December is here, and with Christmas just around the corner we’ve compiled a gift guide of all of the best food and drink gifts to buy for your favourite food lovers and drinks connoisseurs this Christmas. What’s more, everything listed is available for delivery.
As well as launching a selection of hampers for Christmas, Spanish tapas restaurant group Iberica have introduced Iberica At Home DIY kits. Carefully curated by Michelin-starred Executive Chef Nacho Manzano the kits feature a selection of the restaurants’ most popular dishes, simple to assemble at home, using top quality ingredients. An ideal gift, The Feast Box, for instance, includes the likes of bread and extra virgin olive oil; specialty olives; pan con tomate; a selection of cheeses; Juan Pedro Domecq 100 per cent Ibérico bellota ham; tomato, avocado and basil; roasted onion petals and Cantabrian anchovies; Gamba Blanca de Huelva; octopus; and a leg of milk fed lamb that’s slow-cooked and finished in the oven with roast potatoes and sweet red peppers. Gloria cheesecake is served to finish.
Iberica at Home DIY kit orders can be placed here. From £65 per person (minimum two people).
A collaboration between chef Matty Matheson and design studio Castor Design, the first Matheson Cookware launch – a 10-inch cast iron pan – was so popular, it sold out almost immediately. Pre-orders are open for the second production run, however, taking place in early 2021. A primary design feature of the Matheson 10” cast iron pan with a lid is its distinctive lip on the pan edge, making basting and stirring far easier. The lip can also be used for resting utensils during cooking. Moreover, the pan’s long handle has been designed to make basting easier, the pan’s thick bottom provides more even heat distribution on the cooking surface, and the triple-layer black enamelled finish is baked on, rugged and primed to develop a smooth patina as it incorporates cooking oils throughout the life of the pan.
The Matheson 10” Cast Iron Pan can be pre-ordered here. $200.
Set up with a goal or removing the snobbiness of wine, and the intimidation that often follows – ultimately making wine approachable, fun, and understandable – The English Vine launched with a prominent focus on exemplary English wines. In addition to offering immersive virtual tastings, with glasses of wine sent out to homes around the country, The English Vine has also introduced a selection of Christmas gift options. The Vine Christmas Crackers, for instance, features twelve bottles of six different wines. A selection of attention grabbing wines, the case includes two bottles of each Bolney bubbly, Stopham Pinot Gris, Sharpham Pinot Noir, Winbirri Signature, Westwell Pelegrim, and The English Vine’s own Number 1 white wine. The free delivery is also worth taking advantage of.
The English Vine’s The Vine Christmas Crackers Wine Case can be ordered here. £170.
In collaboration with Alessandro Palazzi of DUKES Bar, No.3 Gin has launched a new pre-bottled Vesper Martini. Available exclusively from Selfridges, the pre-bottled Vesper Martini combines No.3’s award-winning gin with vodka and English vermouth, crafted to the exacting standards of both No.3 Gin and Alessandro Palazzi – responsible for some of the best martinis in London, if not the UK. A bartender quality cocktail to enjoy at home, the No.3 Gin’s juniper and bright citrus notes provide a perfect base, best served from the freezer or over ice, garnished with a twist of orange.
The No.3 Vesper Martini is available from Selfridges. £35.95, 50cl.
The first book in English devoted to the processes and techniques for fermenting foods with koji, Koji Alchemy is an ideal Christmas gift for keen food lovers. The unique, transformational microbe, widely used as a culinary mould in Japan, koji was listed as a ‘trending food for 2020’ by The New York Times. In Koji Alchemy, chefs Rich Shih and Jeremy Umansky explore the unique mould’s possibilities while delivering a comprehensive look at modern koji use around the world. One of the leading culinary explorers of koji and miso in the US, and a food preservation consultant, Rich Shih is the Exhibit Engineer for the Museum of Food and Drink in New York. Jeremy Umansky, on the other hand, revolutionises the American deli at Larder Delicatessen & Bakery in Cleveland, Ohio, with a prominent focus on fermentation using koji, outlined throughout the book, complete with more than 35 recipes.
Koji Alchemy: Rediscovering the Magic of Mold-Based Fermentation is available from bookshops including Blackwell’s, Waterstones, and Foyle’s. RRP £27.99.
