Every year we put together a gift guide to help you make those difficult decisions on what to buy people for Christmas. All the items featured in our gift guide have been tested by ourselves and come personally recommended by us. We hope you enjoy this years selection which is bigger and better than any previous year.
Hotel Chocolat is known for their luxurious and decadent
chocolates which have a stylish twist and beautiful packaging and they have not
disappointed this Christmas. There is a huge selection of divine chocolate
gifts on offer and we have chosen just a few which we think are perfect for any
gift this Christmas. Each year Hotel Chocolat releases chocolate wreaths. This
Rabot1745 Wreath (£9.50) is made of 75% dark chocolate and clustered with Piedmont
hazelnuts, Marcona almonds and succulent South African raisins. For those of
you who dislike traditional mince pies there is an alternative and we are loveing
Hotel Chocolat’s take on this with these wonderful
alternative mince pie (£7) creations made of milk chocolate cups filled with praline
and salted caramel. If you have a lot of kids in your family and want some
Christmas treats for them we think this
Minges and Jingles bag (£21) is absolutely perfect. Filled to the brim with
chocolate bells, angels and penguins in each milk, dark and white chocolate.
Don’t worry theres plenty for the adults too! We chose to feature this amazing
box of chocolates called The
SleeksterWinter Desserts Selection (£23) which as the name suggests is filled with mouth-watering
chocolates such as apple studel, rhubarb and custard and treacle tart, to name
just a few! There is also another box called
TheSignature Christmas Collection (£25) which also as the name suggests is
full of those all-time favourite chocolates from Hotel Chocolat such as Rum
& Raisin Truffle, White Caramel Praline, Pistachio Praline Crunch to name
but just another few. If these chocolates don’t have your mouth watering we
don’t know what will!
We love Whittard of Chelsea’s illustrious and long history
as one of the most prestigious suppliers of tea and coffee products. We have
selected three of our favourite products which are also in their Christmas Gift
section this year. The first product is a wonderfully presented
After Dinner Coffee Kilner (£10) which contains a delicious blend of South
American Arabica beans which perfectly complements the many sweet treats we
enjoy over Christmas. A practical gift as the tin can be re-used for future
coffee purchases or anything else you desire. The second item we have chosen is
the
Santos and Java coffee tin (£5), which like the After Dinner Kilner comes
beautifully presented in a re-usable tin box. This coffee is blended from two
coffees from either side of the world. A rich, dark and chocolaty coffee this
is perfect for after dinner. To compliment these wonderful coffees we love the
Cranberry Crunch biscuits (£4) which have a delicious hint of sweet flavour combined
with the tart and tangy flavour of the cranberries.
The
IngenuiTEA is a revolutionary teapot. It doesn’t look or act like any teapot you will have used before. We have featured the IngenuiTEA before but the regular size, we have decided that this wasn’t big enough for us to brew enough tea in one go for our visitors and friends so we are featuring the larger 950ml capacity one. It really is as simple as placing a teaspoon of loose tealeaves into the teapot chamber, pouring in some boiling water, closing the lid and allowing it to brew. After that you simply lift the IngenuiTEA and set it on top of your cup, the IngenuiTEA’s unique design means that a valve is then opened and the tea is filtered out into your cup, minus the tealeaves. The tea is crystal clear thanks to the metal mesh filter. MAGIC! In fact it’s so fascinating you’ll just want to try it over and over again. We’ve found that the IngenuiTEA is also very good at keeping the remaining tea warm in the teapot, meaning you can return for another cup. And don’t worry, when your IngenuiTEA isn’t on top of a mug, gravity makes sure the valve at the bottom stays closed meaning no leaks. Unlike most teapots which you use with loose tealeaves the IngenuiTEA is extremely easy to clean. Simply open the lid and empty out the used tealeaves, give it a rinse and that’s it. It’s even dishwasher safe! We have also chosen to feature these wonderful
Borosilicate Glass Jars from AdagioTeas so you can display your teas with pride without worrying about UV rays ruining your tea. These are priced at £8 each and are a wonderful investment. If you’re looking for a suggestion for a tea to get someone with the IngenuiTea we highly highly recommend the
Ali Shan tea, its our absolute favourite. Lightly fragranced and beautifully refreshing.
