T’is the season to park the diet and enjoy the extravagances of Yuletide fare! It’s nice to stick to traditions – the turkey, the tonne-tin of Quality Street and the Eastenders Christmas Day *disaster/murder/wedding (*delete as appropriate) … But it’s also nice to ‘mix it up’ a bit and introduce some new food, new ideas, and some new kitchen gadgetry. So this Gift Guide has been put together with Foodies in mind. Tell us what you think …
Gift 1:Â Goupie
I bet not many of you have heard of Goupie before? We hadn’t. But let me tell you, it’s something you NEED to know about! Goupie is the perfect gift – as a thank you for a teacher or colleague, as a Happy Christmas to a friend or neighbour. Behind the attractive packaging lies chocolately treats like nothing we’ve tasted before. It’s very indulgent; chewy, but crunchy at the same time. It’s moreish, but it’s rich, so a little goes a long way. It’s very flavourful and decadent. The perfect indulgence for Christmas. What’s as impressive is the price. The packaging and its contents exude luxury, so you expect a premium price tag … nope, not at all. Mini boxes are priced at just £2.50 while the larger share boxes are £4.00.
The image above shows their Boozy Christmas box, but that’s just one of MANY flavours available. What about Salted Sticky Toffee? White Christmas? Cardamom? Cherry and Almond? Chilli? Dark Lavender? Date and Walnut? Espresso? Ginger? Hazlenut? Lemon Meringue? Mint? White Lavender? So much choice, they need to produce a selection box! We’ve tried a few, and loved every one. They are great to serve when someone pops round for a coffee.
RRP: £2.50 (minis) £4.00 (share box)
Link to Purchase: Goupie
Gift 2:Â Coffee Gator Coffee Tool Range
Coffee Gator was founded by Phil Williams – who confesses that all he used to drink was instant coffee. He went on a 3-day hike in Colombia, where the only hot drink was freshly-brewed coffee using local beans. He liked it and wanted to recreate it back home. Phil learned that making good coffee isn’t difficult, but that the right tools are essential. Coffee Gator is a top quality brand of coffee making tools that will enable you to drink better coffee. This is his mission; for you to give up instant coffee, and to drink better coffee.
The Coffee Gator range includes coffee canisters, French press, pour-over coffee kettle, pour-over coffee maker, cold-brew coffee making kit, and a thermal pour-over coffee brewer travel mug. PackThePJs will be reviewing some of these items alongside some freshly roasted coffee later this week – please look out for it.
RRP: £30.00 (travel mug) to £60.00 (French press)
Link to Purchase: CoffeeGatorCoffeeTools
Gift 3:Â Hofmeister Genuine Slow-Brewed Bavarian Helles Lager
It’s back and it’s all new! The Hofmeister brand first hit the UK back in the 80’s when it was a 3.2% ABV pale lager produced by Scottish Courage. It was famous for the cool and loveable Bavarian ‘George The Bear’ and the iconic advertising line ‘For great lager, follow the bear’. Following a 13-year hiatus (the original brand was axed in 2003 by then owners Heineken), the new Hofmeister brand is back and has been made over into a 5% ABV Helles lager, slow-brewed in Germany by a fourth generation family-owned brewery located on the edge of Ebersberger Forest in Bavaria. Get some in your fridge ready for your guests this Christmas!
RRP: £19.99 (12 x 330ml bottles)
Link to Purchase: HofmeisterHellesLager Use code FTBHOF17 at checkout for FREE DELIVERY (while stock lasts)
Gift 4:Â Opies Foods Luxury Fruits and Cocktail Products
What more says Christmas than jars of the finest fruit, steeped in a delicious syrup that has been enhanced with alcohol? Or cocktail cherries to enhance a Snowball or Manhattan? Or Opies world-famous sliced pickled walnuts to accompany your meat or cheese platter? All these things are produced by Opies Foods. Opies Foods is part of one of the oldest, private, family-owned food companies in the country – Bennett Opie Limited – who have been trading since 1880. They have been based in Sittingbourne, Kent, since 1929 and are locally referred to as ‘The Pickle People’.
RRP: £1.49 upwards
Link to Purchase: OpiesFoodsLuxuryFruits
Gift 5:Â Elizabeth D Gluten Free Bakes
Award-winning baker Elizabeth Draper founded ElizabethDbakes in 2015. Based in SE London, the company creates and bakes in a dedicated gluten-free space. Originally from the American South, Elizabeth has lived in London for thirty years. She had a successful career in the film business before she devoted herself to her passion for baking full-time. The range includes Brownies and Bars, Loaves, Low Sugar Cakes, and seasonal favourites like pumpkin pie, Stollen, and Lebkuchen – all gluten free – for everyone to indulge and enjoy this Christmas.
