Sundays can be very quiet days, very dull days, reminiscent of those wet days of childhood filled with endless time and maths homework. So, if you’re looking for something to spice up next Sunday, then how about The Great British Mustard Bash?

Being held at Scalford Hall just outside of Melton Mowbray, once the home of Colonel Colman, this condiment of kings finally gets a celebration all of its own. Of course, being in the Melton Mowbray area, then there’ll be plenty of pork pie and Stilton to go with your mustard, not to mention sausages and some beer to wash it down with.

If you wanted to make a weekend of it, then you could stay somewhere like The Red House at Nether Broughton which would be a good option if you didn’t want to break the bank. Of course, if you do want to break the bank, or have a bank to break then there’s always Hambleton Hall or Stapleford Park.

Not eaten enough? Where to recommend out of the many fabulous places here on my local patch? Well, there’s the Tobie Norris in Stamford or The Lord Nelson at Oakham, for comfort food and great pizzas. The Olive Branch at Clipsham definitely one of our top tables, or if you want to go retro fast food, then go for the OK Diner just outside of Stamford.  For sure, you’re not going to starve round here!

Larder Box

Expecting a third one any moment, having written about jam by subscription, I now find Larder Box, which is all kind of foodie goodness arriving through your mail box on a regular basis. Or, if  you’re a really lovely friend, that you get delivered for someone else.

Imagine, a monthly parcel of artisan goodness, sent out on the first Thursday of each month by first class post. Just in time for the weekend, a selection of things to make your weekend more tasty. You can pay monthly at £19.95 or pay £99 up front and get a six month’s worth at just £16.50 a box.

Run by the team at Love Your Larder, I’m guessing this will pull on products from the great people they work with ike Womersley Foods, Consett Popcorn Company and Yorkshire Chorizo. I’d venture that this will be a very exciting package to arrive each month. I’d be happy if someone sent this to me, that’s for sure!

Just me that remembers Jemima finding another one? Long standing joke in our family, Imperial Leather’s finest moment perhaps.

I’ve written before about how much I enjoy giving food experiences rather than just food things, and I’ve given a few from different “experience” companies. I really like Red Letter Days, and they have some great experiences for food lovers and cooks. Have a look at these and see if there’s someone on your list to match them up with:

* Get the inside track on some of the hidden food delights of Portobello Market with Celia Brooks Brown. Eat and drink your way round the area, drawing on Celia’s experience and knowledge, and including things like tapas and seafood. I think it would be fascinating and tasty, and a great way for two of you to spend an afternoon. You can also do Covent Garden with Celia as well, or book both!

* I’m a big lover of afternoon tea. And I’m rather fond of gin. So surely a Hendricks Gin Afternoon Tea is a fabulous combination. This experience pays for two to go to afternoon tea at Hush, with a proper spread, plenty of cake and then cocktails. And then you get to mix your own cocktails. Just don’t book for dinner afterwards!

* Fascinated by all those dishes going round on the conveyor belt at Yo Sushi? Well, now you can book in for sushi lessons with them at a number of the branches around the country. Two of you can get to learn some of the intricacies, the ingredient selection and learn how to make three different types. Then demolish them!

* If you’re going for broke this year, then opening an envelope containing a break at Le Manoir would definitely add a certain something to Christmas morning. This would be on my bucket list, and this “experience” buys one nights accommodation in a junior suite, a truly memorable five course dinner, breakfast, the run of the gardens, the whole lot. Personally, I’d be hoping to run into Adam, and if Mr Blanc was spotted would have to declare “voilà!”

* A little less onerous on the bank balance, but certainly still tasty and memorable, would be the tour of the Penderyn Distillery, the only whisky distillery in Wales. Of course you have to get there, you might have to stay, but sure you’d still be onto a great value weekend. The tour also includes a tasting of the product, which continues to win awards in the whisky world.

These are experiences that I guess you might not think to head out and do yourself, but if someone gave you the opportunity then you’d enjoy those things. I always think these are great options for those people you have no idea what the heck to buy!

I’ve got mixed feelings about this post. I know that decent knives make all tasks in the kitchen easier, safer even, and definitely give the pro touch. Yet I’m slightly hesitant, having spent quite a lot of time agonising over business gifts for a number of trips to Japan, where giving of knives would be a no no. You can sort of see the point, as the knife represents the severing of ties or friendship. Not the best message to give on Christmas morning!

But if you’re more likely to be greeted with much joy at upgrading their kitchen kit than an awkward silence, then these are some great places to stop by:

* As you would expect, Divertimenti have a fantastic range of knives that any cook would be pleased to offer space to. You can choose Sheffield knives or Japanese knives, carving knives and steak knives, single knives or sets of knives. It all comes down to what your recipient needs or wants, and want your bank balance has to spend. If my bank manager was feeling ok, I’d be very happy to find Santa delivering a set of Laguiole steak knives and forks. Or just one.

* We always do the joke about Kin Knives being kin expensive, but I know that Dr T was massively impressed with them. These are Japanese knives made to all the best traditions of knife making, beautifully balanced in the hand with layered steel blades. Of course these are an investment piece but if they’re serious about their cooking, then this is one heck of a gift.