Charbonnel et Walker is yet another long established and
reputable company with members of the Royal family counting towards some of its
loyal and illustrious clients. The original setting up of the business was
encouraged by Edward VII himself who convinced Madame Charbonnel, a highly
skilled chocolatier from Paris to form a partnership with Mrs Walker and
establish a chocolatiers in Mayfair, London. Charbonnel et Walker is one of the
few companies to be endorsed by the Royal Warrant as chocolate makers for Her
Majesty the Queen, and they are immensely proud of this. It will come as no
surprise to anyone that a company with this reputation of commendation will
produce some of the finest chocolates imaginable. This year we tried their
English Rose and Violet Creams (£20-£35) which simply ooze class and sophistication.
We love their delicate yet fresh and floral fondant centres coated in rich melt
in your mouth dark chocolate crowned with either crystallised rose or violet petals.
These are a must buy present to impress.
This might not seem like the first choice of a Christmas
gift when you’re making your gift list but since we started using this kettle
ourselves its top of all our lists. The wonderful blue illumination of the
kettle is chic and modern and the silent, fast boil gets you your cuppa even
faster than a conventional kettle. With a 3000W power and German Schott Duran
glass this kettle is the best we have seen. The major point which sold us on
this kettle is that although it has a 1.71 litre capacity it can safely boil as
little as 250ml of water, about 1 cup without harming the heating element. No
more excuses for boiling a full kettle of water for 1 cup of tea. Available
from all major kitchen electrical suppliers but you can check your nearest
stockist
here.
Available in a range of sizes the GAT Cherrie Espresso Pot
is a stylish means of brewing up your espresso in the mornings. Made in Italy by
G.A.T. using the highest quality material, they have made no sacrifices when it
comes to the wonderful Italian style of this espresso pot which is made of
stainless steel and coloured in brown and cream with a distinctive coffee bean
shaped finial. This pot is suitable for many types of stove including gas,
electric and ceramic so no need to worry about which type your intended
recipient has in their home. Distributed by Gilberts, but available to buy
online direct from
TopGourmet.
Woodwick never fail to deliver new and exciting scents of
candles each year especially at Christmas. This year is no exception and we
have chosen the Sugar and Sprinkles scent as our favourite, possibly out of all
scents so far. The smell of vanilla buttercream with a slight hint of coconut
is so mouth-watering anyone would be shocked to discover you were not baking
some delicious cupcakes in your kitchen. Anyone not familiar with how fantastic
Woodwick candles are will be pleased to learn of their unique secret, their
wick is made of wood. What difference does this make though? Well the most
exciting difference to us is that the flame burns with a crackle alike a wood
fire and a gentle flicker of the flame, completely and utterly relaxing. We
also find that, whether or not because of the wood wick but these candles
always seem to burn perfectly and evenly right to the bottom of the jars if
burned correctly. If Sugar and Sprinkles scent doesn’t sound like you’re cup of
tea you’re almost guaranteed to find one to tickle your fancy in their huge
range of other scents
here.
Every baker loves to receive new equipment which they know
they can use all year round in the kitchen so this is why we have decided to
feature some high end, top quality kitchen scales in our gift guide this year.
The scales we have chosen to feature are the ones we use in our very own
kitchen and come from the range of renowned chef Heston Blumenthal. The
precisionorb electronic scale (£39.99) has a look similar to mechanical scales but
with the added style and accuracy of an electronic LCD display. The scales have
all the features you would expect of modern high quality scales such as zero
function, dishwasher safe measuring bowl as well as the ability to weigh both
solids and liquids, something which we feel is extremely useful. We can find no
fault of these scales at all, they look so stylish in our kitchen we never feel
we have to hide them away in a cupboard. You can buy these scales directly from
Salter Housewares.
The concept of this product is simply genius and we have
never heard of anyone doing this with coffee before. Another subscription box
service where you can buy one box or sign up via direct debit to receive one
each month. A perfect gift idea to buy someone one box and allow them to decide
whether they want the subscription. Each box contains two 150g packs of whole bean (or freshly ground if you decide). The coffee provided is from independent
roasters in the UK. Now for the part we love the most… your coffee arrives in
two plain brown resealable packs with simply a red and blue mark on each pack.
You can then go on the Blankbox coffee website and discover the story behind
the roasters responsible for your coffee that particular month. You can read the
stories of this months roasters
here.
