Borough Market to Soho; reflections on walking across London – which involved tea…

Lunching in a none chain café near Borough Market of late, conversation about presentations, sewing machines and ribbon kindled a childhood memory of the Woolworths store in the old high street.  As a child, accompanying my Gran who was after buttons for a cardigan she was knitting, I stood tip toe to help her chose the right button.  Alluring as the sweet counter, presenting rows of enticing delicacies such as black jacks and fruit salads, shrimps and flying saucers, chocolate mice and liquorice wheels, the button counter presented a captivating array of colour, pattern, texture and promise.  

Unbeknown to me the friend with whom I was lunching shared a passion for the Haberdashery.  As she named her favourite London stores, my mind changed from visiting Petticoat Lane, to that of  Soho and Marylebone and calling into MacCulloch & Wallis and V V Rouleux.  This was a walk which took me along the banks of the Thames, across the bridge to Embankment, up to the Strand, St Martins and Cambridge Circus.  Rain was in the air, the sky was grey and the ambience somewhat dark and as I turned into Greek Street the cake and tea equivalent of a Haberdashers, came into view; Maison Bertaux.  Bertaux’s mince pies are exquisite, thus the decision to stop and partake of tea was not a difficult one.

Refreshed by the entirety of Bertaux; tea, cake, people, conversation, happenings, I resumed my adventure towards MacCulloch & Wallis.  Here I spent over an hour auditioning ribbon for my tree, the various Christmas parcels yet to be wrapped, and simply ribbon that should be purchased for presents and parcels of the future.