looks like I have another long night ahead of me...

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  4. I've made my own Christmas pudding for years and had amassed a whole collection of pudding bowls. This dessert is definitely an acquired taste and my recipe made more than I could give as gifts. Since I loved it, I found myself eating way too much and now rarely make it. But I do collect wrappers and have some of those Demel papers as well as some from LeNotre in Paris.

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    1. Linda, thank you for your comment. I'm not familiar with LeNotre, but will check out their site asap.

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  5. Anonymous5:36 PM

    The Prestat boxes are designed by Lulu Guinness. But the prettiest boxes of all are the Altman & Kuehne, http://www.altmann-kuehne.at/, also in Vienna. The boxes are collectors' pieces in their own right, filled with Lilliputian chocolates.

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    1. Anon- I knew that there was another prominent chocolatier in Vienna, but couldn't remember the name. Thank you, thank you for letting me know!

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  6. Anonymous1:37 PM

    So happy to know there are other "package addicts" out there! I am simply not capable of discarding a beautifully designed wrapper or box! (nor was my mother!)
    It actually came in handy recently! I have purchased every iphone that has come out; and of course, could not throw away the beautiful boxes. When I replaced the last one; I sold the former one for more than the new one because I saved the box!!

    What a great post!

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