Luxury treats and gifts in London – on the cheap!

If you adore luxury but hate paying for it then you've come to the right place as we list some amazing London gifts and treats that won't break the bank

Forget the Prada, the Burberry, the Rolls Royce and the Harley Davidson.  There’s a recession on.  Christmas is going to be somewhat curtailed.  That means no luxury and no self-indulgence.  Or does it?

In fact, you can still get serious luxury for very little in London – if you know where to look.  Here are a few ideas for the budgetarily-challenged.

1. Lucifer’s Ginger and chilli biscuits from Fortnum & Mason, £8.25.  Lovely buttery biscuits that deliver an unexpected kick, in a vivid orange container. Wicked in every way – it’s “the biscuit that bites back”!

2. Yumchaa’s Wild Rose Tea – white Pai mu tan tea with mint and rose petals.  A sensuous experience – buy it from Yumchaa at Camden Lock or their shop at 45 Berwick Street, Soho.

Yumchaa Tea Shop in Camden - a great place to sample a truly luxurious tea for very little indeed (image credit below)

3. I love the Liberty print suitcases in their defiantly bright chintz at £60 a throw, but they’re quite dear for a little treat.  You could also go for Liberty style with a witty twist and buy the Flower Power Union Jack – a 100% silk scarf with a floral print Union Jack to celebrate the Swinging Sixties and the 50th anniversary of Carnaby Street‘s fashion scene.

4. To celebrate the Diaghilev/Ballets Russes exhibition, the V&A Museum has created a tote bag with the back cloth design for Stravinsky’s Firebird – a magical cityscape of onion-domed cathedrals in glowing pink and pale blue against a dark background.  Serious loveliness for just £9.

5. Go to Waitrose and buy a bottle of Nyetimber at £25.  For the price of a half-decent non-vintage champagne you get a 2005 vintage sparkling wine which, as far as I’m concerned, is the real thing – an exceptional wine.  If ‘English sparkling wine’ means rotgut to you – think again!

6. Get chocolate coated coffee beans from Rococo chocolates (presented in a delightful orange-printed doll’s house) for £6.25.  Rococo is one of the best chocolatiers in London and you can’t do better, unless of course you like neither chocolate nor coffee – in which case you’re doomed anyway!

Treat yourself to London Porter Real Ale from Meantime Brewery - one of the city's most authentic beers (image credit below)

7. Get one of London’s traditional beer styles from Meantime Brewery in Greenwich – London Porter (a dark and smoky brew), London Pale Ale  with its crisp hoppy taste, or the velvety London stout (which, unlike some Irish beers we could mention, ‘pours without making you wait’).  Available at supermarkets at a very reasonable price, or you can try Brew Wharf in Southwark or the Old Brewery in Greenwich to drink it on the premises.

8. And finally, marmalade - a great British tradition with a new wholefood twist, from England Preserves at £4.60 (alas the minimum delivery for the website is over £20, but you can get the marmalade directly from the makers at Borough Market on Thursday, Friday and Saturday).  With less sugar than normal and the fruit simmered but not boiled, you get fruit flavour without syrupyness.  It’s rather special!

Finally, how about a luxury London hotel crawl?  You’ll get the best of London luxury hotels without actually paying to stay in them!  If you have that mindset then the best London hotel freebies may also interest you.

If you do wish to indulge yourself though, then why not go the whole hog and check out the best luxury London hotels for foodies?

Here’s hoping all our readers have a satisfyingly luxurious Christmas – and an even more prosperous New Year!

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Photo credits: Yumchaa Tea, Bernt Rostad’s photostream.