With a week left to go, there's still time to nail this year's gift giving, even if you're a last minute shopper. We’ve got you sorted with our pick of the bunch. Stay tuned this weekend for our gift guides to help get everything wrapped up in a matter of days!
First up, the tastiest treats and delicious tipples we wouldn’t mind finding under our tree…
Surrey restaurant Lebnani, home to Beirut soul food, has introduced hampers for the first time this year to bring the flavours of Lebanon to your festive celebrations. The two boxes - prices £38 or £75 - feature exclusive recipe cards from Lebnani Chef Jad Youssef (previously of the popular Yalla Yalla restaurants, and Piccadilly’s Fakhreldine) with delicious ingredients like sumac, zaatar spice mix, Lebanese extra virgin olive oil, pomegranate molasses, fig jam, pickled baby aubergines with harissa and walnuts, pistachio backlawa and more. They deliver nationwide or pick up is free from the Reigate restaurant. www.lebnani.co.uk
Pop down to your local Sainsbury’s or Waitrose and grab a trio of Opies Fruits With Alcohol for a gourmet gift; these fruits steeped in syrup infused with alcohol can revolutionise any menu. From Black Cherries with Luxardo Kirsch (great with goat’s cheese or in a Black Forest Gateau), Forest Fruits with Luxardo Mulled Gin and Baby Pears with Luxardo Amaretto, there’s a host of recipes available online to add a delicious fruity twist to your festive menu. £7.50 each and the full range can be found at www.bennettopie.com.
Whisky lovers will rejoice at finding a bottle of new peated single malt brand Meikle Tòirhe under the tree. The range comprises four whiskies: The Original, The Sherry One, The Chinquapin One and The Turbo, aged over five years and guided by revered Master Distiller, Billy Walker. The team behind the brand is on a ‘Meikle Tòir‘ (meaning ‘big pursuit’) with the goal of carefully crafting a peerless peated single malt at their Speyside home, The GlenAllachie Distillery. The range retails from £50-£51 and is available to pick up from Selfridges, Amathus Drinks, Hedonism Drinks, C Gars, Jeraboams and The Whisky Shop. www.meikletoir.com
The British Hamper Company, with gourmet gifts hand-packed and curated by a family-run team in Lincolnshire, has a gorgeous collection of hampers for filled with delectable goodies, carefully sourced from the finest British producers. We’re looking forward to receiving the Port & Stilton Hamper (£125), with an award-winning blue stilton cheese from the family-run Cropwell Bishop Creamery, a Taylor's full-bodied port and a host of accompaniments including, chocolate orange batons, crunchy Love Corn snacks and moreish cheese sables, among other. Order online for delivery this week from www.britishhamper.com.
For any budding chef, check out the gift vouchers available from Covent Garden’s School of Wok. The Asian cookery school, run by chef Jeremy Pang, runs classes on a range of countries and cuisines, from Thai Street Food and Dim Sum & Bao, to full day courses in specific cuisine and specials such as a class on mastering a Chinese New Year Banquet. Vouchers are available from www.schoolofwok.co.uk.
Gin lovers will thank you for a subscription to Craft Gin Club. The monthly boxes include a full size bottle of delicious gin, often a unique creation from around the world, perfectly paired with tonics and mixers to make the cocktail of the month, a glossy magazine packed full of stories and recipes and a curated selection of delicious treats to go with it. A month’s subscription is £45. wwwcraftginclub.co.uk
Were slightly obsessed with the Dolce & Gabbana panettone available from Sous Chef. Literally, obsessed. The limited edition citrus & saffron panettone is a Christmas treat to remember, packed with large pieces of candied Sicilian lemon, orange and mandarin peels, with a hint of exotic saffron, each presented in a hatbox-style tin adorned with Dolce & Gabbana’s vibrant designs. STUNNING. £53.50 from www.souschef.co.uk.
Little’s have Christmas coffee sorted and their delicious flavours make an excellent stocking filler. The Devon-based family business have been making coffee for over three decades and have this year released a new Christmas collection. We love the Winter Warmers Selection Pack (RRP £12), which includes three of their delicious warming wintry flavours, Christmas Spirit, Creamy Caramel and Rich Hazelnut. Made using premium single-origin 100% Arabica beans which are expertly roasted and freeze dried, Little’s will get you as close to a cup of specialty coffee as possible from the comfort of home, available from the Little's web shop at www.littles.com along with all major retailers incluing Sainsbury's, Tesco, Waitrose, Ocado, and Whole Foods.
We've got our sights on a winter warmer in the form of Brugal Colección Visionaria - Edición 01 Rum (£74.75), a delicious addition to any festive booze cabinet and available for guaranteed Christmas delivery from The Whisky Exchange. This luxurious, limited edition tipple from the Dominican brand is created in toasted casks infused with cacao, with concoction of rich, seasonal aromas of chocolate, toasted oak, spices and citrus, perfectly balanced by gentle notes of vanilla. It literally screams Christmas; we'll be mixing it up in a festive rum Old Fashioned.