The cost is £10 per month, free postage and packing included. You can cancel any time
before 27
th of each month so no long term commitment. We love this
concept so much and can’t wait to receive our next box ourselves. There is one
product which Blankbox Coffee will be launching soon on their website and that
is a very ingenious portable coffee cafetiere/ travel mug called
Impress Coffee Brewer. This product comes in several parts and its concept is simple but how
seamlessly it works is genius. Simply place a few tbsp. of freshly ground
coffee in the bottom section of the mug and top up with water. Leave for 3-4
mins and then push the top section of the mug down, this contains a fine filter
which doesn’t allow the coffee particles through. This leaves you with clear
coffee in the mug with the coffee remnants trapped below the filter. Pop on the
lid and off you go.
Just like Blankbox Coffee, we love the concept of this
product and think it is a great idea to discover new products. Each DegustaBox
costs £9.99 (excluding postage) and you receive one per month. You can cancel
anytime before the 10
th of each month so no long term commitment is
needed. However if you purchase 6 months worth you do get a discount! Contained
in each box is between 8-12 new, special or innovative food products from
well-known brands. It’s always hard to keep up with new food ideas and concepts
when they first get released so why not let DegustaBox choose what to show you
and have it delivered to your door each month. We’ve signed up ourselves and
look forward to receiving our first box. You can
subscribe yourself or give a
box as a gift via the gift option on the website.
Firebox is always one of the first websites to get the
latest and trendiest gadgets so we always check with them regularly. We love
how firebox has a large selection of food and drinks themed items which some
gadget websites do not. With the cold winters we have more and more people are
taking coffees with them on their way to work, whether it is to survive the
train journey or to keep warm while waiting on a bus there are always spillages
and that’s before you even get to work! There are so many portable travel cups
which are fine for a short period of time and then they begin to leak or crack
completely. Firebox has come up with a solution with this fantastic product
called
Contigo Auto-seal Travel Mug (£24.99) which uses a push button to drink method. So
as soon as you release the button the mug automatically seals, completely, no
drips. In fact the Contigo Company go one step further by saying the mug is
100% leak proof and 100% drip proof. That’s what we like to hear! The mug is
available in a wide range of colours to suit all tastes.
Marks and Spencers never fail to come up with great gifts at
Christmas and this year has been no exception. We chose this item to feature in
our Christmas gift guide as it is such a wonderfully presented treat that the
recipient will be guaranteed to want to keep it! This Festive Family Selection
is available in all large Marks and Spencers food halls and comprises of a
wonderful wooden lattice style Christmas tree box filled to the brim with a
wonderful selection of milk, dark and white chocolate truffles all individually
wrapped. The box is quite tall so makes a wonderful Christmas decoration if
filled with some LED lights! We love the multipurpose theme to a lot of
Christmas gifts this year and this is one of our favourites.
We love DotComGiftShop’s wonderful selection of retro
homeware and gifts, everything from kitchenware
milk produce tray and its always a talking point when we bring coffee on it to our
visitors. This brings us along nicely to another one of our favourite items at
the moment, a
set of 6 retro coffee mugs (£18.95). These all have different retro prints
relating to coffee. The perfect gift for a coffee lover.
to Christmas decorations.
Browsing their website is like taking a trip down memory lane, you’re
guaranteed to spot something which will bring back lots of childhood memories.
Our favourite item at the moment is their selection of various wooden produce
trays (all priced around £15) which are available in various themes from motor
oil to school milk tray. We own the school
milk produce tray and its always a talking point when we bring coffee on it to our visitors. This brings us along nicely to another one of our favourite items at the moment, a
set of 6 retro coffee mugs (£18.95). These all have different retro prints relating to coffee. The perfect gift for a coffee lover.
FairyTale Gourmet has a well-established and popular
chocolate shop in London. This is a place of wonder and amazement, a real life
chocolate paradise! FairyTale Gourmet love coming up with fresh, unique
chocolate flavours. This Christmas, keeping with the FairyTale theme they have
come up with some fantastic creations.
We have selected just a few of the items on offer to feature here.
