Our son, Alex, is allergic to gluten and dairy so, in solidarity with him, my husband and I do not eat these things either (our daughter Biz does not live at home, so she eats as she pleases). But for a number of reasons, I am also not eating sugar right now. That’s probably why the candy department at Selfridges in London looked so very appealing yesterday.
It was nearly painful to see all the chocolates. And marshmallow treats, which I love, seemed to be calling to me from every counter. But most difficult to ignore were the clever candies that did as much to entertain as they did to satisfy the sweet tooth.
Case in point: Scrabble (my personal favorite game), Trivial Pursuit and Monopoly “games” made of wrapped chocolates. There were also floral-embellished, fully formed teapots made entirely of confection. The marshmallow handbags were embellished with jellies and neatly wrapped in cellophane. The chocolate shoes, however, got special treatment (and at £17.50, they should) with a lovely satin bow.
I hope I can keep myself from breaking down and buying one of these treats. It would be just like me to justify it by saying I’m taking it home for someone else, then open it and eat it fast before I can really think too much about it. So I am staying away from Selfridges today. I’ll be at Liberty of London, Mexx, Zara Home and a several other stores and shops where I hope there are no candy departments.