If like us you've left your Christmas shopping to the last minute, fear not. We've got some stellar ideas up our sleeves for the best Christmas gifts no matter who you're buying for, starting with our favourite gifts for foodies.
Christmas isn’t Christmas without a panettone and this year we’re tucking into Carluccio’s masterpiece. Producers Signora Audasso and Signor Minetti have been working with Carluccio's for 25 years and only produce panettone from September to December, making these even more special. With a richly indulgent yet light as a feather dough flavoured with candied peel and plump with fruit, their varieties include chocolate and limoncello, but we love the classic. Equally fabulous with an Irish coffee or glass of mulled wine, we also love indulging in a breakfast of panettone French toast or using leftovers in a bread and butter pudding. Sublime. £28.95 from www.carluccios.com.
Elevate your festive cheese board this year with Snowdonia Cheese Co.’s latest launch; the Ruby Mist Cheddar with Port (£5.50). The truckle of silky smooth cheddar in infused with Graham’s Late Bottled Vintage Port, along with a dash of French brandy, is a delicious twist. Joining it should be a spoonful of the new Tracklements Shallot & Garlic Jam (£4.50 from www.norfolk-deli.co.uk). At once both sweet and savoury, its mellow flavour makes it the perfect accompaniment for a host of cheeses, meats and game (not to mention your Christmas sandwiches...).
If your household suffers from the Christmas crime of blunt knives, the Tormek T-1 Morakniv Knife Sharpener (£350 at www.shop.tormek.co.uk) might be your dream kitchen gadget. This new Linen White colourway is a design collaboration between the Swedish brands Tormek and Morakniv, with their collective history of over 150 years of making and sharpening knives, with a striking handle of Swedish birch - like the classic Morakniv handles - and in the same deep red color. Your knives will be left sharp enough to glide through the festive bird like never before, while its elegant form will be the talking point of any kitchen.
Hilton Macaron has two delicious new collections for festive gifting - the Christmas Collection and the Cosy Collection - perfect for a sweet treat . The Cosy Collection includes warming winter flavours like Sticky toffee, Miso Caramel, Irish Coffee, S’mores, Toffee nut latte and Spiced berry, while the delicous Christmas Box includes Cherry amaretto, Gingerbread, Sloe Gin, Mulled spice, Mince pie and Clementine. Hand-crafted in Suffolk, using only the finest ingredients, all natural fillings and free range eggs, they're sure to be a hit (we devoured our box in one sitting...). From £13 for six from www.hiltonmacarons.co.uk.
For the chocoholic in your life, you can't get better than Pierre Marcolini. This year's Christmas collection is inspired by the Art Deco of the 1920s and 1930s, full of splendour, graphic design and style. The Belgian chocolatier has created elegant graphic mosaics atop each chocolate, making them artworks in their own right. With elegant flavours like ‘Black Smoke’ - vanilla and cinnamon ganache and smoked dark chocolate; ‘Salted Ebony’ - salted butter caramel and 99% cocoa chocolate; the delectable ‘Pistachio Gold’ - pistachio praline, white sesame, and kadaifi in white vanilla chocolate; and ‘Architectural Hazelnut’ - an intense Piedmont hazelnut praline with milk chocolate, these are a cut above the standard festive Ferrero Rocher. These are chocolates to be devoured, locked away in a quiet room where one can fully surrender to the every delicious taste. www.marcolini.co.uk
Ant chef worth their salt (sorry) knows that Maldon is the only brand worth having at hand for the perfect finish to every dish. Its utterly adorable pinch tins (£5.65 for a set of four at Amazon) not only look great on your kitchen counters, but are a handy side for slipping in to your handbag or carting along to a picnic to ensure Maldon's original and smoked sea salt flakes are available to add a sprinkling of life into any dish on the go.
Knoops has created an unrivalled brand of hot chocolate thanks to its innovative menu of flakes based on cocoa percentage. Whether you prefer a 34% milk, or a punch 70% dark, its cafes have an almightly array of combinations (we love a 54% milkshake, if you're asking). Its host chocolate starter pack (£51 at www.knoops.com) has everything you need to make the perfect hot chocolate, including a shaker, limited edition tin, scoop and your choice of 34% or 54% flakes.
Peak and the Pantry is an independent West London business offering nationwide shipping. They specialise in nostalgic cooking kits with modern flavours, made in small batches right here in London and beautifully packaged for gifting. We love the West London Producers Gift Box (£50) – a handpicked selection of artisan food and drink from independent producers based in West London - while their recipe kits gift box (£29.95) is sure to be a hit with anyone stuck in a cooking rut who needs to inject some new recipes into their arsenal. www.peakandthepantry.co.uk.