TweedleTwins (£7.95 per pair, 90g per jar), cake in a jar is a refreshing idea of
putting cake and a generous amount of mouth-watering frosting in a jar, sealed
with a bow and mini spoon. Elegant in every way, these will have your friends
and family in amazement at their cuteness. On a similar theme FairyTale Gourmet
also have
Mini Tweedle Twins (£13.95) which are also cake in a jar but on a far smaller
scale, these are available in packs of 6 jars (40g each). With flavours such as
Midnight Mallow and Scrummy Strawberry these will have your mouth-watering on
first sight. There is also a new range just released from FairTale Gourmet
called the Snow White Range. Needless to say the first product released in the
range is modelled on
Snow White’s Apple. These are available to buy singly or in gift tins containing
three. Flavours range from Himilayan Salted Caramel, Burnt Coconut and Apple
and Cinnamon to name just a few, all available in either milk, white or dark
chocolate.
Remember the days when you only really ate popcorn and it
was always the same generic bland flavour, well Joe and Seph decided to change
all that and it’s been a massive success! They air-pop their corn opposed to
the normal traditional British method of oil and sugar mix. They have also
developed a wide range of different flavours. From Salty Caramel to Peanut
Satay they have an exciting range of mouth watering flavours, and this year
they have released some very special Christmas flavours. In the Christmas range
the flavours are mince pie, bandy butter and our all time favourite mint
chocolate. Honestly mint chocolate sounds like a bizarre popcorn flavour, we
thought so too but it really works and its delicious! You can buy the popcorn
in either
pouches
available in two different sizes or a various selection of
gift options
including Kilner jars and gift tins.
Christmas confectionary is not all about chocolate you know,
how could you forget about Haribo! Haribo have released, what we think is their
biggest Christmas range yet and its packed full of exciting new products to
enjoy. All products are available in all large supermarkets. Some of the
fantastic products to keep a look out for are the Christmas Mix fruit flavour
and sweet foam gums, Haribo Igloo Friends gift box which contains Festive mini
bags and some pop out characters, perfect for kids. Or how about trying some of
Haribo’s new bags of treats like Merry Snowmen, Sparkly Stars or Jolly Santas. Haribo
have also released large tubs of 24 mini packs called Share the Fun and
Partytime. The Partytime tub even contains family games, invitations and
stickers for the kids! Of course there are all the classics to choose from too
such as Starmix, Tangtastics and Chamallows. If that selection doesn’t have
your mouth watering I don’t know what will. You can check out
Haribo’s main website where
you will find out loads of information about new products as well as all the
latest news.
Rococo’s passion and drive to create the best chocolate
delights time and time again is inspiring and their Academy of Chocolate
award-winning 70% drinking chocolate (£12.50 in a gift drum) is very hard to
beat, containing only flaked organic dark chocolate and a little extra cocoa
powder. It is such good quality that it can be used to make hot chocolate
however you like to drink it, it can even be used in baking! We love ours mixed
with a tiny amount of boiling water to make a paste and then topped up with
full fat milk to create a luxuriously smooth indulgent hot chocolate. Top with
some marshmallows if you’re feeling extra naughty. Available to buy from their
online store in a
gift drum.
The taste of your food is important but so is the
presentation. We absolutely love Slated.ie range of tableware and food platters
which are all made of natural slate and crafted by the Hammond family who have
worked with slate since the 18th Century.
Slated.ie is a 100% Irish family owned and run business so please check
out their website and consider their wonderful products for your next gift. We love all their products but we have made
the tough decision to feature their beautiful
round slate coasters
(€24). These are a beautiful addition to your coffee table and fit into any
home whether ultra-sheik modern or traditional farmhouse. Slate is such a
tactile material which is natural and durable, we love it. You can purchase
these coasters and more directly from the slated.ie website.
Most of you will know who much we adore the Netherlands and
it doesn't stop there. We are massive fans of Henri Willig cheese. Henri
Willig’s traditional Dutch methods of making cheese attract over a million
tourists annually to their farms in the Netherlands. If you’re ever in the
Netherlands keep your eyes open for their 12 stores. But don’t worry, Henri
Willig has exceptional customer service meaning you can order all the cheese
you need online from their website! This Christmas we highly recommend the
Temptation Gift Box (€27.25) as it gives an excellent variety of cheeses including Natural
Gouda, Cumin Seeds Gouda and Herbs & Garlic (Dynamite) cheese. These cheeses are superbly made and packaged
in wax so not only do they look as authentic as they taste but they keep for a
surprisingly long time.
