What a huge selection greeted me when I enquired of the elderly sales assistant. Unfortunately, there were no liquorice toffees in stock so I left vowing to return at a later date.
Into the neighbouring town of Stevenage where we searched (unsuccessfully at first) for pillows. Lunch was overdue, so we drove to the Frankie and Benny's Diner where we had a lovely late lunch (2.30) that ended with some delicious fruit crumble.
A search of shops in the town centre provided two pillows from BHS, a new lamp for my bedside table and some sugar-free cough candy sweets from the Stevenage branch of Mr Simm's Olde Sweet Shoppe.
So what did we discover?
- Both Frankie and Benny's and Mr Simms Olde Sweet Shoppe are franchises. We'd eaten in an identical diner in Hatfield and, despite the age-difference in the buildings in which the sweet shops were housed, both interiors were very similar. They'd both run out of liquorice toffees and were unsure about when they'd re-stock.
- The large stores (M&S, BHS (although the online store stocks them) and the lingerie chain La Senza no longer stock Sloggi. It'll have to be internet shopping for undies for me from now on.
- I should have opted for the adjustable knee support as the one I bought was uncomfortable where the seams constricted both the affected muscles, the area below the knee, and the calf.
