Christmas gift guide: Stocking fillers for foodies
There are only a few days left until the start of Christmas, and this is my final gift guide for 2019 – packed with tasty treats for the food fans and gourmands in your life. Enjoy!
Cookbooks & other foodie reads
A cookbook, food memoir or guide is one of the best bets for a great gift for your food-loving friends and family. Here are some of the best picks from this year into next year.
Dishoom: From Bombay with Love by
Greenfeast: Autumn, Winter by Nigel Slater | (RRP £22.00) £12.67, buy here. The best selling cookbook all about seasonal vegetables.
The Quick Roasting Tin by Rukmini Iyer | (RRP 16.99) £11.71, buy here. 75 new all-in-one tin recipes from quick weeknight dinners to make-ahead lunchboxes and family favourites. All meals take just 10 minutes to prep, and no longer than 30 minutes in the oven.
Super Sourdough by James Morton | (RRP £20.00) £11.25, buy here. An idiot proof guide to making all sorts of sourdough breads and avoiding the common pitfalls. If they’re looking to pick up a new kitchen skill in 2020, this might be a good choice.
Tin Can Cook by Jack Monroe | Donate a copy to a foodbank here, or buy one for family and friends here for £4.92 (RRP £6.99). A down to earth, delicious collection of 75 store cupboard recipes for anyone who’s trying to eat well on a budget.
The Almanac: A Seasonal Guide to 2020 by Lia Leendertz | (RRP £10.00) £7.20, buy here. The beautiful month by month guide to the seasons, celebrations, feasts, tides, the moon and stars, and of course recipes for lovers of food, traditions and nature.
Under the tree foodie gifts
Something special for them to unwrap on the big day, including a few nice offers and several award winners.
Booja Booja The Wonderbox 230g | On offer for £13.99 at Ocado. A mouthwatering award winning collection of 20 high quality vegan truffles, with flavours including Fine de Champagne, Honeycomb Caramel, Rhubarb & Vanilla Fool, Almond Salted Caramel, Espresso, Toffee Strudel, Cherry Cognac, and Hazelnut Crunch. Keep refrigerated.
The Growbar | On offer £9.60 at Amara. These are beautifully packaged collections of seeds for gifting, including several options to give to foodies. The Cocktail Bar is pictured here, and contains cinnamon basil, borage and lemon balm, but there are options for popcorn, chillies, herb teas and more.
Acacia Wood and Marble Cheese Knife Set and Board | £55.00 at Graham & Green. A generously sized marble topped board that swings open to reveal a smart set of three cheese knives.
Saucy Bitch Sauces Variety Pack | £14.95 Buy here. This British hot sauce pack includes Triple XXX (hot), Sweet Heat (like sriracha) and Mellow Yellow (tropical and fruity). For all chilli lovers, a great gift.
Aldi Sweet Almond & Macaroon Gift Set | £7.48, buy here. Make your home smell like the finest patisserie with this deliciously sweet almond & macaroon candle and diffuser set that’s designer style at supermarket prices. Lovely stuff.
Silk Road white spiced rum 50cl | £27.99, buy here. Craft rum is set to be the next big thing in the drinks industry, so get ahead of the curve with this interesting offering from a small distillery that’s good in cocktails and mixes well with tonic.
Stocking fillers for foodies
Everything’s under a tenner, from the nibbles to the gadgets.
Whittard Nutcracker tea bauble | £5.60 at Whittard. A brilliantly clever idea from Whittard this year, a caffeine free roobios tea with nut brittle, vanilla, spices and pecan pieces, tucked away in a pretty bauble. Also available as a larger bag of loose leaf tea.
Elegance Porcelain Mini Serving Plate & Glass Lid | £3.99 at Lakeland. The dinkiest little serving plate for sweets or an individual serving of cheese, made from nice quality materials. Would also be good for display purposes in the kitchen or elsewhere.
Opies Apricots with Jim Beam 460g | £6.00 at Ocado. This year’s gourmet treat from Opies, these are great with ice cream and toasted almonds, or on top of meringue. Look out for their berries in prosecco, also very tasty.
Niederegger Marzipanerie | £9.99 at Lakeland. Top quality gourmet marzipan gift set from a renowned company.
Jelly Belly Donut Shoppe flavour tin | £3.00 at Jelly Belly UK. A tiny tin of vegan jelly beans in a mixture of popular doughnut flavours. Cute and delicious.
Joie Fresh Stretch silicone lemon saver | £3.49 at Lakeland. It’s smart, it’s sustainable, it prevents food waste and it’s very very practical. One of the few kitchen gadgets that’s actually worth having. Their onion saver’s pretty good too.
Last ordering dates are 18th of December for many companies, so don’t forget to check the P&P information and hop to it if there’s something you like the look of. Dig in and enjoy!