2018 Christmas Gift Guide: For Foodies

Oh, bring us a figgy pudding and a cup of good cheer If TV adverts are anything to go by, Christmas is all about excessive food and drink consumption … and parties with lots of intriguing finger food buffets! Here at PackThePJs we prefer the ‘quality over quantity’ rule … exceptionally good food, but in manageable portions. And Christmas IS a time for some luxuries and treats, we believe. With so much choice, we’ve picked a few ‘wow’ items that you might include on your Festive shopping list. Enjoy x

Gift 1: The Lakes Gin and Vodka Liqueur Crackers

Who needs nail clippers, tiny screwdrivers, or a curling up fish that tells you how passionate you are … when you could have gin or vodka crackers from The Lakes Distillery? The only thing with these is that I wouldn’t risk losing by actually pulling one with someone! Here we have three different liqueur crackers from The Lakes Distillery: Original The Lakes Gin, The Lake’s Rhubarb & Rosehip Gin Liqueur, and The Lakes Salted Caramel Vodka Liqueur. Inside each cracker is a 5cl mini bottle. So if the chef forgets to turn on the oven on Christmas Day, you can console yourself with an aperitif from inside your cracker! 

RRP: £5.95 each

Link to purchase: TheLakesGinVodkaCrackers

Gift 2: Two Chimps Coffee Subscription

Two Chimps offer a coffee subscription with their freshly roasted coffee that’s tailored for you. Roasted and posted daily, with free 1st class delivery. The choice of coffee is phenomenal. Two Chimps buy their coffee from shade grown mountain plantations, in quantities tailored for home use. With a subscription, you can decide how much coffee you want and how often you want it delivered. Best of all, you get the choice of specially roasted coffees with tasting notes. You can even try 50g sample bags before you get the big one. This is a good gift for a real coffee lover. At any given time, Two Chimps has a range of six single origin coffees along with an ever-changing, limited edition blend. You just choose your frequency, grind and weight and they will do the rest. A great gift this Christmas.

RRP: From £47.70 (for 6 deliveries)

Link to purchase: TwoChimpsCoffeeSubscription

Gift 3: The Summerton Club Premium Spirits Club 

The Summerton Club is a subscription-based premium spirits club. It was set up by a gentleman who wanted to provide his dad with something good to drink every month. The club provides beautifully-aged bottles of delight to members every month. They focus on the main three of Whiskies (Bourbon, Whiskey, Whisky), Brandies (Armagnac, Cognac, Grappa) and Rums (Cachaça, Rum, Rhum, Ron), but are contemplating something a bit different once a year, such as an aged tequila. The main thing is you get a great sipping spirit every month for just £50 delivered.  This club is for people who like to drink rare and unique spirits, not something you will find on a supermarket shelf.

The one we had to try was Mackmyra Gruvguld (Swedish malt whisky). Mackmyra Gruvguld (meaning Gold from the mine) is aged in small casks of 30, 100 and 128 litres, in the mine of Bodås, 50 metres below ground. It was gorgeous (it melted on your tongue with a slightly spicy finish) and I am saving what is left for New Year’s Eve.

RRP: £50 per month (you can also opt for quarterly or bimonthly subscriptions for £50)

Link to purchase: TheSummertonClub

Gift 4: Seaspoon Seaweed Gift Box

Are you aware of the extraordinary benefits of seaweed? Seaweed is one of the most nutrient dense natural foods on the planet and Seaspoon Seaweed makes it easy to boost, nourish and energise with this incredible superfood. Our blends are a versatile, natural and complete way to sprinkle nutritional power into your food every day. They use a mix of Sea Spaghetti, Sea Greens, Dulse and Sea Lettuce, in carefully controlled quantities to give balanced nutrition. 

A brilliant way to sample Seaspoon Seaweed is to order a Gift Box. This contains one of each of the Seaspoon Seaweed 30g pouch flavours plus two on-the-go Boost 2g sachets, all packed up and presented in a gorgeous mail-order box designed to fit straight through the letterbox. Gluten free and vegetarian, they can be used in smoothies, soups, salads, pasta and as meat/fish rubs.

RRP: £14.95

Link to purchase: SeaspoonSeaweedGiftBox

Gift 5: Opies Fruit in Alcohol

One of my favourite treats at Christmas is what I call ‘boozy fruit. Yes I know you can buy them all year round, but here it’s just a little luxury over the festivities. One of my five a day, along with a top up of festive cheer! I love these fruit with some natural Greek yoghurt, or cream. Sooooo yummy! There’s a range of fruit/alcohol combinations available from Opies including Blackberries with London Dry Gin, Peaches with Courvoisier, Pears in Luxardo Amaretto, Figs with Courvoisier, Pears in Port and Black Cherries with Kirsch.

RRP: from £6.99

Link to purchase: OpiesFruitInAlcohol

Gift 6: Handmade Turkish Delight by Merle’s Kitchen

I LOVE Turkish Delight. It has to be very good quality, and Merle’s Kitchen ticks this box. Handmade in small batches to their family’s Turkish-Cypriot recipe, it uses the best rosewater and natural ingredients. It is beautifully light, and delicately flavoured … it’s incredibly moreish. Serve some of these pieces at Christmas and your guests will love you forever! 

RRP: £7.50 for 6 pieces

Link to purchase: MerlesKitchenTurkishDelight

Gift 7: Traditional Italian Christmas from nifeislife

At Christmas, it’s great to have some lighter delicacies occasionally. For me, Italian Christmas breads and cakes are just the best. Bauli is well-known for its pink and purple packaging and its Verona Pandoro. Since 1922, the famed Veronese confectioner Ruggero Bauli has been making Pandoro, the beloved traditional ‘Golden Cake‘ of Verona, from an old recipe. Its first-rate quality and incomparable flavour make it the cake for every occasion, especially Christmas.

