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!

It’ll be no surprise that the gifts mainly come from big names, some of which are definitely worth cupboard space to me. So have a look at the gifts from Hawkshead Relish, giving some good selections of pickles and jams, nicely presented.

Not everyone is some faceless big brand though, as personified by the cookie mixes in jars by Scarlet Bakes, a small Hampshire company. There are rainbow cookies, triple chocolate chip or even gingerbread mixes. Alternatively, you could have a go at doing this yourself.

Never heard of Abtey. Not keen on liquers. Love the box. And at least they are interesting liquers like calvados, cognac and pastis.

Just occasionally, but probably particularly at Christmas, it’s good to revisit naff chocolate. So, bring on the Matchmakers! Not sure why, but you have to have 5 boxes. But even I draw the line at Dairy Box!

Personally, I’ll probably stick to Amazon for delivering books and kitchen stuff rather than the eating stuff, but worth a look in case more gets added into the shop.

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!

I love my chocolate, and I love the complete boom in fantastic chocolate coming out of the UK, at every stage of  production. Perfect to make a real song and dance about, which Chocolate Week is definitely doing. Chocolate Unwrapped this weekend sounds like the most amazing two day event, but even if you’re nowhere near London then there’s still plenty going on.

The website gives you search functions by name, by type of participant, or by location. For me locally, I can choose from Chocolate Alchemy here in Leicestershire, I Should Cocoa in Derbyshire or The Chocolate Kitchen in Nottinghamshire. There are chocolate shops and chocolate makers taking part, bakers and restaurants, so truly something for everyone, everywhere.

Get out and support your local chocolate business. I mean, really, you need an excuse to buy great chocolate?

I’ve possibly mentioned before that I really love New York, and I was always really fond of Zoe Restaurant in Soho. To me, it was the epitome of New York, with its open kitchen, beautiful tiles and even more beautiful people. I first went about a year after opening, not because we knew it was trendy, but because it looked so appealing. I went a further three or four times because I loved it.

So I was somewhat sad to find it had closed, after 18 years on Prince Street, just across the road from Dean & Deluca. Which is why today I am taking my inspiration for dessert from them, with a cookie plate. I’d never come across this before I ate there, and thought how perfect it was to finish a meal, when you want something sweet but not too much. Today, we have a house full, somehow trying to work out to get 9 around the table, and several guests who proclaim themselves not to have sweet tooths.

And then quite a few who looked quite sulky when I suggested there might not be pudding.

But given that we have a massive joint of beef to get through, I don’t see anyone will be feeling massively hungry by that point. So I’m giving the choice of cheese, or cookies. I know some will have both. The cheese is some of our favourites, with Lincolnshire Poacher, Black Bomber, Colston Basset Stilton and Blacksticks Blue.

The cookies come from another of our favourites, Edd Kimber, with three recipes from The Boy Who Bakes cookbook. Quite different to each other we have the Momofuku Milk Bar inspired Oatmeal & Raisin cookies, the sophisticated Double Chocolate and Sour Cherry Cookie and the delightful mix that is the Peanut Butter and Milk Chocolate Cookies. Somehow, from my pre-tastings, I think everyone is going to be just a little bit tempted!

If these weren’t ever on the menu at Zoe then they should have been, but I shall enjoy the memory, particularly as one of my guests is in from NYC and we shared a long drunken lunch there once. And a cookie plate. Happy days.

What Sunday afternoons are made for

I adore a proper tea, whether it’s a posh afternoon cream tea or a proper Yorkshire tea from childhood. If you don’t have time for a full lunch or dinner, then nothing to beat getting friends around for tea. Here’s five choices in case you’re lacking tea time inspiration.

Tea with Mrs Simkins: Delicious Recipes for Making a Meal Out of Tea Time – covering everything from the savouries to the sweet stuff, you couldn’t fault the selection to really make tea time a real event. It has ideas for a picnic tea, a cream tea, even a cricket tea and a relaxed chatty tea. There are hiking biscuits and marmalade cake, cheese spread and fish paste, and Welsh rarebit, one of my teatime faves.

Taking Tea with Alice: Looking-Glass Tea Parties & Fanciful Victorian Teas – I work with someone that I think would love this book. Alongside great recipes you get poetry, table settings and ideas for games as well, something to burn off the delicious food. Whimsical and a little different.

