Scratching your head for Christmas present ideas? We’ve come up with our top 5 favourite presents for foodies.
Demijohn deliciousness
Demijohn describe themselves as a liquid deli for British handmade drinks. but we think they're this and so much more. They cleverly sniff out and bring together a hard-to-find group of small, artisanal British producers who are making some of the best liqueurs, whiskies, wines, spirits, olive oils and vinegars around the UK. Demijohn sell these through their glorious shops - think Harry Potter apothecary, meets French wine 'cave' and deli, and comes together in a seriously cool and refreshingly unique shopping experience. They also do a brilliant mail order job, so we're putting in an order for their Vodka Rack, including organic rhubarb vodka liqueur from Inverness, and organic elderflower vodka liqueur from Somerset. That should make Christmas go with a swing (and a slur). Hic.
Best jelly babies in the world*
We were sent a bag of these Jello Babes for Christmas last year and have our fingers firmly crossed we receive them again! These babies are fruity and tangy without being teeth-janglingly sweet. By far and away the best jelly babies out there. We urge you to try them, and send them to all your sweet-toothed relatives too. Confectionary heaven. (And because they are by Rococo Chocolates the packaging is glorious too). www.rococochocolates.com
*in our humble opinion
Tasty truffles
Named after the Italian word for a woodland in which truffles are found, Tartufaia Truffles imports the famous and much sought-after fresh truffles of Acqualagna, in the Marche region of Italy. Founded by and run by Mario Prati, the company also sells a wide range of delicious truffle-based products including white truffle oil and truffle honey, all made purely from natural ingredients, with no artificial flavourings. Based at the food mecca of Borough Market in London, we've snaffled up their jars of summer truffles in oil for the sophisticated foodies in our family.
Bacon by post
Sounds crazy but a packet of bacon fits perfectly through the letterbox and this farm in Suffolk will send you the most delicious rashers weekly, monthly or more. These are pigs that have had a jolly good life rummaging around outdoors as all good pigs should, and their bacon is then cured using traditional methods. We’ve only tried their delicious and slightly sweet flavoured Bourbon bacon so far, but we’ve got our noses set on their Thai bacon next. Their monthly £5.95 a month subscription would make a tasty present for someone who loves a decent rasher on a Sunday morning. www.cureandsimple.com
Cupsmith’s Christmas coffee box
And lastly....we apologise for plugging our own coffee here, and we don’t want to be big-headed, but we do think a Christmas boxful of our freshly roasted coffee can be a rather lovely present, particularly for fathers, uncles, brothers and any other tricky-to-buy-for people in your life. All coffee is roasted freshly by us, ground to order and packed up with lots of crispy tissue paper and festive bits and bobs. The Christmas gift box smells heavenly when it's opened. £16.45 per box. www.cupsmith.com.
If you've got any top present tips, we'd love to hear them!