* If you want to go one step further on the whole Japanese journey, then JapaneseChefsKnife.com ships directly from Japan, from Seki City, apparently the knife capital of Japan. I have no idea what most of these knives are for, or which are the best, but if this is their thing, then do your research, maybe even ask them what they’d like. If you’re going to spend this kind of money you probably want to get it right.

* Go beyond the Japanese at Knives.co.uk, and get it to brands like Victorinox and Henckels. Still plenty of variety to go at, and to give you plenty of options on budget. Still plenty of possibilities to make their day, not to mention improve their cooking.

* I asked Dr T, as the main cook in our kitchen, which knives he would like and he said Wusthof. These seem to be based on German technology, precision forged from one piece of steel. If you only buy one piece, buy them a cooks knife.

So, if this would make their Christmas then go ahead and treat them. You could always do what happens to offset the giving of knives in Japan, in that the recipient pays for them with a token amount. Try taping a 5p piece to the top of the gift, and all superstitious nonsense is out the window! And don’t forget to drill them to sharpen it regularly, otherwise the hard earned cash spent on a great knife is wasted.

Photo by juniorbird on Flickr.

Gifts can be all sorts of things. Lets face it, they can be mediocre, they can be laughable, they can be things you hope never to see again. Or they can be joyous, surprising, laugh out loud fabulous and memorable for years to come. And for me, giving someone the gift of a new skill, or upgrading a skill they already have, is a great gift, creates great memories, and in my area of interest, likely to lead to some great food as well!

There are, of course, some hugely well known schools, with quite large enrolment fees attached, so I’ve tried to feature some of those that are slightly more wallet friendly. Should you have won the lottery, then just ring for Raymond now! Otherwise, here’s my choices:

* Top of my list (in case Santa is reading) would be a course at The School of Artisan Food. Actually, what I’d love to do is do their full on diploma in artisan food producing, but given the need to pay the mortgage I’d settle for artisan ice-cream making or even cider making. Buy gift vouchers if you can’t decide, or book a course if you know what they’d love. Beautiful surroundings, and an incredible farm shop on site will make it a day to remember.

* Activity Superstore have a fairly wide range of cookery classes and experiences on offer, everything from kids classes to Japanese food, cupcakes to knife skills. You can watch and learn with chefs like Jean-Christophe Novelli, or just enthusiastic cooks looking to pass on knowledge. And if you’ve got it wrong, then they can always switch to anything else on offer, like bungee jumping. If they must!

* Dr T and MGG did a foraging walk with the team from Food Safari whilst we were at Harvest at Jimmy’s earlier in the Autumn, and loved it, and I’d certainly be keen to join one of their courses. There is more unusual stuff here, like Wild Meat in a Day or Free Range Pig in a Day, or you can go a little simpler and just make some wonderful bread. Another huge benefit, the courses are mainly in the Suffolk countryside, so stunning surroundings as well.

* For something a little different, how about a day with Ivan Day, food historian and food lover. Learn about things like period sugarwork and confectionery, or late Medieval English cookery, even jelly and moulded food. Courses are two days long over weekends, and cost £290, excluding accommodation. Based in the Lake District, there’s plenty of choice of places to stay at every budget, and quite sure a day on these courses would certainly give some new insights into the food we eat today.

* Divertimenti is one of those shops that most cooks could lose a lot of time, not to mention money in, and their cookery school offers the same kind of diversity as well. As with most, you can book a course or buy vouchers, and it may be difficult to make a decision on which one. Great, intriguing names as well, like Tempting the Dragon or Fast and Hot, Slow and Low. There are also great technical courses, and fun courses, and just great demos to turn up to.

Give them something to look forward to in the New Year, and something to look back on for months to come. Just remember to encourage them to practice their new found skill on a regular basis, and the course almost pays for itself!

Photo by Goldhahn & Sampson.

* For those that like to cook up a roast on a regular basis, then I really like the Cut & Carve Tray, which will give you a secure place to carve, but also capture all the great juices. And it can go in the dishwasher, a definite plus in my book!

* Got a lover of breakfast in bed? Or want to drop a hint to a loved one? This oak breakfast tray would definitely cut the risk of breakfast being more on the bed than in bed.

* I’m not even mad keen on vodka, but love this vodka set. Perfect for shots, more likely to be sloe gin in our house than vodka. Fill the carafe with spirit of choice and put in the freezer, and stand it over the base filled with ice when ready to go. Pretty coloured glasses too!

* I can think of someone that would love an apple press like this and will be busy sending this link to BFF. Although imagine her fella is less likely to leave the end product as just apple juice! If you always have an excess and wonder what to do, then this could be brilliant come next autumn. Local pig keepers will thank you for the leftovers too!

* For someone who is vowing that next year they are going to grow their own, then give them a real incentive by treating them to some great seeds. The beginner’s vegetable garden seeds gives them some interesting but straightforward stuff to grow, like French beans, minature cucumbers, cut and come again Green Oak Leaf lettuce and cherry tomatoes. If they’re more experience, then check out the large variety of single seed packets, for things like Green Globe Artichokes or Red Rubine Brussel Sprouts.

