If you work in food media, you get used to giving people recommendations. This time of year is no different – we’re fielding questions about what to buy for food-loving friends and what food-based presents people can send.
Here are some of the questions we’ve answered this week already…Where is the best place to buy cheese? Neal’s Yard Dairy for British, Mons for French, the Cheese Society for subscriptions.
Where should I go for a chocolate connoisseur? Cocoa Runners for festive bars and boxes or milk or dark-chocolate based monthly subscriptions.
What can I get for a curious cook? Anything from Sous Chef, but especially the curated kits.
Classic hampers to impress? Fortnum & Mason.
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Here is a round-up of some more of the hampers, boxes and subscriptions we’ve recommended recently – and some that we’d like to receive.
Clockwise from left: Olia Hercules, José Pizarro, Pickle House, Trulli Ulivi
The Pickle House Bloody Mary Gift Box £30 thepicklehouse.com
Perhaps it’s the jolly red-and-green tomato print on the front, or perhaps it’s that sometimes (often times) we need the spicy kick of a Bloody Mary to liven up those in-between days…either way, this is a winning gift to raise festive spirits.
Trulli Ulivi olive oil £20 trulli-ulivi.com
Their Christmas box may be sold out, but perhaps the gift we’d like to receive even more is a bottle of this single-estate Puglian olive oil, arriving every month or two. Peppery and fruity, a vibrant green drizzle of this over beans, vegetables or pasta would elevate any dinner and get us through even the bleakest winter months.
José Pizarro Festive Tapas Hamper £107 shop.josepizarro.com
Basically, this is a box of some of our favourite things to graze on, chosen by the chef of one of our favourite restaurants to graze at. If you want to give someone a perfect Christmas Eve, we can think of no finer menu than anchovies, Spanish ham and crisps, olives and cava – and these are the finest iterations. Plus, soft nougat – essential for any Spanish Christmas (at time of publication, all hampers are 15% off).
Pommelier Club Gift Subscription from £46 pommelier.club
New wave fine cider is probably the most interesting and evolving drinks sector in the UK at the moment. Introduce an apple-curious friend to the world of this heritage drink with a quarterly subscription.
Olia Hercules Christmas box £55 experienceukraine.co.uk
The indefatigable chef-author Olia Hercules has once again teamed up with Experience Ukraine to showcase the country’s handmade crafts and culture. 10% of profits go to an NGO working with young people displaced by the war. This year, the box includes wool socks, herbal tea, a recipe from Olia and a signed copy of her latest book.
Farm Shop Boxing Day Heroes Gift Box £60 farmshop.co.uk
We’re big fans of the pickling and fermenting done at the Farm Shop kitchen. Here, a selection of delicious chutneys and condiments (shout-out to the fermented cranberry hot sauce) to jazz up leftovers. Plus, half a dozen of their standard-setting mince pies.
Newt Christmas pudding hamper £85 shop.thenewtinsomerset.com
For lovers of tradition, this Christmas pudding box is complete with brandy butter, a giant chocolate penny and the estate’s own ice cider. For those who don’t love a festive dessert, we’d opt for their Cheese & Cyder hamper (£150), for a sample of the best of the West Country.
Illustration by Charlotte Durance