The Vintage Tea Party Book – I guess this is a more up to date, yet still vintage version of the Alice book, based on the “trendy London vintage scene” according the blurb. Tasty, unique and eclectic, but I still think you’d turn out some brilliant teas from this. It’s also a very beautiful looking book, with stunning illustrations and photographs. Some great sounding recipes too, like cherry and dark chocolate trifle shots or crab choux.

Tea with Bea: Recipes from Bea’s of Bloomsbury – I think I’ve featured this before, but going to do so again, if only on the basis that the cakes look so truly delicious. I wouldn’t know where to start: vanilla coconut cake with lemon curd and cheesecake filling, gingerbread Guinness cake with poached pears and cream cheese icing, or even the amaretto cheesecake with caramelized peaches. What’s not to love?

Scones – well, the best teas to me are the ones that include scones, and this book has them all. From the savoury world of the cheese scone and beyond, through to more unusual sweet scones, like the Christmas Cake Scone. Still, for me, you can’t beat a perfect fruit scone, or for a real treat, a cherry scone.

Whether you throw a tea party in the garden to make the most of the gorgeous weather most of us are supposed to have this weekend, or its a few weeks time around a roaring log fire, then I guarantee that those taking part will think it an incredible treat.

Attractive looking tea collection, good shape for wrapping as well. Listed at £12.

A version for those who don’t like tea but love chocolate! Same price as the tea at £12

Can’t really see the detail here, but these are from Hugs, hence the hands. Not a company I know anything about currently, but nice looking packs and tea bag squeezers. Looks like these are £6, but gifts start at £5.

There was one heck of a lot of gingerbread going on. I love gingerbread, be interested to see how this goes. Also be interesting to see what condition the gingerbread houses arrive at store in, and how they look by December!

So, good start, will do a more comprehensive view as the season gets closer, but just thought the initial signs are interesting.

We were joking about Shake a Cakes the other day, which would most definitely not be something I would suggest sending anyone as a gift, not even as a joke. But very interested to see that Montezuma’s are now doing Baking Kits, which look like they could turn out very tasty results.

Building on their great chocolate credentials, these kits only need eggs, butter, a bowl and a whisk, and shortly afterwards you could be tucking into Dark Chocolate and Salted Peanut Butter Brownies or Chocolate Chunk and Hazelnut Cookies, or even White Chocolate and Butterscotch Blondies. Maybe they’d make a gift to pack someone off to uni with, as long as you give them all the equipment, as imagine the friends they’ll make if they whip up a batch of these and share them around!

Of course, you could pack them off with a huge amount of chocolate as well and it might well have the same effect!

Let me just say this first: I love this book! I was sent The Cookiepedia as a review copy, and I love it. I even cope with the fact it doesn’t tell you a helpful conversion for a stick of butter, other than cups or tablespoons, but other than that it’s a delight.

I mean, what’s not to love a book that gives you the space you really need to scribble your own notes in, as you tweak recipes to really suit your own tastes. And then biscuits and cookies of every description, without getting too fancy. In fact, I would say this is perfect for the weekend, if it’s going to be wet and you’re going to be home with kids. I used the brownie recipe from here with MGG, and it was perfect, given that it uses cocoa rather than needing to invoke a bit of double boiler action.

There’s everything from chocolatey ones to fruity ones, and pretty much everything in between. I think it would make a great gift for a keen home baker, if not for a very competent, experienced one. This is not showstopping stuff, just the sort of stuff you would want to eat at home, with a cup of tea.

If you want to go to town with this as a gift, then you could add in a baking sheet, or some fun cookie cutters. I’ve written before about those I’ve been lusting after, but you could definitely follow a theme given the huge variety now available. Of course, all this depends on you being able to give this great book away! Sorry, but it’s a keeper for me!

I’ve worked in retail long enough to be used to Christmas in July, as it’s when the press shows always happen to launch Christmas ranges. That bit’s not unusual, but getting an email as a customer at the beginning of September about Christmas?

Well, I guess we have to conclude that Lakeland’s average customer is very well organised!

I mean, you don’t want to find that there has been a run on turkey foil by the time you get to December. And you’d want first dibs on the nativity sets and the Celestial Sparkle Trees.

And you’ll need time to work your way through the hampers, the stem ginger and the 100 other preserves. There are some good looking gifts for food lovers. I love the Mason Cash Gingerbread Man Gift Set and see that baking trends have hit Lakeland with a Macaroon Gift Set.

And of course, no Christmas lunch would be complete without a Cracker Symphony. But hey, better get in quick, those Lakeland Ladies are quick off the mark!