16 November, 2014
Have you a foodie in your life and are you struggling to find that perfect gift for them? Are you a foodie and just want to tag your gift buyer in this post? Read on for some Christmas gift ideas I've come up with for food (and drink) lovers.
1. HampersThese are a great gift for any budget, you can order fabulous Christmas hampers from James Whelan Butchers, Avoca or Notonthehighstreet.com or for the more budget conscious make your own! All the major supermarkets do speciality foods over the Christmas, or visit your local deli for something a little indulgent. Even if you don't want to spend a fortune, you can still pull together a really nice hamper. For example, get a box of Maldon Sea Salt, some balsamic vinegar, tub of black peppercorns, white wine vinegar, some nice olive oil and a pot of Dijon mustard. Find a cute basket and line it with pretty tissue paper and viola! You have a little salad dressing hamper. Buy the best oils and vinegar you can afford, and your local deli should sell some nice mustard usually in a cute pot that your loved one can keep after it's used. If your looking for a gift for the baker in your life, put together a Victoria sandwich hamper or a mince pie hamper. All you'll need is some good plain flour, unsalted butter, fresh free range eggs and a pot of raspberry jam. For the mince pie hamper, use some plain flour, good butter and a pot of mincemeat. Marks & Spencer do a nice one. Don't be afraid to mail me for specific ideas for the foodie in your life. I'm always happy to help a fellow food lover!
James Whelan do hampers from €130, http://www.jameswhelanbutchers.com/products.php?cat=Christmas+Hampers
Avoca have a lovely little Tea and biscuits hamper for €59.95 which includes a cute Teapot, http://www.avoca.com/home/products/?mid=7&sid=104&noredir=1
This gift is available from one of my favourite websites - www.notonthehightstreet.com. I have actually bought this gift for someone before and they gave it excellent feedback. You can pick from 3, 6 or 12 month subscriptions for a Friday night curry. The pack contains all the spices you'll need to create a delicious curry and they ensure the pack is small enough to fit through your letterbox. The initial gift pack includes a useful storage folder for the recipe kits and a voucher gift card with your personal message, along with a free recipe kit to get the spicing started. Then once the subscription is activated the first Friday Night Curry box is sent right away, with subsequent boxes sent at the end of each month. Once activated, each subscription box contains the spices to make a meal to feed four people. Choose from a Favourites box, Discoverer box or Vegetarian box. I highly recommend this one!
http://www.notonthehighstreet.com/thespicery/product/friday-night-curry-three-month-subscription
I love a good cocktail, and I don't mean the ones that come squeezed from a bag! In an alternative universe I would love to have been a mixologist. We went to London recently and whilst there had the most divine cocktails from Hawksmoor. They even gave us a demo on how to make the perfect martini just because we asked! On a separate note, I would highly recommend this place. There are a few different things you need to make the perfect cocktail, firstly you need a good set. This one from www.thecocktailstore.co.uk is great for the price (£22.99) and you get everything you need to get started http://www.thecocktailstore.co.uk/index.php?app=gbu0&ns=prodshow&ref=cobbler-cocktail-shaker-kit&sid=nk380y0f0152sc1388935yu971zym939 Next thing you need in you cocktail kit are glasses, and there are some nice sets out there. TK Maxx usually do great sets, so try having a look there first. They usually do great tumblers and whisky glasses. Again www.notonthehighstreet.com have a beautiful set of champagne saucers and cocktail glasses from €63.20 http://www.notonthehighstreet.com/nestgifts/product/set-of-individual-champagne-cocktail-glasses.
One of my favourite gifts to receive is a new book, particularly a cook book. These are among my favourite, and some are on my wishlist for this year. Jamie Oliver's Comfort Book is a must for this Christmas. For anyone who watched the TV series you'll know what I'm talking about. It's a little expensive at approx. €30 depending on where you buy but it is a huge book and definitely worth every penny. Do you know someone who is new to cooking or baking, or someone who wants to learn the basics? The Felicity Cloake's Perfect is a must. I genuinely use this book all the time. She is a food writer who wrote a series of Perfect recipes for the guardian, essentially she's done all the research for you on creating the dish. You may know how to cook an egg or sausages, but she has tips that help create the perfect result. One book that everyone should have in their cookbook collection is Nigella Lawson's Feast. In my opinion it's a classic, my Dad bought his book for me years ago and it's definitely one of my most used and definitely my favourite. If you have a foodie with a particular interest don't be afraid to mail me for some suggestions that would go down well!
Would you love to go on a food course? Perhaps you would like to learn the art of home butchery or how to make your own butter? Are you looking for some speedy midweek suppers or a solution to not spending hours in the kitchen when having friends for dinner. Are you looking for inspiration for seafood dishes or some winter warmer ideas? How would you like to go on a course that will show you how to cook the perfect Christmas dinner. Then tag your other half/friends/parents/bothers/sisters/aunts/uncles in this post! For foodie experiences and courses my recommendations would be Ballymaloe Cookery School, obviously! http://www.cookingisfun.ie//cookery-courses/course-list. For my readers in the Dublin area, Fairyhouse Cookery School do some great courses, I love the look of the friends for dinner one http://fairyhousecookeryschool.com/events/. For Galway based treats Anair Restaurant have some really interesting courses, from what to do with a whole pig to a 6 week understanding food course http://aniarrestaurant.ie/pages/calendar.html. If you would like to do a food course in the North West then Belle Isle Cookery School is your best bet. From winter warmers and private cookery lessons click on the link http://www.irishcookeryschool.com/calendar/.
So there you have it, some gift ideas for the foodie in your life. Don't be afraid to mail me at [email protected] for more specific ideas for your loved one.
Photo Credits: JamesWhelan, notonthehighstreet.com