There are also great courses for cooking and gardening for cooking, and kit for the kitchen and obviously for the garden. A  taste of the good life for Christmas Day and beyond.

We were given one of the Chocolate Panettones a couple of years ago and it was delicious. Whether just sliced off, toasted with butter, or converted into an amazing panettone and butter pudding, everyone who tried it loved it. Sophisticated white and gold packaging almost doesn’t need wrapping.

Discover what chocolate and orange can be like without Terry’s being involved. The Chocolate Clementine is the real deal, candied Calabrian clementines enrobed in thick dark chocolate. Delish!

Need a bigger gift? I like the Dinner at Home (Cena in Casa) hamper, which they describe as being ideal for a kitchen supper. For £35 you get coffee, fig jam, linguine and a good pesto, pappardelle and ragu and some anchovies. Now, there’s a good few great suppers in there, making it great value in my book.

Normally olive oils and oil gifts make my heart sink, as they have little provenance usually, or taste. Not so with this useful trio of a Ligurian Extra Virgin Olive Oil, a Chilli and a Lemon infused EVOO. Great for salad dressing or finishing dishes, I don’t think anyone would turn their nose up at this threesome.

You might know by now that I love a teatowel, and I’m particularly fond of a fairly kitsch one. Which I think this one definitely qualifies as!

So, stop in, have a good coffee, a slice of toasted panettone, and give them your shopping list whilst you eat! Sorted!

Really happy to see some great local names for this area being recognised in the Sunday Times Food List for 2011. Now, top for the Midlands is Hambleton Hall, which surprised me slightly, as I would have thought coming on the back of a second Michelin star then Restaurant Sat Bains might have been up there, but it only came in fourth.

I mean, I know Hambleton Hall has the lovely rural location, whereas Sat Bains is pretty much under a flyover, round the corner from the brutalist architecture of Imperial Tobacco. I’ve never eaten at Hambleton Hall, but have eaten at lots of places where the chefs have done their time at the pass there, and have had some pretty memorable meals with them in new locations, so must be stunning when everything comes together under one team.

Meanwhile, lunch at Sat Bains is still one of the great meals of my life. Although it was very interesting, as took visitors from Japan. It’s quite a complex menu in your first language, let alone in a second, but the food then did its own talking. The One went recently for dinner, and said it was the perfect meal for learning sobriety, but that the one glass of wine she did have was worth every penny.

Two Ludlow restaurants in the list, and no surprises in La Becasse and Mr Underhill’s, both on my list for one day. Finishing the five for the area is Fischer’s at Baslow Hall, fabulous rural location for a weekend away with gorgeous food and some beautiful walks to walk off your lunch!

What’s also great was to see in the overall top 5 for the UK is that only two are in London, representing the ongoing growth in great food outside of the capital, but also a recognition that there is life outside the M25. Call me a cynical provincial, but too often it seems somewhat mediocre restaurants get into these kinds of lists, just because they happen to be in London. In fact, if you never wanted to cross into London, you could eat particularly well in the rest of the country, and avoid the congestion charge completely. But then this list is voted for by ordinary people, people like us, people who it would seem pay for their own meals.

The list is available online if you missed buying Sunday Times today.

What Sunday afternoons are made for

You might have gathered by now that I’m pretty keen on baking. I’ve written about the a to z of cookies, and unusual cake tins that I’m still not quite sure about. I’ve written about cake in far off places, and cake being at the heart of what it means to be home for me.

There’ve been new bakers like Baking Buddha and Edd Kimber, and old school like Mary Berry. There was baking for Christmas, baking for Easter, even baking for Halloween, which was definitely one of my favourites.

Basically, to me there is something suitable to bake every day, with whatever time you have available. My advice? Just bake, National Baking Week or not. You’ll feel better, and those on the receiving end will love you for it. Just don’t bake angry, makes for rubbish sponges!

DIY.

I know I wrote about this last year as well, but it’s a continuing theme. And each year there are more ways to make whatever you make look even more professional. John Lewis have a lovely range in from Meri Meri, like these character gift boxes:

And if you’re the baking kind then I love the cupcake cases and toppers as well.

I don’t know Meri Meri as a brand, but I like all the things that John Lewis have in stock from them. And if you’re looking for something pretty and vintage, then have a look at the tins from Dot Com Gift Shop. They sent me one of these the other week, and I have to say I love it. Great biscuit tin, perfect gift for co-workers if you fill it with your best homemade cookies.

Lakeland, of course, is still a rich hunting ground for things you might need. I love the 3D Christmas cookie cutter set, but then I think my cookie cutter addiction is well documented. As you’d expect they also have all the cases, moulds and bags you could ever need for any kind of Christmas cookery gifts you want to make, to really give your tasty treats the most professional, festive treatment.

I am working on something for my team, which needs jars, and for me, there is only one source: Jam Jar Shop. Great range of both jars and bottles, as well as preserving kit, labels and covers, so everything you need really. Will post on this once they get their gifts, not wishing to spoil a surprise!

So, this year, more than ever, there’s no need for homemade to look second best. How it tastes, of course, is up to you!