House of Fraser 'World of Food', Birmingham

Much as I'd like to pretend that this is a shop that I frequent, I have to mention, even in the opening paragraph of this review, that the House of Fraser World of Food is the kind of place that you go to look and dream, such are the prices.

As you reach the bottom of the escalator (the World of Food department is the lower ground floor/basement) the first thing that catches your attention is a huge display of pots and pans in front of you. Displays like these are banked around the outer section of the floor space with a walkway separating them from a number of fresh food counters which fill the inner section. The counters each have a speciality and a few offer counters or cafe-style tables and chairs for customers to sit at and enjoy a quick snack and a drink. As you might expect, there are deli, bakery, fruit and veg, fish and confectionery counters. But my favourite is the coffee counter. It is appropriately situated alongside the confectionery counter and its stands, and includes a well laid out area of tables and chairs as well as some stools so that you can sit at a bank alongside the counter where the coffee-action takes place.

On my visit, I was accompanied by my little sister, Debbie. This presents a challenge for the budding coffee salesman as your average 11 year-old isn't a standard coffee drinker. But the coffee on offer was anything but standard and the quality of service and enthusiastic engagement with customers was far more and much better than a mere sales-pitch. It wasn't difficult to start chatting to Saleem, the supervisor of the coffee counter, whose knowledge of his range was so accessibly communicated with both warmth and helpful explanation. There were no patronising, technical descriptions of the coffees. Saleem took the time to place in our hands a sample of each bean encouraging us to appreciate the distinctive aroma and flavour of each one. Debbie wasn't spoken down to as a child and was so engaged that she expressed a real desire to try some coffee rather than just opting out and having a hot chocolate. Again, Saleem was fantastic and brewed up what he described as a 'rich Mocha' - a full-flavoured yet delicate drink bringing together the Breakfast Blend bean with enough chocolate to make for a yummy taste that any girl would enjoy. I enjoyed a cup of Costa Rican coffee. Of course, I couldn't possibly leave without buying a little to take home to enjoy with Simone and at just 1.50 for 100 grams, the prices were more than competitive. Debbie was thrilled to be given a free sample to mark her initiation as a coffee connoisseur!

The House of Fraser World of Food is a great venue for finding all of those wonderful culinary items that you dream of one day adding to your kitchen. I was especially taken by the range of Alessi items (for example, this kettle) which, thanks to the encouragement of my design fanatic friend Steven Kyffin, I can't help but desire! All the other high quality brands were represented too with displays of products endorsed by celebrity chefs through to well-known names such as Bodum and Pyrex. But the coffee department was by far my favourite part and I will definitely be stopping in for a coffee whenever I'm in Birmingham city centre.