I am not the least bit embarrassed to confess to a passion for collecting culinary souvenirs of my trips abroad. On various occasions and in a host of countries, I have quietly begged restaurant owners for a copy of their menu, I have asked waiters to put my empty wine bottles in a paper bag so that I could later steam off and save the labels, and I have zealously hoarded empty tins, jars, baskets and earthenware containers long after the cheese, caviar, jam or pate that came in them had been devoured.

In very few cities have I been as successful in my search for such souvenirs as London where a host of department stores, specialty food stores and delicatessens offer a virtual feast of delicacies, many of which are packed into containers that can later hold paper clips, goldfish, business cards, and whatever else we care to keep on our desks or coffee tables. Following is a list of the places at which I most enjoy shopping when in London. Experience has shown me that the staff at each of these shops is well trained and staff members are thoroughly familiar with the products they sell. They have the time and inclination to help and in all cases, clients will be encouraged to sample a sliver of this or a sip of that before they buy something new. Those who are not traveling abroad in the near future may be pleased to know that nearly all of these shops will fill orders by mail.

Paxton and Whitfield: 93 Jermyn Street, SW1Y 6JE. Phone 930 1050. First opened in 1797 and now the oldest cheese shop in London, this is a shop I dearly love. This marvelous establishment is said to have the widest selection of cheeses of any shop in Europe. In addition to 40 to 50 British cheeses, there are over 300 other European cheeses on hand at any time. Although every cheese here is superb, my own favorites are a French Brie from the town of Meaux, a sheeps' milk cheese from the Pyrenees Mountains called Prince de Laverolle, and an English goats' milk cheese called Vulscombe. Nor should one ignore some of the foods that are meant to go with the cheeses. Try especially the Yorkshire hams, the pates from Belgium and the fruit chutney that is made especially for the store in New Dehli.

John Baily and Sons: 116 Mount Street, W1. Phone 499 1833. Established in 1720, many say that this is the best, the most prestigious and most expensive butcher in the Western World. In addition to selling the finest Scottish beef, Danish veal, and English lamb and pork, the shop is also famous for its venison, squabs and other game meats. While it may be difficult for travelers to return home with a whole stuffed baby lamb, one should pay attention to the extraordinarily good sausages here. The English breakfast sausages are probably the best in the world. They also travel well.

Hobbs and Company: 29 South Audley Street, W1. Phone 409 1058. Thinking of Hobbs as merely a place in which to buy food is like thinking of the National Gallery as a building in which a few pictures have been hung on the walls. Patronized by the best chefs in London, every item here has been chosen with extreme care. There are twenty different mustards, all of which are excellent; the horseradish is justifiably famous; and there is a marvelous selection of vinegars including some made with champagne, thyme and raspberry. The orange jam with walnuts is unforgettable, the peanut butter is magnificent and the pates, made in their own kitchens, are exquisite. Those with a limited budget are advised to visit only at their own peril.

Fortnum and Mason: 181 Piccadilly, W1A 1ER. Phone 734 8040. Charles Dickens, The Duke and Duchess of Windsor, President Eisenhower, Winston Churchill and Jacqueline Kennedy were all regular clients at this famous department store that has been supplying fine food to valued clients since Mr Fortnum and Mr Mason opened their doors at this same address in 1707. As famous for their picnic baskets (orders should be made at least 24 hours in advance) as for the foods that go into them, quite a few people (including this writer) think that this may be paradise for Epicureans. Oak-smoked salmon pate from Scotland, Stilton cheeses and goose liver pates are packed into the store's special ceramic pots as are other house specialties including Gentlemen's Relish, English and French mustards and a large variety of jams. Also available are a wide variety of the store's justifiably famous preserved foods in tins - quail in aspic, turtle soup and lobster bisque

Charbonnel and Walker: 28 Old Bond Street W1X 4BT, Phone 629 4396. When the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) took Madame Charbonnel as his mistress she was still living in Paris. Because this was an inconvenient arrangement, he convinced her to come to London, and once there, she opened a small chocolate shop with the Prince's money. All of the chocolates are still hand made in traditional Victorian molds and in addition to their superb quality what makes these chocolates unique are the silk-lined boxes in which they come. My own favorites here are the after-dinner mints, the peppermint creams and the Champagne flavored chocolates. A nice touch is that the staff keeps scrupulous records of each client's preferences, so that if someone wants to buy you a gift he or she knows just what you would like.

Harrods: Knightsbridge, SW1Z 7YX. Phone 730 1234. The largest department store in Europe, Harrod's motto is "Omnia, Omnibus, Ubique" - all things, for all people, everywhere. The most devoted food lovers will do well to ignore most of the 230 separate departments here and make their way directly to the gourmet's paradise known as Food Hall, located in the center of the store on the ground floor. Even those who cannot afford to buy here (the prices are high but everything is worth the money) should make a pilgrimage to see the beautiful meats laid out on marble slabs, the huge piles of fish and seafood, the exquisite displays of fruits and vegetables and the endless varieties of cheeses, lobster, oysters and cheeses. In tins, and therefore easy to bring home are superb nut oils, goose liver and salmon pates and a variety of stuffings (my favorite is the walnut, celery and wine stuffing for poultry).

Mostly Smoked: 47 Elizabeth St SW1W 9PP. Phone 790 8367. As the name implies, this shop specializes in smoked foods, all of which are worth sampling. The most famous dish is the wild smoked salmon from Scotland, but consider as well the smoked shrimp, herrings, ducks, geese and quail. The smoked hams and Cheddar cheeses are among my personal favorites. Don't forget the smoked quail eggs, bacon, sausages and the smoked goose liver from Israel.

Prestat: 40 South Molton Street, W1Y 1HH. Phone 629 4838. For nearly ninety years, this small shop has been making the same consistently superb chocolates. Chocolates with rum, champagne, brandy, coffee and orange can be bought in any quantity, from a single candy to a 5 kilogram box. My own favorites are the chocolate mints and brandied cherries, but every time I am here I make sure to buy gifts for the children I care for. Specialties for children include chocolate versions of dogs, cats, horses and elephants. The store will send these gifts or any other purchase, in special boxes to any part of the world.

Hatchard's: 187 Piccadilly, W1V 9DA. Phone 437 3924. This may not be the biggest bookstore in London, but it is one where the people on the upstairs food have an intimate knowledge of books about food and wine. An old-fashioned shop with a well chosen stock, it has just the right feel for a bookshop, especially one in which food-lovers find themselves. Established in 1797, this is a friendly shop with good service and they operate a search department for customers looking for out of print books and they will find (or at least make a good attempt trying to find) any book, in or out of print, from England or overseas.

H.R. Higgins - Coffee Man: 79 Duke Street, W1M 6AS: If coffee is your passion, H.R. Higgins is your man. From the window display of large wood bowls piled high with coffee-beans to the collection of antique coffee grinders, and including the paneled interior with dozens of copper canisters, brass scales and sacks of unroasted beans, everything here announces that this is one of the greatest coffee shops in the world. With coffees from Brazil, Columbia, Costa Rica, Mysore, Java and Ethiopia, this is a place where selling coffee is like selling fine wines. Customers may sample any coffee before they buy and all coffee sold in the shop is roasted and, if requested, ground on the premises. My own favorites are the superb (and superbly expensive) Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee and the marvellous Tanzanian coffee, called "Chagga" that is the exclusive import of this shop. All of the coffees are put in bags and then beautifully wrapped in brown paper parcels and tied with string. The bags make beautifulsouvenirs.

© Daniel Rogov