Celebrating beer, food, music, and art, Two Tribes has launched Monthly Ritual, a new subscription service. Each month, the King’s Cross brewery and taproom founded by former DJ and Producer, Justin Deighton, will deliver a themed box which highlights freshly brewed beer, ingredients, and music from destinations around the world and across the UK. Subscription box contents are set to change each month, filled with beer and a selection of items curated by Justin, including the likes of exclusive vinyl releases, Two Tribes merchandise, recipes, and ingredients reflecting each specific box’s destination.
The first box, Around The World: Bangkok, is inspired by the end of Bangkok’s monsoon season. Six cans of Metroland are joined by a further six cans of limited-edition Metroland Bangkok – a session IPA brewed with kaffir lime and sweet lychee. The cans are accompanied by a limited edition 7” featuring two new remixes released on the Two Tribes’ record label; a bamboo Mortar and Pestle; a Two Tribes t-shirt; and a bottle of “Night Market” Thai dipping sauce, made using Two Tribes’ Metroland beer made at the Two Tribes brewery in collaboration with Devil Dog Sauce.
Two Tribes’ Monthly Ritual Beer Subscription Boxes are priced from £65 per box (£60 for subscribers) available here.
One of Spain’s best vermouth producers, El Bandarra has launched a new aperitif gift tin starter pack, limited to just 300 units. Inspired by Barcelona and the traditional afternoon aperitif, the gift tins contain essential ingredients for celebrating the Spanish aperitif: a litre bottle of El Bandarra Red, tinned olives, and tinned marinated mussels. Moreover, the striking tins are modelled on traditional Spanish gourmet tinned foods.
El Bandarra’s aperitif gift tin is available here. RRP £39.99.
A unique subscription club, Blue Coffee Box offers luxury, sustainable coffee. Introducing members to coffee varieties, countries, regions, and roasters not found in the supermarket, each box contains 100 per cent pure arabica coffee, chosen based on customers’ personal taste and delivered in letterbox-friendly boxes. Beans are also ethically sourced directly from farmers and local cooperatives, using the Direct Trade model, which pays farmers 30 per cent more than Fairtrade prices. Subscriptions are available on a fortnightly, monthly, or bi-monthly basis, with one full-sized bag (227g) or a Blue Coffee Box containing two bags. With specially sourced beans roasted by some of the UK’s best craft roasters, beans are available to grind at home, or pre-ground depending on preferences, with light, medium, dark roast, and decaf options available.
Prices start from £7.99 month. Further information can be found here.
Following the success of their first lockdown case, specialist importer James Hocking Wine has launched a Lockdown 2 case for winter. Upgrading the original selection, while repeating some favourites, the case features six Californian wines which would normally be destined for London restaurants. The case includes a bottle each of 2016 Waterstone Chardonnay, 2016 Talley Estate Chardonnay, 2016 Ferrari-Carano Pinot Noir, 2016 Ferrari-Carano Merlot, 2015 Siena Sonoma County Red Wine, 2014 Waterstone In Studio Red Wine.
James Hocking Wine’s Lockdown 2… The Sequel case is available to order here. Discounted from £168.26 to £120.
Offering a selection of small batch and artisan whiskies picked by experts, the Craft Whisky Club champions distillers from Scotland and beyond. With various subscriptions available, either one or two bottles of whisky can be delivered every two months, with boxes also including a specially selected food pairing and information on each distillery.
In the lead-up to Christmas, boxes showcase The Lakes in Cumbria. Both boxes feature The One Orange Wine Cask Finish expression, finished in orange wine casks from Andalucía, with notes of fresh lychee, marmalade and hints of tobacco on the nose. For those opting for two bottles, The Lakes Distillery will also be providing their Sherry Cask Finish whisky. Members of the Craft Whisky Club will also receive a distillery tour voucher from the Lakes Distillery, for two, enabling customers to experience the whisky making process. In the new year, Kingsbarn Distillery will be the first distillery to be featured, with members amongst the first to receive their new release.
Gift boxes are priced from £125 (two boxes over four months), and memberships begin at £29.95 per-month (one bottle every two months). Further information can be found at craftwhiskyclub.com.
