We’re fussy about food and if we don’t like the taste of a product you won’t find it in the guides, no matter how many ethical accolades it holds. I believe food should comfit, sustain, fulfil and leave you wanting to share your experience with others, along with plans to buy it again. Every product we’ve included in this gift guide does just that. The most delectable luxury food and drink that makes the day a little brighter, mealtimes more exciting and treats more luxurious than ever. Here goes.
Carpo Chocolate and Treats Christmas Hamper
This is the best chocolate hamper we’ve tried since our review of the best chocolate brands in the world. In fact it surpasses all of those and brings you a decadent hamper that impresses with looks and taste. The chocolate used in the sweet snacks is absolutely divine, made in Greece, while the quality of the ingredients in the other products, the nuts, the sesame seed nibbles shines though. This is an essential hamper for an indulgent Christmas. Treat yourself or someone you love VERY much.
Lola’s Cupcakes Santas’s Workshop
Lola’s cupcakes impressed us with their six box of cupcakes in vanilla and chocolate. They arrived in near perfect condition, and the packaging was sustainable while giving us a postage label to return reusable packaging to the brand. The cupcakes are moist and delicious which is always a concern when ordering fresh food from the internet. The aesthetic is fun and eye-catching too, we will definitely be ordering again.
Toffee Vodka
In a small but powerful package comes a trio of Toffee Vodka bottles and we loved this fresh flavour that needed no chewing. A delightful, comforting taste that warms and lifts the spirits, gorgeous as a hot toddy or lovely with coke or lemonade.
WattShot
We’re on the fence about this one but then we don’t drink a lot. This is gin that you can drink as a shot. The gin is gorgeous with tonic or lemonade but it’s designed to be downed in one. We’ll let you be the judge of this one. Maybe it would sit better in the Young Adults Gift Guide.
A Food Hamper from Female Founders
Every item in this hamper has been created by a female businesswoman who launched their food products onto the market recently. It’s a delicious mix of condiments and cupboard staples that heighten dishes and add a touch of sophistication to any meal. This hamper would be ideal as a gift to a mum or girlfriend as it’s presented gorgeously and is right on current food trends. (Link coming soon)
Walkers Shortbread
We love Walker’s shortbread as no other shortbread comes close to the rich, buttery, crumbly texture that is Walkers and we have tried alternatives. Their tins make great sewing kits while every year they bring out a new Christmas shortbread that calls from the biscuit aisle, begging you to take it home. We love the bells this year and the small stars that are just enough. Maybe pair with the toffee vodka for a real treat by the fire after a brisk winter’s walk.
Joe and Steph’s Popcorn
This popcorn is so decadent it is a meal in itself. We adore the Christmas Popcorn Tree that’s smothered in caramel and chocolate and so moreish. One bite is never enough. Enjoy popcorn a little differently this year as you catch up on Santa Claus the Movie. Joe and Steph even have a Prosecco sauce that you can drizzle over ice cream or your own homemade popcorn.
TeaPigs Advent Calendar
Every time we shop in Waitrose we’re tempted by a new flavour Teapigs has launched. They’re constantly innovating with the freshest, tastiest ingredients creating the most gorgeous, warming herbal tea. The advent calendar makes a great gift as it allows the recipient to try a full twenty four flavours without committing to an entire box at once. From calming to brightening, you’ll find the Teapig that’s perfect for your teapot.
Funkin Cocktails Advent Calendar
We love gifting each other advent calendars as Christmas gifts as it’s like giving twenty four individually wrapped presents at once. The Funkin Cocktails advent calendar will keep a cocktail lover in tasty canned booze for days over the Christmas period. We especially love the Martina Espresso and the Pina Colada. These are so fun and bright that we did consider them for the young adult gift guide but thought grownups like colour and vibrant tastes too!
Tony’s Chocolony
Tony’s Chocolony burst onto the scene out of nowhere which made me a little suspicious as I was working for Willie’s Cacao at the time and viewed these bright harbingers of cocoa as serious competition, especially with the ethics they sported and the relationships they cultivated with the cocoa farmers. So, I avoided it. I left Willie’s Cacao a few years ago now but still ADORE working with luxury chocolate and fine food and drink bringing them as much attention as they rightly deserve while absorbing the entire process so I thought it was about time I checked out this slave free rainbow chocolate. I was not disappointed. Their white chocolate jewelled with raspberries is the best chocolate I’ve tried in a long time while their sea salt caramel is divine. It melts slowly in the mouth and is delivered in generous chunks ensuring you’re fully satisfied whether you’re opening treats day by day in the advent calendar, devouring the spectrum of bites on offer or demolishing an entire bar. In my daughter’s words, “wow this tastes just as good as Willie’s only sweeter, which is great!” Tony, you have new fans!