We love companies who have long, established and illustrious
histories and Bettys is one of those companies. There is a lot of history
behind the business and even a little mystery around where the name Betty
actually came from! Its far too much to explain here so grab a tea or coffee
and pop over to Bettys website to read ‘The Bettys Story’ about where this fabulous
company came from
here.
Bettys always produce wonderful seasonal ranges and this Christmas they have
not failed to disappoint. We made the difficult decision and chose to feature
two of our favourite items. You cannot get more festive than
Gold,Frankincense and Myrrh Mendiants (£7.95). These scrumptious discs of Grand
Cru dark chocolate are made with fragrant oils of Frankincense and Myrrh and
decorated with a touch of golden sugar crystals. If you’re more a box of
chocolates kind of person Bettys offer beautifully presented boxes, our
favourite is the
Milk Chocolate Selection (£15.95) containing Blackcurrant Ganache Truffle,
Champagne Truffle, Piedmont Praline, Caramelised Hazelnut Praline, Mocha
Truffle among many other favourites.
Artisan du Chocolat believes in creating “luxury through
individuality, innovation and exceptional craftsmanship”. This is evident from
their reputation for being one of the leading chocolatiers in the UK. Gerard
Coleman, founder and artisan chocolatier sources the finest cocoa beans from
around the world and transforms them into wonderful artisan chocolates and
chocolate treats. This process is done in-house in the UK unlike many
chocolatiers who simply import the readymade chocolate. This love and
dedication to providing the very best quality by making it himself is the key
to Artisan du Chocolat’s continued success. Artisan du Chocolat always put a
lot of individuality into their products and they have produced some wonderful
Christmas gifts this year for their Christmas range. We have chosen just two to
feature here. The first, and our favourite is a beautiful
Silent Night Biscuit Tin (£19.99) filled with beautiful chocolate covered salted caramel
biscuits which are all individually wrapped. But there’s more! The tin itself
is actually a music box, not battery or solar powered but a traditional
clockwork music box movement built into the lid. We think this is a wonderful
idea and we know we will be keeping this tin to bring out each Christmastime.
The second item we have chosen to feature is the
Fairy Godmothers Stocking (£24.99). This is a large beautifully decorated
cardboard stocking shaped box which is filled to the brim with tasty treats.
Included are liquid salted caramel truffles, crunchy honeycomb drenched in
chocolate and a bag of melt in your mouth chocolate gold coins. Who wouldn’t be
delighted with a stocking like that!
Lindt always knows how to do Christmas well and in our
opinion no Christmas is complete without receiving some Lindt chocolate
truffles. Earlier this year for Chocolate Week we featured the new
Caramel truffles (£4.59) by Lindt, these are a delicious new addition to a
wonderful range. We also love the
Stracciatella truffles (£4.59) which taste just like cookies and cream! Instead of a
traditional selection box this Christmas why not opt for Lindt’s great
Santa Sleigh box (£8.99) which is perfect for kids, or adults alike! The box
includes a chocolate reindeer, chocolate santa and two small chocolate bears
which are all wonderfully presented in a box featuring Santa’s sleigh. For any
stocking fillers Lindt’s
small chocolate bears (£2.50) are not only adorable but delicious too.
Thorntons is another well-known and reputable brand known by
children and adults alike for decades, in fact Thornton’s recently celebrated
their 100th Birthday! Thorntons was set up by Joseph William Thornton in 1911
who then handed the business to his two sons who made it into what it is today.
Thorntons have released a wonderful Christmas range this year and we found it
difficult to pick what we wanted to feature in our gift guide. But we
eventually decided that the
Christmas in a Box (£39.99) was the best gift on offer this year from Thorntons. Its
not the cheapest box of chocolates available this year but it does include a huge
1230g of chocolate, now that’s a lot of chocolate! The box is made up of all
the favourites from various different popular ranges such as Winter Dessert
Gallery range, as well as their popular Continental and Classics ranges, and a
festive selection of their Christmas inspired chocolates.
Cocoaloco is one of those special chocolate companies where
you know a lot of love and passion goes into the crafting of their chocolates.
