The thing I love most about snooping on Poopsnoop is it’s not a competition for the best articles or the best pictures. Most of my contributions get a good amount of traffic. It’s real life, that’s what everyone shares. So because you get to the know the other people snooping you naturally become curious to see what they are sharing.

I eat toast and preserves almost every day. I love jam and marmalade, was brought up on homemade, not because we were fancy, more because it was cheaper so my taste buds now prefer that homemade fresh fruit flavour.

I’ve seen a few people on here extolling the virtues of different luxury foods and decided to treat myself to a jar of the Fortnum and Mason The Monarch marmalade. I normally buy Irresistable medium cut Seville marmalade from the Coop day to day unless I am at a market or food faire when you’ll usually find me hovering around a homemade preserve stand in between the flowers, plants and health food offerings.

My regular marmalade costs about £3 per jar so the Monarch £8.00 is a big jump, that said the taste sensation is worth the price hike.

The only thing I begrudge is a £6 shipping fee on a jar of marmalade which stops me ordering as frequently as I might and I usually look for a couple of other items to try when I do. I’ve even bought the marmalade as gifts for my friends to try to bring the shipping aggregate down. I felt an obligation when I’ve over shared how marvellous it is and it’s such an effort to get a jar if you don’t live in London.

If you are reading this saying/assuming you have to be wealthy to enjoy small luxuries like this I say not true. I drive a small 15 year old car, I don’t have cable TV, I go to the library instead. The only clothes I really buy are for exercise, I practise yoga daily and my holidays are usually house swaps, staying with friends or at a yoga retreat in the middle of nowhere, experiencing sound baths, eating fruit and chanting, well not quite but you get the idea. Incidentally I don’t wear crocs or Birkenstocks.

I like the Coop marmalade, and 6 months of the year I eat it quite happily, it’s tasty good value and one of the best mainstream marmalades I’ve discovered, tangy with pretty decent sized orange peel pieces.

However if you truly desire an upgrade the Monarch preserve from Fortum and Mason is another level. It’s the kind of memorable experience I’d imagine you’d get in the Ritz or the Savoy if a butler brought you your breakfast.

It makes me think about Maggie Smiths classic line in Goddard Park about the marmalade (2001) every time I slap it on my toast,

"Bought marmalade? Oh dear, I call that very feeble."

If they’d given her “The Monarch” there would not have been any complaining I am sure.

It does elevate you toast, a marmalade worthy of its title.

If you’ve got kids in the house, keep it hidden.