Christmas Food And Drink Gifts | 2018

Week 3 of my Christmas gift guides means it’s officially November which means it’s a bit more acceptable to talk about Christmas and people won’t look down on me so much for getting festive. As I’ve said before how excited I am and this is just increasing as the days go by. I am a massive advocate of buying food and drink based gifts, be it something to physically eat or drink or something to use in the kitchen and my family usually get a good collection of presents like this. Here are some of my top picks of Food and Drink based gifts.

I’ve spoken about Popaball in some posts before and while most of their products are more to make your drinks look good they are a great gift for Christmas, especially if your mum is anything like mine and loves a bit of sparkle. The Rose Gold Shimmer For Prosecco* (£7.49) has a slight raspberry flavour to it so not only will it make your drink pretty and sparkly but you’ll get a good flavour kick from it too.

The Glitter Jams are something I’d never seen or heard of before so I chose the Rhubard and Ginger Glitter Jam with Gin* (£3.99) because why not?! This isn’t the type of jam you put on your scones or your toast but it’s to jazz up your gin and tonic. Just and a tsp of the glitter jam to your glass then add the gin and mix it into a paste before adding your tonic. Once mixed you’ll get a good glisten to your drink and a kick of flavour for a next-level G&T.

This year the East India Company have put together some stunning hampers full of beautiful gifts and one of the items I received through from them is the Spiced Caramel Black Leaf Tea* which not only is in the most beautiful tin but it’s such a nice tasting tea. There are noted of vanilla and the spiced aspect adds an element of cinnamon and orange so it’s a really great Winter Christmas tea.

The items are available to buy online and in the brands Conduit Street, Covent Garden and Edinburgh stores where you can build a bespoke hamper where each item is tailored to the recipiants tastes and beautifully wrapped.

One thing which my dad could desperately use a new one of is a French Press* (£12.99) for his coffee as the one he uses is so old and falling apart a little. The one I picked from VonShef is beautiful with rose gold detailing and it has a large 1L capacity which is enough to make 8 cups of coffee which is the kind of size you need for dinner parties.

The handle is heat-resistant so there’s no worry about dropping it and if coffee isn’t your thing you can even brew tea in it. It’s such a sleek design and I’m so happy with how it looks as my parents have a lot of rose gold accents in their kitchen so this matches so well.

Next up is this box set of treats from The Biscuit Baron* who are a biscuit subscription box where you can either buy a single/ one month box for £15 or subscribe for a longer period of time. I received one of the subscription boxes and considering how much you get inside its such good value for money as the hand-packed boxes come with 5-8 full-size packets and some information on the history and traditions of the biscuit.

Tipplesworth do some really lovely cocktail mixers and we got the Festive Punch* (£6.99) and the Espresso Martini* (£6.99) to try out with the former just needing gin and the later needing vodka. The festive punch is the taste of the festive period with cinnamon, orange and cloves and tastes so good with gin, especially when it’s slightly warm, but you can also mix it with orange juice for a non-alcoholic drink.

I’m not usually the biggest fan of coffee but I do love a good Espresso Martini which mixes dark roast cold-brew coffee and cocoa and maple which when mixed with vodka packs such a punch.

While my dad is a big gin drinker, my brother by comparison is a huge fan of rum so we’ve picked him up some The Duppy Share Rum* (£27.50) so he can try something different. What makes this rum different is that it’s a blend of two different rums from distilleries in Jamaica and Barbados which gives it quite a unique flavour. The Jamaican rum is full of tropical fruit flavours and has a fiery note and the Barbadian rum is smooth with a warm buttery finish and it’s so strange how you can still taste both parts of it when you drink the rum.

If you’re anything like me then you get a bit distracted in the kitchen sometimes, so this Automatic Stirrer* (£14.99) has been a godsend. When I’m making dinner on my own it can be tough to chop vegetables and stir a sauce at the same time so the automatic stirrer just sits in the pan and can be set to stir at three different speeds so you’re free to do other things.

It’s incredibly easy but such a big help in the kitchen to stop you burning anything or getting stressed out.

A good cheese board is an essential item for almost all houses and this Round Cheese Board and Knife Set* (£19.99) from Vonshef is really affordable but doesn’t scrimp on the quality. There is a slate cheese serving board which sits in the wooden frame but can also be pulled out for easy cleaning and to give you additional space for the cheese.

All you need to do is twist the bottom to reveal a slide-out tray featuring four high-quality stainless steel knives featuring a stilton knife, a cheddar knife, a hard cheese fork and a cheese fork. Each of the knives has a really nice easy-grip wooden handle and they just glide through cheese. We don’t really have cheese at home as Luke doesn’t like it so it’s a lovely treat when I go over to my parents.

I have another subscription style box but this time from Spice Pioneer* (From £8.33) which are monthly boxes which feature a selection of spices sourced from around the world along with suggestions and recipes in which to use them. You can choose to sign up for as little as 3 months and each month you’ll be greeted with a box of flavour which will help you take a few adventure with your food.

If you want an edible gift and don’t fancy buying chocolates then a bakerdays cake* (£27.99) is a great alternative, and what makes them even better is they’re letterbox friendly so if you need to post it to someone it will arrive easily and in one piece thanks to both the size and the lovely tins they’re presented in.

We went for the Hipster Santa Cake because who doesn’t love a comical cake?! You can choose both the size and the type of cake so we opted for a rich chocolate chip which was so tasty yet thankfully not too rich as I had originally worried about.

In the colder months it’s such a nice option to take a warm drink into work with you, especially if you have a commute in front of you because a nice warm tea/ coffee can make even a cold train station that bit more tolerable. This Sigg Hot and Cold one* (£22.99) won’t just keep your drink warm but if you fancy something cold it will also keep your drink cool which is pretty clever.

The double-walled insulation is what allows it to keep in both the heat and the cool and it has a one handed opening with you just need to click to allow you to drink quickly and easily. If you know someone who can’t be without their morning hot drink, or someone who always complains that their water gets warm this could be the gift for them.

If you’re after a nice indulgent gift which is also wrapped to perfection that check out Sous Chef’s range of Panettone’s such as this Flamigni Sugar Iced Dark Chocolate & Orange Panettone* (£24.50) which I’m sure my nan is going to be eating well into January. Panettones are a traditional Italian Christmas bread but this is a luxurious new take on it with bits of candied orange peel and dark chocolate accompanied by a hazlenut and almond flavoured frosting.

Chocolate and orange is a classic well-loved combination and works really well with the panettone and you can taste the quaity with Flamigni with each one using the finest of ingredients and being shaped and scored by hand.

While some people might love chocolates and biscuits for others it’s a good box of sweets and Haribo is the choice of sweet for my family. This Haribo Fairyland* box of sweets is part of their brand new collection out in time for Christmas.

My brother is obsessed with Haribo, especially the fizzy tangfastics, and year after year he always ends up with a bag (or three) in his Christmas stocking.

If you’re more of a chocolate person go for something truly special like these Chocolate Novelty Bricks* (£5.95). They are so intricately made and the bricks and figures look exactly like lego pieces it’s incredible. The chocolates are a mixture of white, dark and milk so there’s something for everyone regardless of the type of chocolate you love.

The lego bricks are made in small batches in Kent and everything is solid chocolate so there’s a lot to get through in the set. Cocoa and Heart use the best Belgium and French chocolate and each batch can vary in colour so they’re truly a unique gift.

Use the code XMAS18 to get 10% off any chocolate orders until 31/01.

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