Gift Guide: For The Foodie In Your Life
Cooking in and dining out are pleasures to be enjoyed the world over, and we’re always seeking out the finest new produce or following the quirky new trends. In Belle About Town’s gift guide for foodies we offer a selection of options to enable you to wow even the most particular of culinary experts this Christmas.
1. The Wolseley Christmas Hamper: A remarkable hamper for the festive season, comprising the finest champagne, wines, chocolate truffles, biscuits, preserves and more. The hamper contains: Gift Boxed Pommery Brut Royal NV Champagne, Château La Tour de By, Médoc 2011, Domaine André Dezat, Sancerre 2016, Cognac Chocolate Truffles, English Breakfast Loose Leaf Tea Tin, Cafetière & Filter Coffee Tin, Silver-plated Tea Strainer, Strawberry Jam, Orange Marmalade, Lemon Curd, All Butter Shortbread, Florentine Biscuits, Savoury Biscuits, Christmas Pudding, Six Christmas Crackers, ‘Breakfast at The Wolseley’ Book by A.A. Gill. £350 from The Wolseley online shop.
2. Gran Cru Affiorato Extra Virgin Olive Oil: This Galantino gourmet olive oil is simly one of the best you can buy. A little goes a long way so this is for the foodie who knows to use it in special salad dressings or for dipping bread into; its stylish good looks make it ideal as a gift for the foodie who appreciate quality and class. £21 for 500ml from Italian food specialists Nife is Life.
3. Gousto’s Get-Together box: For the foodie who loves to impress but is short on time, make entertaining simple this festive season. Taking the hassle out of party planning, Gousto’s recipe box helps them serve up eight seasonal home-cooked recipes to enjoy sharing with friends and family. Offering inventive (and tasty!) twists on Christmas classics, your foodie friend can look forward to impressing guests with a range of delicious dishes, including Balsamic & Redcurrant Glazed Pork Loin, Pork, Sage & Cranberry Sausage Rolls, Scandi-Style Potato & Dill Salad and Chargrilled Herby Lemon Chicken Skewers. The Get-together Box serves up to eight guests with an RRP of £74.99. It’s available to existing and new customers who sign up via the website at www.gousto.co.uk.
4. 2 in1 Rechargeable Corkscrew & Wine Preserver: Opening and preserving wine has never been easier with the NSAuk Rechargeable Corkscrew & Preserver in One. This dual purpose 2-1 reversible unit is quick and easy to use. It opens bottles of wines and then preserves – all at the touch of a button! £54.99 from NSAuk.
5. Maker’s Mark Kentucky Straight Bourbon: Want to wow the cocktail fanatic in your family? Look no further than festive favourite, Maker’s Mark. Maker’s Mark is a small-batch Bourbon Whisky handmade in Loretto, Kentucky using the same principles Bill Samuels Sr., first used in 1954. Made from red winter wheat it has a sweeter taste than most traditional Bourbons giving it a distinctive taste. With notes of oak, caramel, vanilla and spice it’s the ideal spirit to enjoy over the festive period. Serve on its own, or as part of an Old Fashioned, or batch of Eggnog. £30 from Tesco and Waitrose. www.makersmark.com.
7. Goupie hand-made chocolates: Goupie hand-make a uniquely textured chocolate confectionery product, based on a recipe founder Janet Simpson’s grandmother used to make. There are 17 flavours in total: 13 of them are vegan friendly, 7 are gluten-free and 3 are especially for Christmas. Prices start at just £2 for stocking filler minis, and up to £10 for gift boxes. See the Goupie website for the full range.
8. Great Bakes Festive Cranberry and Pecan Stickyjack: These sticky artisan treats are a fantastic combination of crunchy oat biscuit filled with caramel and dates and finished with a crumble pecan cranberry and oat topping. They come packed into a stay-fresh tin to create a stunning, delicious and affordable gift for the foodie in your life. £21.95 from www.greatbakes.co.uk , price includes delivery and your personal gift message hand written on a cute gift card.
9. Brindisa Artemonte Potted Morcilla: This ready to use morcilla is delicate, gently seasoned with aniseed, salt, cinnamon, black pepper, clove, cayenne and a touch of oregano. A festive meaty treat in a pot – perfect for enthusiastic carnivores. 400g jar. £2.95 from the Brindisa shop.
10. PIPER-HEIDSIECK Rare Rosé Champagne: A blend of 17 grape varieties, the cuvée rosé is a perfect marriage of Chardonnay and Pinot noir wines, which have been left to mature for more than eight years. Tasked with finding a Champagne fit for a queen, Florens-Louis Heidsieck presented his first cuvee to Marie Antoinette, PIPER-HEIDSIECK’s first Brand Ambassador. The Champagne reflects this royal history, presented in an elegant box made of lacquered black wood and emblazened with a rose crown, it’s the perfect gift for Rosé and Champagne lovers alike. Stockists & RRP: Hedonism Wines, £325