RRP:  From £12.99
Link to Purchase: ElizabethDbakes
Gift 6:Â Soulful Baker by Julie Jones
Julie Jones learnt to cook from her mother. Never anything fancy but always packed with flavour, loaded with butter and made with love. Aged 30, she re-trained as a chef and after spending just a few weeks in a Michelin starred kitchen she realised how flavour could be taken to a whole new level. After her mum was diagnosed with dementia she started to bake with her as a form of mutual therapy, taking photos of their baking days together and posting them on Instagram as a precious record. Her personal story and her talent for baking quickly gained a very large and devoted following. Every day she receives message of support and thanks for her inspirational feed, as well as many photographs of the baking that she has inspired in others.
From apple rose and plum and frangipane tarts, to lemon madeleines and muddle cake, trampoline bread and grissini to chocolate ganache, delizia di limone to banana, pecan, and chocolate muffins and fluffy pancakes, this incredible bake book has all the recipes you need to create something beautiful, imaginative and impressive. Whether you’re making pies or cakes, bread or brunch, this stunning book is full of recipes that feeds your soul as well as your stomach.
RRP: £20.00
Link to Purchase: SoulfulBaker
Gift 7:Â Peter’s Yard Sourdough Crispbread Selection
Sourdough crispbread – Selection Box – 3 different flavours and shapes of small sized crispbread in individually wrapped trays (265g). Three different recipes – Spelt & Poppy Seed, Charcoal & Rye and Original – designed to complement the perfect cheeseboard this Christmas. Ingredients: Spelt & Poppy Seed – Spelt flour, milk, sourdough, poppy seeds, muscovado sugar, honey, sea salt and yeast; Charcoal and Rye – Milk, rye and wheat flours, sourdough, honey, butter, charcoal, sea salt and yeast Original; Original – Milk, rye and wheat flours, sourdough, wholewheat flour, honey, sea salt and yeast.
RRP: £6.95
Link to Purchase:Â PetersYardSourdoughCrispbreadSelection
Gift 8:Â Camerons Gourmet Mini Smoker from SousChef
The mini stovetop smoker is just perfect for the amateur chef. Imagine having a lovely piece of fresh salmon and being able to hot smoke it in time for dinner. But it doesn’t stop there. You can smoke mostly anything (that fits). Ever tried a smoked burger or smoked pork or beef sausages? This mini smoker allows the cook to experiment and try things on a small scale. Smoked fish and meat are easy, by just using some hickory or apple wood chips a subtle smoky flavour can be added to the food. Smoked tofu can easily be made or even smoked aubergine. The perfect gift for Christmas. Try some smoked turkey!
RRP: £49.95 (currently £39.95 from SousChef)
Link to Purchase: CameronsGourmetMiniSmoker
Gift 9:Â TIANA Pure Organic Wildflower Raw Active Honey
Award winning TIANA Fair Trade Pure Organic Raw Active Honeys are 100% raw and unpasteurised honeys which contains an active complex, antibacterial and antioxidants properties that are naturally rich in enzymes. Completely different to any other honeys due to high content of enzymes, Diastase, Invertase and Catalase that are important to your health. Sourced from the exquisite wild flowers of the Italian mountains, it is cold pressed and extracted below 40°C to ensure you get only the very best. 100% Pure, raw, unpasteurised and unprocessed honey rich in important nutrients that are an essential part of a healthy balanced diet and lifestyle.
ENZYME DIASTASE is the EU STANDARD used to determine the quality and activity of unprocessed honey. TIANA Pure Organic Wild Flower Honey is tested in independent certified laboratory and has enzyme diastase activity of 10+. Heating honey above 40°C destroys the natural vitamins, minerals and enzymes. TIANA Pure Wild Flower Honey is 100% raw and unpasteurised, never heated above 40°C. The high Enzyme Diastase Activity 10+, superb quality and delicious taste makes TIANA Pure Wild Flower Honey stand out from the rest.
RRP: £11.99
Link to Purchase: TIANAPureOrganicWildflowerRawActiveHoney
Gift 10:Â The Lakes Distillery Gin Bauble Gift Set
RRP: £35.00
Link to Purchase: TheLakesGinBaubleGiftSet
Gift 11: The Nut Kitchen Hazlenut Spread
Made from premium hazelnuts from Naples, roasted to perfection in Sicily. With 40% hazelnuts, it has an intense aroma but a delicate flavour. Awarded a Great Taste Gold Star, judges described it as having “delightful texture … silky smooth body … with strong hazelnut flavour.” Excellent as a breakfast toast topper, or mix it with ice cream, drizzle over cakes and pastries or simply eat it straight out of the jar for an occasional treat. Yum!
RRP: £5.95
Link to Purchase:Â TheNutKitchen
Feeling hungry now? I sure am! A couple of the items above were gifted to PackThePJs in exchange for our opinion (we only include things we really like though!)
End note:Â Would you like your products included in our Gift Guides? Please add us to your mailing list tracey@packthepjs.com and huw@packthepjs.com x
