... but he can’t get a Fortnum’s hamper
FORTNUM & Mason has turned down an order for its Christmas hamper for the first time because it came from North Korea.
The online order of the £100 Grosvenor hamper was flagged with staff and refused due to trade sanctions.
While there is no evidence to suggest that the order came from a high-ranking official, it is unlikely many outside Pyongyang, where most residents work in government, would be able to afford such an extravagance – or indeed place an order over the internet, which is strictly controlled.
Fortnum’s Grosvenor hamper is described as pleasing to ‘even the most discerning palate’. Its contents include cinnamon-dusted milk chocolate almonds and a bottle of Portuguese Dao Tinto red wine. Ewan Venters, of Fortnum’s, said: ‘The order came through during the middle of the night and the trading manager was then alerted to the report. It was then manually intercepted and a decision was made to decline the order based on trading sanctions placed on the recipient country.’