Westfield Special
Oil & Vinegar
Anyone considering themselves something of a foodie will love this established delicatessen. Rustic shelves are packed with beautiful things for the kitchen, from premium ingredients, like over 25 varieties of olive oil, bruschetta and specialist Spanish vinegars, to authentic cooking hardware including heaving Italian pasta dishes and robust place mats. If you're passing and peckish, it's worth stopping by for tasting sessions with dipping oils and hefty crusts of toasted bread. If you're lucky, they may have uncorked a bottle of their selection of fine South African wines. And if you're feeling generous, the shop offers a good gift-wrapping service.
Mary Chocolatier
First established in 1919, this authentic Belgian confectioner will be a source of much delight for lovers of rich, exotic truffles and tablets in all their forms (with 70 different types of praline alone). The shop is furnished like a cosy but elegant little chocolate parlour from the streets of Belgium, and is staffed by chocolate connoisseurs who will take on bespoke commissions for special occasions. The brand prides itself on its natural approach to chocolate making – all of its seductive products are handmade, preservative free and dangerously pleasing to the palate.
Waitrose
Gordon Ramsay recently raved about Waitrose, which, frankly, is all the (unpaid) endorsement we need. Waitrose is certainly a financial cut above its competitors but you get what you pay for at this premium supermarket, whose heaving delicatessen, meat and fish counters and fragrant bakery rival those of niche, luxurious locals. The sparkling new superstore at Westfield marks a welcome return to home territory for the chain: Waite, Rose and Taylor opened their first shop nearby in 1904;185 branches later, Waitrose has become a byword for quality, high-end grocery shopping, abundant in Notting Hill-style dining favourites like marinated artichokes, an olive bar and gleaming exotic fruits. Open: Mon- Fri 8am-9pm, Sat 8am-7pm, Sun 12 noon-6pm
Sweets from Heaven
In this age of organic vegetables and free-range chickens, it's perhaps a guilty pleasure to guzzle a bag of brightly coloured boiled sweets and sticky gums. However, when a sugar rush is required this sweet stall will find you, well, like the proverbial kid in a candy store. With American-style sorbet décor and retro treats like popcorn, soft toys (perfect for assuaging toddlers who have less tolerance for a long shopping trip than their mothers) and healthier snacks like dried fruit and nuts.
Marks & Spencer
It's hard to conjure up thoughts of the M&S food hall without dreaming of the chocolaty tones of Dervla Kirwan on voiceover, but there's little argument that the long-favoured M&S sandwich has no parallel as shopping fuel. This new M&S flagship store is one of what Westfield are describing as the 'four corner anchors' of the complex, and the gleaming fresh food hall, with bakery and café, has a full range of easy to prepare, quickly devoured groceries to take in, take away or take home.