The other cake, which is a must have at Christmas, is the 1kg Panettone. The Bauli Panettone is a soft cake full of sultana, raisins and soft candied fruits, handmade following the ancient Bauli recipe. It uses a natural leavening process that lasts hours and hours. Panettone is a classic Italian Christmas tradition, dating from the 1400s and probably the most popular of all Christmas sweet cakes in Italy.

RRP: £13.50 (pandoro) and £11.50 (panettone)

Link to purchase: BauliVeronaPandoro / BauliPanettone

Gift 8: Whisky Liqueur Gift Duo Set from Demijohn

Demijohn was set up in 2004 in Edinburgh’s Old Town as the World’s first Liquid Deli. It started as a family business and still is very much that. Simply pick your own bottle then choose your favourite drink to fill it with. You can refill your Demijohn bottle again and again. The gift set we tried was a duo of two half-round bottles that fitted together. They were filled with 200ml of their Bramble Whisky Liqueur and Toffee Whisky Liqueur. You can also make a gift set up of oils and vinegars. They truly have something for everyone.

RRP: £5.20 per 100ml

Link to purchase: DemijohnWhiskyLiqueurs

Gift 9: Billy Red Festive Apron by Ragged Rose

Nothing gets you in the Christmas cooking/baking spirit than donning a crisp linen Christmas Apron. It’s a must-have for when mixing, baking and decorating your Christmas cakes – and for Christmas Day itself. It’s the sought-after uniform for the cook in charge of the family Christmas dinner.

This vibrant red 100% cotton apron has a unisex design and it is generously sized to fit most (with long ties). It is very pretty, with reindeer, Christmas stars and hearts. On the front are two handy pockets. We love ours!

RRP: £15.00

Link to purchase: BillyRedFestiveApron

Gift 10: Peter’s Yard Sourdough Crispbread and Stand

Last Christmas we served Peter’s Yard sourdough crispbreads with our cheese board on Boxing Day. Everyone commented on how nice they were. So this year we’ve bought the oak and stainless steel serving stand and several varieties of Peter’s Yard crispbreads to stack on it. Not only do they taste amazing, it is going to be real feature on the table too. Win – Win 🙂

RRP: £20.00 (serving stand) / Crispbreads from £3.95

Link to purchase: PetersYardServingStand

Gift 11: Salthouse Square Himalayan Salt Block with Box

This Himalayan salt block provides a new way to cook meat and fish. This is hot stone cooking with a twist! The square of natural pink Himalayan salt comes complete with a ‘Salthouse Block Cooking Guide’ (worth £5). The salt block can be heated and used for searing meat and fish. Alternatively, the block can be used for serving, or put in the freezer to use as a chilled plate. The kit is ideal for flavouring your food with delicious pink Himalayan salt. The kit includes the Salthouse presentation box to store, carry and present the Himalayan Salt Block. The block measures 8″ (length) x 8″ (width) x 2″ (depth) – 20.32 cm x 20.32 cm x 5.08 cm. It weighs a whacking 5kg!

This salt block from Salthouse and Peppermongers is a perfect gift for curing meat and fish or just presenting your own seafood and meat creations on a platter.

RRP: £35.00

Link to purchase: HimalayanSaltBlock

Gift 12: CoffeeGator Thermal Travel Cup

CoffeeGator is a favourite company of ours. They can provide all the equipment you need to brew and enjoy good coffee. CoffeeGator travel cups are designed for coffee lovers who are free at heart. You can brew directly into a stainless steel, copper-lined thermal travel cup that keeps drinks hotter for longer. The micro-mesh filter produces coffee to make you smile as you hit the road for your next adventure. Simply the best for travelling and making good coffee on or for the road. We love ours!

RRP: £26.98

Link to purchase: CoffeeGatorThermalTravelCup

Gift 13: Karasuba-Iro Ramen Bowl Set from Sous Chef

This is a beautiful gift set for anyone who loves ramen. It contains two Karasuba-Iro ramen bowls, two ramen ladles, a recipe book, and it’s all kept within a drawstring cotton gift bag. Karasuba-Iro means ‘glossy black’ in Japanese, which describes the glazed ceramic ramen bowls. The bowls are made in Japan – and they are dishwasher safe. A beautiful gift for any foodie in your life!

RRP: £39.50

Link to purchase: Karasuba-IroRamenBowlSetSousChef

Gift 14: Ozeri Serafino Double-Wall Thermo Glasses

PackThePJs has been fans of Ozeri glasses for a good while now (we received some for Christmas last year). They make a nice coffee look AMAZING! Because they are double-walled the glass stays cool to the touch. You buy them in sets of 4. We have found that the 8oz ones are brilliant for flat white-sized coffees, while the 12oz are excellent for lattes (and hot chocolate). Great for impressing guests over Christmas!

RRP: £23.99 (8oz for 4 glasses) / £24.99 (12oz for 4 glasses)

Link to purchase: Ozeri8ozSerafino / Ozeri12ozSerafino

We hope this has given you some inspiration? Please do tell us what food you’ll be treating yourself to this Christmas. We’d love to know.

A couple of the items above have been gifted to PackThePJs in exchange for our opinion (we only include things we really like though!)

End note: Would you like your products included in our future Gift Guides? Please add us to your mailing list tracey@packthepjs.com and huw@packthepjs.com x