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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Lifestyle

10 food and drink products to buy this Christmas

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Cater for all palates this festive season, from vegan cheeses to cold-pressed cocktails.

Offer your loved ones delicious tahini sauces

(MedCuisine)

Got a friend who’s crazy about tahini? Make sure to get them the ultimate gift this Christmas, with Med Cuisine’s trio of squeezy tahini sauces. Whether you are swirling, drizzling, or mixing it, tahini is a versatile ingredient in many delicious recipes, from bread and pastry bases to hummus, serving as a great addition to sweet and savoury meals, whether hot or cold.

This unique gift contains the award-winning sweet sesame butter tahini, a creamy Humera sesame sauce with vanilla accents; and the organic tahini, the original splendid sauce made from 100 per cent organic Humera sesame seeds; as well as black tahini which is an incredibly nutty and smooth paste made from 100 per cent black sesame seeds. Dive into the mouth-watering world of Mediterranean cuisine online and enjoy any three squeezy bottles for £10 at Med Cuisine (offer valid until 31 January 2023.)

Find out more about Med Cuisine

Buy the perfect Italian lager to elevate your festive dining

(Birrificio Angelo Poretti)

Created in 1877 in Valganna, Italian lager Birrificio Angelo Poretti is now one of the most popular beers in Europe. When it was founded, head brewer Angelo Poretti wanted to ensure the beer would easily pair with a variety of foods, making it a versatile beverage at Italian family feasts. Now, with decades of brewing experience, each beer in the Poretti collection is curated based on a specific number of hops and malted barley.

This effervescent lager works with any dish whether it’s rich antipasti board or a sweet and fluffy panettone. Served in a distinctive carafe designed to retain its liveliness, the drink brings Italian dolce vita to British occasions. Buy the Poretti beers at most UK superstores, including Tesco and Sainsbury’s.

Find out more about Birrificio Angelo Poretti

Discover delicious Christmas cheese suitable for vegans

(Violife)

This Christmas season, Violife, the UK’s leading vegan alternative brand is ensuring plant-based eaters aren’t missing out on one of the best festive foods: cheese. Take a bite of two newly launched cheeses in its new celebration platter, including vegan blue and best selling Le Rond camembert.

As well as favourite flavours epic smoked cheddar and mature cheddar, the celebration platter has something for everyone. All flavours are 100 per cent vegan and free from nuts, GMOs, preservatives and dairy. What’s more, throughout the festive season, the Le Rond camembert flavour will enjoy a merry makeover with four festive recipes included in every pack.

Buy your vegan Christmas cheese at Violife

Enjoy award-winning, organic cocktails

(Norhlund)

Founded by two Danish bartenders, cocktail brand Nohrlund is based on Nordic drink traditions with a special emphasis on authenticity, quality and sustainability. 100 per cent organic, all ingredients are lovingly selected and prepared from local farms and distilleries. Nohrlund is the first pre-mixed cocktail brand ever to win an award at the San Francisco World Spirits competition – coming home with silver and double gold medals in 2015 – followed by more awards in 2016 and 2020.

Treat yourself to Nohrlund’s handcrafted cocktails from Sainsbury’s, Amazon, and Abel and Cole. Flavours in the range include mojito, passion martini, bramble and espresso martini.

Visit Norhlund to find out more

Buy flavoured, preservative-free soft drinks for Christmas parties

q (Soho Juice)

The Soho Juice Company produces non-carbonated soft drinks in the heart of the capital to offer the world a fresh alternative to fizzy, CO2-packed beverages. Preservative free with less than 50 calories per can, pick from an array of flavours including cucumber, mint, lemon and lime; blood orange raspberry and ginger; and apple, honey and lemon.

The latter contains extracts from the South African honeybush plant to keep the range vegan certified, so all drinkers can enjoy the sweet taste of Soho drinks. Earlier this year, the company teamed up with Green The UK to plant 7,500sqm of wildflowers to do its bit for the environment and help London become greener.

