As you get older it tends to be that Christmas gifts turn ever more to the food and drink variety – I know I always enjoy receiving a nice bottle of something like japanese whisky and Damian and I are just about still working our way through the drinks gifts from last Christmas. There are just so many to choose from and we sometimes struggle to choose the right one. Regardless, I find that it is simpler and much easier if we stick to focusing on our guests and what they like and want when they come to our party. After all, they are our main priority when it comes to entertainment and we certainly want them to have a blast.
I’ve come across some more unusual food and drink themed gifts that are a little different and make a more exciting Christmas gift idea than a bottle of wine from the supermarket.
In the past, we have tended to buy spirits for people, I think you’re less likely to buy a spirit drink for yourself and we have loved buying people things that we have discovered an enjoyed. There’s a website called 31 Dover which offers a huge range of drinks including some of our favourites of Sloe Gin and the Jack Daniels Tennessee Fire drink. There’s a wide range to choose from and we have been enjoying the Chase Sloe & Mulberry Gin* – a very Christmassy drink for us. They also have some more ‘novelty’ type things including these fab Prosecco jelly sweets – a great little stocking filler.
Continuing the Gin theme, I really like this Gin & Tonic Infusion Set* from Sous Chef. It comes with four different ingredients to add to your G&T – you can mix and match them too. The set comes with a cocktail spoon and a guide to using the set. Perfect for starting the New Year party with I think.
Another thing I really like is the different ranges from Whittards – they sell some fab coffees but it is their Hot Chocolate* that really stands out for me – the Rocky Road one, in particular, is gorgeous and I love the look of some of their Christmas sets. I think this might be a treat that I’ll pick up for us when I’m next near a Whittards.
Moving onto food gifts – this year I got my mum this Pasta Making Kit* from Sous Chef – it’s amazing value for money and comes with everything you need to get cracking with making some homemade fresh pasta. My mum is really skilled in the kitchen (obviously that gene has skipped a generation!) and this is something I know she will use a lot. It comes with a range of Italian ingredients as well as a tapered rolling-pin, a pastry wheel and a recipe book with some lovely sounding meals in.
Finally, restaurant vouchers are a good gift too; we have done this in the past for local restaurants and bought enough to cover a good proportion of the meal. Many independent places will sell vouchers that cater for Afternoon Tea or similar. If the recipient has children you can always offer to baby sit too.
The Sous Chef Italian set is fab. I’ve made something from the recipe book. It was delicious.
gin sounds superb