*Ad – Gifted. All opinions are my own
I am a foodie there is no denying it. However, what feels like it has cemented me well within the realm of being a foodie or someone who likes to cook, is that years ago it would have appalled me to have received a gift for the kitchen and now I’m sat lovingly looking at baking dishes, saucepans and the shiniest slow cookers you ever did see. So I am either a total foodie, have finally grown up (code for getting old) or merely accepted the fact that I love to cook and be in the kitchen. I know for a fact there are a lot of people like me and that a lot of us, be it for a gift or simply purchasing to use or share with family at Christmas, love buying food related items. So, I thought this year I would do a gift guide on what to buy a foodie or someone who loves to cook, for Christmas!
Retro Sweet Hamper
Do you remember the days when you would go to the corner shop with 20 pence and actually come back with twenty sweets because penny sweets were exactly that? Or you’d save and go mad on a dib dab or a sherbet fountain. Well this gift takes me right back there and I have so many friends and family who are going to love this sweet treat for the Christmas season! This wicker basket (which is gorgeous) comes packed to the rafters with all the old school sweets we used to love. From The Personalised Gift Shop, this hamper includes 27 different varieties of sweets packed into the pink lined wicker hamper. You can also personalise the gift with a printed card that comes along with it. This hamper has an RRP of £35.00.
Lindisfarne Mead
Our Lindisfarne Mead is a legend in a glass and perhaps the most popular mead in the UK.
Lindisfarne Mead is producing using traditional methods at St. Aidan’s winery on Holy Island of Lindisfarne. This heady fortified wine uses honey sourced worldwide to create the perfect balance.
St. Aidan’s winery stands in the clear unpolluted atmosphere of this most beautiful island. It has an ABV of 14.5% and is a unique blend of honey and wine with the sweetness of the honey lingering on the palate.
While it has a very pale appearance, the taste of Lindisfarne Mead yields a subtle acidity with a medium body of sweetness. It achieves dry-sweet balance, that gives this drink a more refreshing taste than other meads. Available here.
Treats from Opies
For stocking fillers, teacher’s gifts, gifts for foodies or home-styled hampers, these treats from Opies are sure to make anyone smile. I actually have a confession and that is that I am keeping these for myself. The delicious looking Mixed Berries in Prosecco are going on some homemade pavlova with cream and the Apricots in Jim Beam are going to make a delicious boozy ice cream treat… that we will have to keep away from the kids! The other bits are going to be great to pop in drinks or nibble on when friends and family visit over the holidays. If I wasn’t so greedy, these would go so well in a homemade hamper or as a different gift for those strung out teachers! These treats range in price starting from as little as £1.50!
Have a Tipple!
There are so many delicious tipples to enjoy this holiday season!
Casa Canevel Prosecco DOC Extra Dry, Italy All About Wine £12.69 / Oakham Wines £15.95 Dry and fragrant at the same time, with floral hints and apples on the nose. Excellent as an aperitif but also with fish and vegetable dishes or fresh cheeses.
The Ned Sauvignon Blanc 2018, New Zealand Majestic £10.99 (£7.99 mix six) Saturated aromas of passionfruit, lime zest and pink grapefruit dominate a subtle minerality. Ideal as an aperitif and with most seafood.
Rosa dei Masi 2018, Italy All About Wine £12.79 / Corking Wines £14.33 Elegant bouquet of wild strawberries and cherries on the nose. Well-balanced wine with a soft body and attractive freshness. Made partially with an ancient drying technique, appassimento. Excellent as an aperitif and with antipasti, shellfish and seafood.
De Bortoli Pudding Wine, Australia Aldi £8.99 A rich and luscious palate exploding with rich Muscat flavours of raisins, figs, dates, toffee and caramel. Sweetness balanced with some vanillin oak notes make for a lovely lingering finish. A perfect Christmas pudding match.Â
Stellar 5 Piece Pan Set
No kitchen would be complete without an AMAZING set of saucepans and of course we wouldn’t be able to cook Christmas Dinner without them and this amazing set from Harts of Stur is just incredible. You get 14cm Milk Pan 1.0L, 16cm Saucepan 1.5L, 20cm Saucepan 3.1L, 24cm Stockpot 7.5L. To be honest, I was most excited for the stockpot because I find it absolutely impossible to cook just enough for the number of people I am feeding and so I always have leftovers which I pop in the freezer for a rainy day. Plus I love to make soups and chutneys etc so this is perfect… plus I will have enough pots and pans to cook everything I need to on Christmas day! This set has an RRP of £300.00 but is currently on sale for £139.94 which is an absolute bargain as the quality speaks for itself with these!