Find out more and sign up to the newsletter

Make an eco-conscious choice with your Christmas wine

(Hidden Seas)

Do your bit for our oceans while enjoying a tipple or two this Christmas with The Hidden Sea Wine range. Dubbed as the wine that saves the sea, the team has partnered with ReSea to remove the equivalent of 10 single use plastic bottles from the ocean for every bottle of premium and award-winning white, rosé and red wine sold.

The movement, which is making waves across the globe, has helped to remove and recycle more than 18 million bottles to date. Find a bottle in selected Sainsbury’s, Co-op, Asda and Booths stores across the UK or via the Getir app.

Play your part in ocean health by visiting The Hidden Sea Wine

Treat yourself or a loved one to authentic Italian gelato

(Badiani)

Born in 1932 in the Italian city of Florence, Badiani is now one of the most famous gelato producers in the world. All Badiani’s recipes have been hand-crafted by the award-winning gelato maker and creative genius, Paolo Pomposi, who has taken the family-run business to new heights. Today, Badiani has nine shops scattered around London, from Chelsea to Covent Garden and Elephant and Castle to Notting Hill.

Though known for its gelato, Badiani also crafts a range of traditional Italian products, perfect for a festive sweet treat. Get ready for your traditional Italian Christmas with Badiani’s panettone, pandoro, Italian hot chocolate and festive gelato flavours. The company also offers a nationwide delivery service so you can get your gelato fix from the comfort of your home.

Use the code “CHRISTMAS30” for 30 per cent off your first online order at Badiani and enjoy nationwide delivery or visit a London shop (offer valid until 31 December 2022).

Find out more at Badiani

Impress guests with delicious, homemade bread

(Paul Hollywood)

There are few things that impress guests more than the smell of freshly baked bread at home. Paul Hollywood’s ready to bake rolls range can help you fill your home with the aroma of homemade bread, without you needing to bake it from scratch – simply pop them in the oven and enjoy warm rolls. This Christmas, Paul has pulled together his top tips for using his ready to bake rolls range to ensure you’ve got something planned for every occasion over the festive season.

From impressive Christmas and New Year party food to Christmas day starters and delicious ways to use up leftovers, you can download Paul’s festive recipe ideas for free. The Paul Hollywood range is available at Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose and other supermarkets nationwide.

Download Paul Hollywood’s top Christmas tips

Create festive recipes with delicious brioche for family and friends

(St Pierre )

We all know the way to a person’s heart is through their stomach, so treat your loved ones to some delicious baked goods to make Christmas even more special this year. St Pierre offers authentic, French brioche with a range that includes brioche buns, hot dog rolls, baguettes, loaves, croissants and more.

To get you in the festive spirit, St Pierre has created a selection of versatile and adaptable recipes to help you use its products. From soft, sliced brioche loaf for an indulgent French toast to the vanilla brioche tear and share for a no-stress breakfast or dessert, St Pierre has you covered for a range of festive get-togethers. St Pierre’s range is available from supermarkets nationwide in new festive packaging in time for Christmas.

Visit St Pierre’s bakery for more information, festive inspiration and Christmas recipes

Purchase indulgent chocolate gifts that give back to the community

(Shelter)

Treat yourself or a loved one to a range of delicious chocolate bars from Shelter, all in the name of a good cause. The UK housing and homelessness charity has released five new festive flavours this year, including salted pretzel milk chocolate, dark mint chocolate and Cornish sea salt dark chocolate. These are indulgent gifts that keep on giving as all proceeds go towards helping fund Shelter’s vital services.

The charity is on a mission to help end the devastating impact the housing emergency has on communities and every order made will help reform the broken housing system, demand more social homes and support those fighting housing injustice this winter. All bars are Fairtrade, making them the perfect ethical gift, and are wrapped in compostable packaging with foil made from eucalyptus pulp. Enjoy 15 per cent off Shelter’s Christmas range with code “XMAS15” online (offer valid until 4 December 2022, minimum £20 spend applies).

Buy now from Shelter

This content is brought to you by Living360, a digital lifestyle destination keeping you up to date with health and fitness, food and drink, homes and gardens, beauty, travel, finance trends and more.

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