Lori De Mori and Laura Jackson, founders of the Towpath Café have published a brand new book, Towpath: Recipes & Stories. Capturing the ebb and flow of the restaurant’s ever-changing menus and waterside community, the book showcases Laura Jackson’s recipes alongside written stories by Lori De Mori and photography documenting the Regent’s Canal venue’s past ten years, having gained a reputation as a must-visit space with an unsurprising cult following. A perfect chance to enjoy the restaurant’s seasonal dishes during Towpath’s closed season (typically from late November – March).
Towpath: Recipes & Stories is available here. £27.
A new personalised delivery service from the team behind Porter’s Gin, SendANegroni.com was set up as a means of encouraging customers to send a Negroni to friends anywhere in the UK. Introduced with the hope of bringing “some bittersweet love to friends and family in uncertain times”, the pre-batched cocktails are delivered via Royal Mail, ready to pour over ice. Various Negronis are available at £10 (including delivery). In addition to Porter’s Gin, the Negronis use Campari Baldoria Rosso vermouth from the team behind Little Red Door in Paris.
SendANegroni.com orders can be placed here. £10.
Launched by Beder, From Beder’s Kitchen is a charity initiative published to raise awareness around mental health and suicide prevention. Established by Razzak Mirjan and his family, Beder was set up in honour of Razzak’s younger brother, Beder Mirjan, who sadly took his own life at the age of 18 in 2017, and is committed to softly raising awareness around mental health and suicide prevention. The charity is also partnered with Youngminds and Samaritans. Split into chapters with different themes, From Beder’s Kitchen features a collection of recipes and reflection from food lovers around the world, with contributors including the likes of Gordon Ramsay, Yotam Ottolenghi, Judy Joo, Romy Gill, and Carla Henriques. All proceeds from From Beder’s Kitchen support Beder in its work to raise awareness around mental health and suicide prevention.
From Beder’s Kitchen is available to purchase here. £22.
A benchmark super-premium bourbon under £35, Woodford Reserve Bourbon is a perfect base for Old Fashioned cocktails. In collaboration with a selection of leading bartenders, the Kentucky distillery has launched a new Old Fashioned Gift Pack. Alongside a 70cl bottle of Woodford Reserve, a 60ml bottle of Woodford Reserve Old Fashioned Cocktail Syrup is included, containing a blend of bitters, sugars, and botanical extracts. Simply combine 50ml of Woodford Reserve with 10ml of syrup, stir with ice, strain, and garnish with orange peel.
The Woodford Reserve Old Fashioned Gift Pack is available from retailers including Tesco, Waitrose, Ocado, Sainsbury’s, and Amazon. RRP £32.
With an independent drinks shop in Catford, The Bottle Bar & Shop is offering nationwide delivery on a selection of Christmas gifts. Created by husband-and-wife duo Natalie John and Xhulio Sina, the shop’s bottled cocktails are a highlight, with Xhulio having worked as a mixologist for the past 20 years. A selection of signature gift sets are available, with three 10cl bottles including The Bottle Bar & Shop’s Negroni, Twisted Old Fashioned, and Christmas in a Bottle, which is infused with festive spices over an eight week period.
The Bottle Bar & Shop Cocktail Gift Sets are available to order here. The Seasonal Gift set is priced at £25.
The UK’s first social enterprise specialty coffee roaster, Old Spike Roastery has launched a new festive brew with spiced notes of cranberry, candied orange, and gingerbread. With whole beans or pre-ground beans available, the festive blend is comprised of three blended coffees, including Yukro from Ethiopia, which provides a hint of candied orange and syrup; Philomena from Brazil, bringing a luscious mouthfeel; and Milagros from Mexico which lends warmth.
As well as sourcing, roasting and packing fine coffee, Old Spike Roastery also offers meaningful employment to those affected by homelessness. Moreover, the team has recently turned its attention to the coffee industry’s environmental impact. As a result, the team will plant one tree for each bag of coffee sold, with Eden Reforestation Projects – ultimately helping reverse the effects of deforestation and tackling climate change. To date, Eden Reforestation Projects have planted over 361 million trees worldwide, with Old Spike already contributing close to 6,000 trees since the start of September.
Old Spike Roastery Festive Brew is available here. £9, 200g.