Cranes Cider
At Cranes, we produce a range of refreshing cranberry ciders that come in three tantalising flavours: Blueberries & Apples, Cranberries & Limes and Raspberries & Pomegranates. Cranes ciders are naturally light because we use the sweetness of the fruits, resulting in them containing 30% fewer calories than brand leaders. All three Cranes Ciders come in a gift set along with a pint glass that is the perfect gift for your foodies gift guide.
All of Cranes drinks are handcrafted in Cambridge by co-founders and identical twin brothers Ben & Dan Ritsema. Made from all natural ingredients, Cranes drinks are gluten-free and suitable for vegans. Available from Cranes.
Don’t forget the Dog!
We all know that our pooches will eat ABSOLUTELY anything that is put in front of them and you know if they don’t it must be bad! However, it can be really damaging for our beloved doggies to eat human food but they definitely deserve a treat or two at Christmas, after all they are part of the family. Webbox try to see the world from a pets point of view, so they can understand what they want, not just what they need. And they put all of their understanding, love, fun and inventiveness into everything they make. This year, as well as all their normal delicious treats, they have also released an amazing Christmas range to help your pooches get into the festive spirit too! From a carrot squeaky plush toy to turkey and cranberry chipolata treats and gingerbread bones, there is no way your dog will want for anything this Christmas! Prices start at just £2.00!
Jelly Belly
Just in time to warm hearts and delight taste buds, Pumpkin Pie, Cranberry Sauce, Hot Chocolate, Egg Nog and Candy Cane Jelly Belly® jelly beans return for a limited time in the Holiday Favorites Collection from Jelly Belly Candy Company. Prices start at £5.00 and are available from Jelly Belly.
Tomatin Whisky
This new Tomatin whisky is both light and delicate so typically true of the traditional Tomatin style. However, the introduction of new Virgin Oak wooden casks into the mix now offers a unique dimension to this whisky giving it a vibrant and enticing sweetness. The aroma has vanilla, marshmallows, sponge cake and fresh juicy pineapple with just a hint of lemon and pear drops. The palate is quite light and delicate with just a slight candy sweetness and a touch of forest pine. Also present are lemon sherbet, pineapple and green apples. The finish is clean, light and refreshing. Available here.
For the Chocoholics
I don’t know about you, but Christmas would not be the same without chocolate. My absolute favourite are the strawberry ones in everything that have the strawberry centre… delicious! However, when it comes to classic, good old chocolate, on the tree and in the stockings then you really cannot beat Cadbury for being totally and utterly delicious. From chocolate Christmas treats to small, medium and extra large selection trays there is sure to be something to suit every sweet tooth.
Loch Fyne
If you love seafood then Loch Fyne should be on your radar for everything from oysters to salmon and more. The Kinglas Fillet scooped the top prize at Scotland’s Food and Drink Excellence Awards 2019 after a team of judges including food critic Jay Rayner named it ‘Product of the Year’. The fillet is cut from the crown of a salmon fillet, cured with brown sugar and sea salt, then gently smoked over oak shavings from retired whisky casks resulting in a mild, delicate flavour and moist texture. From£21.50 for 250g all delights are available from Loch Fyne.
Popcorn Galore
Now if you’re a foodie then surely you need a proper foodie’s advent calendar. There are so many amazing and unique advent calendars this year but one of my absolute favourites has to be the Joe & Seph’s Gourmet Popcorn advent calendar! A fun quirky advent calendar that could be even better than chocolate. Pop open a new window each day to reveal a corny joke and a pack of gourmet popcorn. Contains 24 mini packs of delicious handmade popcorn in 12 different flavours. Now this retails for £24.99 which is a bit more than your average 99p advent calendar but you know you’re worth it… and so is this! There are lots of other quirky food advent calendars including a pork scratching one over on The Present Finder!
