Buying gifts for the gourmand in your life is trickier than it seems.
They tend to already have a well-stocked kitchen and discerning taste. Food lovers deserve better than a panettone, which has to be the most re-gifted item of all time.
Then there’s always the classic Christmas hamper, but why do they all seem to contain weird chutneys which inevitably gather dust in the cupboard, or stem ginger biscuits, which no one wants?
We’ve curated a list of the most enviable Christmas gifts for all the epicures and bon vivants, from bibulous uncles to the aspiring chef in the family.
These are presents that will go down a treat: delicious drinks from small businesses, the smartest kitchen gadgets, and hampers they’ll actually want — not a ginger biscuit in sight.
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Daylesford Organic Christmas Party Hamper
Practically the reigning monarch of hamper land, Daylesford’s Christmas Party number would get any festive celebration off to a roaring start. It’s full of canapé fodder including caviar, blinis, smoked salmon and quail’s eggs, as well as two bottles of fizz and some mini mince pies among other delights – all organic, natch.
Buy now £250.00, Daylesford Organic
Citizens of Soil Mediterranean Olive Oil Trio
You can never have too much good olive oil — and in this economy, the stuff really is liquid gold.
Citizens of Soil are the sommeliers of the olive oil world, focusing on provenance and tasting notes. Their Mediterranean trio of rare extra-virgin olive oils are made by three female producers and includes a grassy Croatian number, a bitter Italian and a peppery Sicilian. Sounds like the start of a good joke.
The limited-edition labels are designed by artists, so the bottles are bound to make a beautiful addition to any kitchen counter.
Buy now £95.00, Citizens of Soil
Black Lines Oatnog
Black Lines Oatnog is made for a yuletide nightcap. A riff on eggnog, it’s made with rum and oat milk and spiced with vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. Drink it neat over ice, or even better, gently warmed — a hug in a glass.
Buy now £22.99, Selfridges
High Fidelity Triple Sec
I first tried Forgotten in a cocktail at The Devonshire in Soho earlier this year and have been thinking about it ever since.
The brainchild of the pub’s head chef, Ashley Palmer-Watts, Forgotten creates liqueurs that won’t gather dust on the back shelf. Their upgrade on triple sec (a key ingredient in cocktails like margaritas and cosmopolitans) is a zippy, citrussy elixir that is nothing like its sickly sweet counterparts.
It’s also made with second-life ingredients from UK farms, with no artificial flavours or colours. I drink it with soda water and a slice of orange.
Buy now £28.00, Forgotten Spirits
FUSÃO by Ixta Belfrage
An alumna of Ottolenghi’s test kitchen, Ixta Belfrage has spent the last few years making waves on London’s culinary scene with buzzy supper clubs and the bestselling cookbook. Her second cookbook, Fusao, came out this year and has everyone cooking experimental Brazilian food. Who knew stir fried papaya was so good?
Buy now £28.00, Amazon
Philipponnat Réserve Perpétuelle Brut
There is something delightfully festive about Philipponnat Champagne. The subtly tapered bottle with its gold coat of arms is grand and celebratory, while the rich and elegant flavour pairs beautifully with oysters.
Buy now £47.95, The Whisky Exchange
Jo Vodka The Bohemian
From one of the discerning noses in fragrance comes this vodka, made from 100 per cent British wheat. Jo Malone MBE's booze venture bears many of the hallmarks of her colognes — square bottle, rounded topper, and, in The Bohemian expression, a sensorial experience with juicy citrus notes. Perfect for merry martinis.
Buy now £49.99, Jo Vodka
MEATER Pro Wireless Smart Meat Thermometer
All great gourmands will have suffered the trauma of over or undercooking a beautiful cut of meat. Meater have dared to ask the question, can a meat thermometer be a Scandi-chic, state-of-the-art gadget? The answer is yes: housed in an architectural little wooden box, The Meater Pro has five internal sensors to give a pin-point accurate temperature. It is operated via an app (so you can check the temperature of your roast beef from anywhere in the house) which also provides precise cooking and resting times. A thing of beauty.
Buy now £96.26, Amazon
Islands Chocolate and Hazelnut Spread
Islands supply Michelin chefs like Tom Kerridge, Marcus Wareing and Heston Blumenthal with their top tier chocolate. No wonder then, that their chocolate and hazelnut spread is the best in the business.
Made with over 55 per cent hazelnuts (Nutella is a paltry 13 per cent), it’s palm oil-free and just as good smothered on toast as by the spoonful. A perfect token gift to introduce your foodie friend to their new obsession.
Buy now £8.95, Ocado
Professional Fine Cooking Tweezers
Found in rodizos and seafood restaurants, not to mention Michelin-starred kitchens, cooking tweezers are the bouji utensil you never knew you needed. Perfect for cheffy types, use them to place precise herbs and edible flowers on finished dishes or to pick morsels off the Christmas lunch table delicately. Monocle and tiara not provided.
Buy now £12.99, Amazon
The Tinned Fish Market Mercado Hamper
Really high quality tinned fish is a luxury that often feels too extravagant for the everyday — and that’s what makes it such a great present.
Liberate your foodie friend from the shackles of John West with a selection box from the Tinned Fish Market. The product is sourced from the best canneries across the Mediterranean — think Basque country tuna and Galician sardines — and comes in that delightfully Wes Anderson-y packaging that you almost want to frame.
Buy now £98.00, The Tinned Fish Market
DELLI 'Nice and Spice' Box
Delli is an online marketplace for the coolest independent food and drinks brands. They’re also the masters of making hampers full of stuff you’ll actually want. Their Nice and Spice box is perfect for heat seekers and includes a crunchy chilli oil made in London, cult condiment hot honey, and a moreish spicy peanut butter.
Buy now £35.00, DELLI
Digby 2014 Vintage Reserve Brut
The fickleness of Great British weather means that English sparkling wine is a risky game. But the rewards are high, and anyone in the business will tell you that 2014 was a bumper year. Digby’s 2014 Vintage Reserve Brut is made from the finest grapes the home counties have to offer, with a fresh and zesty finish. Very drinkable indeed.
Buy now £45.00, Digby
Pophams Pear Candle
I love these trompe-l'œil candles from cult London bakery Pophams. The pear and the fig are very chic, but they also do everything from a kitschy wedge of cheese to a fried egg. Brilliant for the friend who loves a wacky tablescape.
Buy now £18.51, Pophams