Known for using the best British and Irish produce, Chef Richard Corrigan has created his most extravagant Christmas hamper yet. In addition to a signed copy of the chef’s new cookbook, The Clatter of Forks & Spoons, the hamper is filled with treacle soda bread and seaweed butter; native oysters; Exmoor caviar with homemade blinis; dressed crab; Bentley’s smoked salmon; mince pies; Corrigan’s extra boozy Christmas pudding; and Champagne.
Richard Corrigan’s Festive Hamper is available here. £250.
Peckham based meadery, Gosnells, has introduced four new Mead Tasting Bundles for Christmas. Including a trio of 75cl meads, the first three include ‘Vintage Selection Meads’ (2018, 2019 and 2020 Vintages); ‘Monofloral Meads’ (Borage, Acacia, and Eucalyptus), with mini pots of each flower honey; and ‘Single Origin Meads’ which show how the location of a hive can have such a profound impact on flavour, again complete with mini pots of each honey. ‘The Bees Knees Selection’, on the other hand, features seven different meads, including four in 330ml cans and three in 150ml bottles: Citra Sea Mead, Hibiscus Mead, Hopped Mead, and Sour Mead, barrel fermented plum mead, barrel fermented mango and chilli mead, and pineapple Kveik mead with 2 pots of the honeys from which the meads are made.
All Gosnells Mead Tasting Bundles are available here, priced from £35.
Renowned for their cheeses and particularly smooth vodka using excess whey from a 200-year-old dairy farm, Black Cow has launched a new ‘Christmas Spirit’. Taking inspiration from the classic Christmas pudding, the drink features Black Cow Vodka macerated with citrus, cloves, cinnamon, figs, currants, raisins, and vanilla. It’s designed to be served with Champagne or sparkling wine, particularly enjoyable with the company’s cheese truckles, matured for up to 15 months.
Black Cow Christmas Spirit is available here. £25, 50cl.
A non-alcoholic drink, NINE ELMS No.18 is specifically created to drink like a wine and to complement food. Produced with the juice of four dark berries and 20 botanicals, the drinks isn’t meant to emulate wine, per se, but does share some characteristics, including soft tannins and gentle acidity. Also listed in restaurants such as The Clove Club, NINE ELMS No.18 has a savoury flavour profile with a long, spicy finish with some pleasing bitterness, well-suited to being drunk on its own, paired with food, and used as the base of numerous non-alcoholic cocktails.
NINE ELMS No.18 is available from stockists including Master of Malt, Wine Buyers, The Wine Reserve, The Artisan General Store and The Alcohol Free Co. RRP £16.95, 75cl.
Produced using pilsner malt, Hallertau hops, Bavarian spring water, and single-use yeast, Lucky Saint Superior Unfiltered Lager is considered alcohol-free with an abv of just 0.5 per cent. Unlike so many non-alcoholic beers, however, the beer is particularly tasty, brewed in a traditional style. The award-winning beer is also available via a subscription package, which can be delivered every one, two, four, six, or eight weeks.
Lucky Saint subscriptions can be ordered here. £22.50.
Sourcing, maturing and selling the finest artisan cheese from the UK and across Europe, Paxton & Whitfield’s best-selling Little Box of Cheese Treats has been updated. An ideal gift for cheese lovers, the new box contains Paxton & Whitfield mini waxed stilton PDO, Paxton & Whitfield Hundred Dram cheddar PDO, Paxton & Whitfield Celtic soft cheese, Paxton & Whitfield Celtic Capra cheese, Paxton & Whitfield apple and chilli jelly, and a 20cl bottle of Taylors Vintage Port.
Paxton & Whitfield’s Little Box of Cheese Treats can be ordered here. £35.
A new subscription service, Good in Bread was set up earlier this year, delivering freshly-baked sourdough loaves to London postcodes. Every sourdough ‘Loaf of the Week’ is made using 100 per cent natural ingredients and organic flours, baked in north-west London using artisan methods. Each loaf is either sliced or delivered whole. The newest ‘Hearty Loaf’ is made with soaked overnight oats, while other breads have included the likes of ‘nutty but nice’ hazelnut and cranberry sourdough, or Nordic Rye with sunflower seeds and rye flakes.
Orders can be placed here. Good in Bread’s subscription service offers a Loaf of the Week delivery from £6.50.
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