Get Your Bake On
The majority of us have been big GBBO fans right from the start and I have always enjoyed baking, something I think which stems from spending so much time in the kitchen with my nanny. The Tala Cookware is just perfect for any budding bakers or those looking to accessorise their kitchen in the perfect way! Start the right way by keeping ingredients fresh in the kitchen storage tins, then get the cakes all ready with the gorgeous mixing bowl and then keep all your goodies fresh with these cake storage tins. Prices range from £19.99 and there are so many other pieces available from Tala – I’ve never had such fancy looking cookware!
Delicious Drinks
Now I don’t drink a huge amount over the course of Christmas Day because no one wants to find me asleep behind the sofa, a little bit sozzled! However, I do have one or two different drinks throughout the day at various points which have become almost like a tradition. One of those is a creamy liqueur coffee in the morning which happens to be one of my favourites. This Besos de Oro creamy brandy liqueur would be perfect to drop into my coffee or to have over ice. It comes from the alternative liqueurs company which make vegan, dairy and gluten free liqueurs which taste amazing! There is both original and chocolate flavour available and a bottle retails for £20.00 making it a great Christmas present too!
Kitchen Gadgets
I am up for anything in the kitchen that makes my life easier, including great, nifty gadgets. Don’t ask me why, but I have ALWAYS wanted a waffle maker and this one from VonShef looks exactly like the ones they have in the gelaterias like Sprinkles. It is super easy to use and clean and even has a little drip plate to stop any mess. One of the things I have never been able to cook well, is a good omelette so this omelette maker is just the ideal gift for anyone wanting to make up to 2 quick and easy omelettes at a time – I reckon you could also cook eggs in this in other ways too. The RRP for these is £27.99 and £14.99 and both are totally worth it… endless waffles is the dream!
Cheese… Yes Please!
If you have followed my blog for a while, you will know how much I ADORE cheese. I mean I do really love it and a lot of my recipes include it and in my opinion the stronger the cheese the better. Whenever I have friends over or family for dinner, I will always put a selection of cheeses out and this year, during the Christmas season, I will be doing it in style thanks to Tru Bamboo! This amazing Large Bamboo Cheese Board with 4 knives is just beautiful. It is super weighty and sturdy and you can tell is going to last and finished beautifully. For an RRP £19.95 I think this is an absolute bargain. I’m going to also be able to make sure everyone knows what cheeses (or in other circumstances cakes or sandwiches) I have with these awesome Porcelain Food Markers which come with a gold pen which when you’re done you can wipe off and keep for next time! These are only £4.99 so if you often have soirees then these are a definite must for your party cupboard!
Everything Foodie
I really love it when you find somewhere that you can get a whole heap from and Sous Chef is one of those places. Looking through their amazing website, you can get everything from cookware to ingredients to food kits which will help you cook cuisines from around the world! I really had a hard time just picking a few things. In the end I totally fell in love with the De Buyer Mineral B Griddle Pan which is also like a skillet meaning you can pop it straight into the oven too – griddle pan of dreams. Of course, having lived in Italy, I had to go for one of their amazing Loison Classic Hand-wrapped Pandoro’s which is a classic Italian Christmas cake which you might know better as Panettone. It is one of my absolute favourites! They have things on their starting for as little as £4.99 and up and you’ll be sure to find something for your favourite foodies!
Eating out!
I don’t know about you but eating out is a real treat for me so when I do I tend to go to the same places where I know I can get something I like for a price I can afford. However, sometimes it would be really nice to go out and not worry about how much something was and even get to try some of the amazing Michelin star restaurants of our country. So, I thought and amazing gift this Christmas would be the Gourmet Eating Smart Box from Red Letter Days. You can give the gift of an amazing meal to someone this year but THEY can choose where to go. They could opt for a Michelin star tasting experience or an incredible afternoon tea or a three-course dinner somewhere local, it is entirely up to them. You give them the voucher and they can choose from up to 250 locations across the whole of the UK to eat at – how amazing is that?! Prices start from £59.99 and would be a great gift for one or a couple of foodies!
If you have a friend who’s a bit of a foodie, make sure you give them a great gift this Christmas with one of these amazing gifts!
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[…] Mummy in a Tutu has rounded up some amazing things from Tala Cookware to Jelly Belly holiday flavoured Jelly beans. One of our absolute favourites though are the amazing saucepans, because you could surely cook up a storm with those. […]