It’s what Christmas is all about, isn’t it? OK, maybe not – but food is a big part of the festivities, so we always look forward to compiling our Christmas Gift Guide for Foodies. There are some great gift ideas here – from grow your own mushrooms, to hampers, mixer drinks and cocktails. And, of course, some treats to make that evening in front of the TV even more special! Enjoy x
#AD Disclaimer: Some of these products were gifted to us for consideration.
HAUTE HAMPERS ARTISAN CHEESE & WINE HAMPER
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The glossy black hamper is the first thing you notice when you unwrap this beautiful Artisan Cheese & Wine Hamper (£70.00) from Haute Hampers. Long after the contents have been enjoyed, the hamper will have so many uses – it is functionally decorative! Inside the hamper there are two bottles of wine – one red (Dry River Shiraz), one white (Dry River Chardonnay). To accompany these you also have three waxed cheeses from The Mouse House (Finest Vintage English Cheddar, Italian Pizza Cheddar, Black Pepper Cheddar); enjoy these sliced on to Walkers Highland Oatcakes and topped with Valley Preserves Sweet Apple Chutney.
The only thing missing is a cosy log fire, a comfy sofa, a Christmas movie – and someone to share it with! A great gift (for yourself, or others!)
OPIES FRUIT IN ALCOHOL
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Opies fruits in alcohol (£6.99 a jar) are my annual Christmas treat. They are so lovely – and they are fruit, so one of my 5-a-day! They may be sozzled in alcohol, but they are still healthy 😉 Most importantly, they taste divine. I love to eat them simply with some Greek yoghurt, but there are so many recipes you could use them in – the only limit is your imagination. The Baby Pears with Luxardo Amaretto would be a fabulous twist on a traditional tarte tatin. The Black Cherries with Luxardo Kirsch would elevate a Black Forest gateau. Forest Fruits in Luxardo Mulled Gin would add a real kick to an easy-to-prepare Eton Mess. And the Peaches with Luxardo 12 year old Brandy make a mean peach melba! What’s not to love?!
FAT FOX MUSHROOMS BLUE OYSTER KIT
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Have you ever bought a kit to grow your own button mushrooms? When the children were young we bought a kit, and it was a real success. Unfortunately, even now when they are fast approaching adulthood, they won’t eat mushrooms. Yet they are a superfood and they are delicious. I guess it means more for me! Growing mushrooms is so interesting, and if you do it right you’ll be rewarded with a handsome crop (or two) of home-grown loveliness. This is a blue oyster mushroom growing kit from Fat Fox Mushrooms (£22.00). I like to cook these mushrooms simply in a pan with some butter, a little olive oil, and some garlic – season, then serve on a slice of toasted sourdough. Yum!
This kit is ‘ready to grow’ – you just need to follow some simple instructions and the oyster mushrooms will start growing within 1-4 weeks. Fat Fox Mushroom kits are able to produce between 1-4 flushes of mushrooms and they are covered by their Harvest Guarantee which guarantees at least 1 harvest. A cool gift for a fun guy in your life maybe? 😉
SEASON’S GREETINGS POPCORN GIFT TIN FROM POPCORN SHED
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Christmas, and the run-up to it, is a time to catch up with family and friends. It’s also a time to chill out and take some time out of each day to relax, maybe while curled up on the sofa in front of the TV watching a classic movie. Movies mean popcorn – so this Season’s Greetings Popcorn Gift Tin (£25.00) from Popcorn Shed is the perfect indulgent treat to share. Inside the tin are large bags containing Caramel popcorn, Chocolate popcorn, and Cookies & Cream gourmet popcorn. It’s fabulously tasty popcorn – not entirely convinced you’ll want to share it!
LITTLE’S CHRISTMAS SPIRIT COFFEE RANGE
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Little’s like to break the rules when it comes to coffee. They (rightly) believe that a good coffee doesn’t need a complicated process to make it – they are all for convenience and speed, while maintaining good tasty coffee. They sell their coffee in a range of blends and flavours, in a range of formats to suit the modern-day coffee drinker. Little’s Christmas Spirit range – an arabica coffee infused with festive flavours – can be purchased as 100% aluminium Nespresso capsules (£1.99 for 10 capsules), jars of instant coffee (£3.50) and 100% arabica ground coffee in a recyclable bag (£3.29). Christmas Spirit is a lovely festive coffee – it has hints of caramel, maybe even a cream liqueur
TAPP’D WINTER WARMER GIFT SET
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This Tapp’d Winter Warmer gift set is such a fabulous present. Unless you are tee-total (in which case avoid), this is a really nice gift, with a difference. At just £13.99 it would make a good Secret Santa too. The set comprises a martini cocktail glass and three hand-crafted ready-mixed cocktail bottles – Raspberry Martini, Espresso Martini, and Amaretto Sour. Three cocktails and a glass to drink them from … sounds good to me!
