Step through the doors of Harrods in December, and the air changes. The scent of cinnamon and pine mingles with polished marble and warm light, wrapping the senses in something unmistakably festive. London does Christmas well, but Harrods feels less like a store and more like its own little world. This year, London’s most famous department store has reimagined its holiday story with a blend of tradition, theatre, and quiet luxury. It’s proof that the best kind of magic doesn’

Fortnum & Mason has been trading on Piccadilly since 1707. You can walk in off the street with no appointment, wander several floors of food hall and leave having spent nothing at all, and plenty of people do. Here is what to look at while you are there: the chocolate counter, the spiral staircase, the Duke Street stairs and the four-tonne clock on the shop front.