All Cocoaloco’s chocolate is organic; they even use packaging which makes
minimal impact on the environment. Sarah and Rory of Cocoaloco set out to make
their company “build a premium treat reputation around words like approachable,
affordable and genuine choice” and they have certainly done that! With a new
website this year Cocoaloco’s range is even easier to order and browse through.
We selected just a few items from the Christmas range. Its difficult to beat a
good bar of chocolate and Cocoaloco have produced The
Milk Chocolate Stars Slab (£11.99) a silky smooth milk chocolate slab of
chocolate decorated with Christmas stars. There is also an array of stocking
filler chocolate products such as the
Santa Lolly (£1.99) or
Milk and White Chocolate Penguins (£3.99) which are just adorable. If you love
Christmas puddings you will absolutely love these chocolate
Christmas Pudding Truffles (£5.99), addictive to the point that they might not reach
the recipient before you decide to eat them all yourself.
Butlers Chocolate is Ireland’s favourite luxury chocolatier
for over 80 years, being originally founded in Dublin in 1932 by Marion Butler
and then bought in 1959 by the Irish Sorensen family who still own 100% of the
business today. Butlers Chocolate takes pride in their heritage, even offering
the ‘Butlers Chocolate Experience’ which allows you to see behind those secret
chocolate factory doors. This years Christmas range contains a lot of classics,
but classics done exceptionally well. It’s really hard to beat a good box of
chocolates and Butlers obsession and passion with chocolate means that each
chocolate is exceptional, combined with the beautiful presentation makes
Butlers Gift-wrapped Signature Christmas Assortment (£19.95), with 34 Chocolates
the perfect gift. Or if you’re looking for something a bit more quirky and
different Butlers have created their
Giant Cracker (£14) which is full to the brim with two chocolate bars and 14
chocolates. The cracker is also available in a smaller size for £8.50). Butlers
have also released a beautiful metal
Christmas Bauble (£6.50) ornament which is full with 15 individually wrapped
chocolates, something to treasure and display year after year.
With a well-documented family history Rodda’s creamery in
Cornwall can be guaranteed to know the best way to make the tastiest and
creamiest dairy products. In 1890 Eliza Jane and Thomas Rodda start making
Cornish clotted cream in their farmhouse kitchen in Scorrier, near Redruth. We
tried Rodda’s products only a few weeks ago and we are stunned we did not
discover them sooner. Rodda’s sell wonderfully packaged tin containers in the
form of milk churns of both fudge and shortbread made with their famous clotted
cream. These make wonderful gifts whether for your work colleagues or family!
Now this might seem a bit strange and unconventional, you might even get a few
strange looks when they open their present, but we highly recommend buying
Rodda’s
Farmhouse Butter
either for a present or for yourself. You can read the details about the butter
here. Its creaminess and taste is phenomenal that it is difficult to put into
words, so we’ll leave that up to you when you try it! Rodda’s Clotted Cream is
equally as delicious, we just can’t get enough of this with our desserts and
most importantly scones. Just make sure to remember, clotted cream on top of
jam, not the other way around.
Montezuma’s is a funky company always buzzing with fresh new
ideas and they have not failed this Christmas either. Montezuma’s love to work
with flavours to combine what they think works best in their fine chocolate.
This year we have chosen to feature the
Christmas Bar Library (£13.99) which is a brilliant idea of combining 5 different
100g bars of excellent quality chocolate into one box, beautifully presented to
be given as a gift. The bars included in the library are Lordy Lord – Dark
Chocolate with Cocoa Nibs, Minted – Milk Chocolate with Crunchy Peppermint, Sea
Dog – Dark Chocolate with Lime and Sea Salt, Space Hopper – Milk Chocolate with
Orange and Spice it Up – Dark Chocolate with Dragon Ginger. This gift won’t
fail to disappoint.
We also used another new toy in the creation of this recipe. The Stellar Eazistore bakeware set. This is probably the best thing we've got in a long time, especially since we have quite limited kitchen space with the amount of kitchen equipment we accumulate. The Stellar Eazistore is a 5 piece non stick nesting bakeware set, meaning that every piece fits neatly into the other. The 5 separate pieces would normally take up a lot of cupboard space but this has really freed up some of ours. Included is a roasting pan, muffin tin, two different sized baking trays and a cooling rack. Normal in store price for this is £48 which we think is a bargain!