DOUBLE DUTCH PREMIUM MIXERS EXPLORATION PACK
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It’s unsurprising that Double Dutch is the brainchild of two Uni students who were born and bred in the home of gin – The Netherlands. They felt that the tonics on offer to accompany gin was bland and lacked vibrancy. So they made their own signature flavours – Cucumber & Watermelon, and Pomegranate & Basil – and took them to all their parties! After graduation, the ‘Tonic Twins’ as they were known, set up Double Dutch.
Their Exploration Pack (£20.15) contains 10 tonics and mixers: Double Dutch Cucumber & Watermelon, Double Dutch Pomegranate & Basil, Double Dutch Cranberry & Ginger Tonic, Double Dutch Indian Tonic Water, Double Dutch Skinny Tonic Water, Double Dutch Double Lemon, Double Dutch Ginger Beer, Double Dutch Ginger Ale, Double Dutch Elderflower Tonic Water, and Double Dutch Pink Grapefruit Soda. And you know what? You don’t actually need to add any alcohol as they are really pleasant drinks in their own right … but they are seriously good mixers too.
MERIT MUSHROOMS PINK OYSTER KIT
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Merit Mushrooms is a small, quality-focused gourmet mushroom producer. If you know someone who likes fresh gourmet mushrooms, then this kit for Pink Oyster Mushrooms from Merit Mushrooms (£19.99) has Christmas present potential. And it is a gift that keeps on giving, over several weeks. The pink oyster mushrooms start to grow within days and can keep growing for up to 5 weeks. Over the lifetime of the growth, the yield can be up to 1200g.
Pink oyster mushrooms have a fabulous mild flavour (a little bit like chicken). I love them cooked in a sauce and served with peas through rigatoni pasta, though I’ve heard of recipes that use pink oyster mushrooms as a vegan substitute for bacon in cooking. Buy that foodie friend a gift with a difference this year 😊
GEORGIE PORGIE’S PUDDINGS
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Now, kudos to all those people who make their own Christmas puddings. I make a family Christmas cake, but the pudding is not something I’ve ever attempted – or plan to. But I do like a good pudding, so hunt high and low for ones that are mouthwateringly good. And in this quest I stumbled across Georgie Porgie’s Puddings. I love the back story to Georgie Porgie’s. It was started by a young man, George Hollywood, who back in 1994 made some traditional steamed puddings while working part-time in a chutney factory. Two years later he was awarded a Prince’s Youth Business Trust loan and won a Live Wire Award. The business has grown and developed many times over its soon-to-be 30 years, and George is still at the helm. He even bought the building in Devon where he started making chutney at the grand age of 13, and now bakes all his desserts from there.
Georgie Porgies’ Pudding range is rather extensive, but I’ve sampled their Ultimate Gin Pudding, their Traditional Orange & Cointreau Pudding, their Round Traditional Christmas Pudding, and their Mince Pie Steamed Sponge. For £20.99 you can pick any 6 of their award-winning puddings. I can’t pick a favourite as they are all very tasty.
Great list! These products will take care of all of my foodie friends’ gifts – and a few for me!
I want them all lol…These are awesome…The fruits in alcohol is a wonderful gift, I love it…The coffee range is also awesome…
We’re a big foodie household so this guide is right up my street. The little hamper looks really nice, I love gifting (and getting) things like this as there’s likely to be things in there you wouldn’t buy or try otherwise x
The glossy black hamper adds a touch of elegance, and the thoughtful selection inside is a true culinary experience. The duo of Dry River wines and the trio of waxed cheeses from The Mouse House sound like a match made in foodie heaven. Paired with Walkers Highland Oatcakes and Valley Preserves Sweet Apple Chutney, it’s a gourmet dream! This hamper is not just a gift; it’s an invitation to cozy moments by the fireplace with good company. Such a fantastic find for the holiday season!
I totally agree that food is a big part of Christmas celebration. The mushroom kit really caught my attention!
The Haute Hampers Artisan Cheese & Wine Hamper has caught my eye – what a classy touch with the red and white wine duo!