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We were discussing my slightly obscure taste in fragrance last night, which does tend to often include those that to some smell like an ashtray. I have an absolute passion for Tobacco Vanille by Tom Ford, but can be found sniffing the original Dolce & Gabbana for Men with it’s leather and cigar smoke notes. And then there’s Feuilles de Tabac from Miller Harris…

Smoked olive oil from The Organic Smokehouse

Anyway, this addiction transfers across to food too (in fact everything except actually smoking, which I am not at all keen on), so this is my list of Valentine’s Day gifts for those foodies with a love of good smoky flavours!

* Starting with something fairly mild on the smoke front, how about a whole smoked chicken from Upton Smokery? Bathed in aromatic smoke and slow cooked, this would make a great meal, hot or cold. Plus wrapping up a whole chicken has got to have some great comedy value.

* Upgrade the extra virgin olive oil experience, with organic smoked olive oil from The Organic Smokehouse. This would make for a whole new flavour experience whether it’s mixed into a salad dressing, or just for dipping great bread into (I would think it would work really well with a good sourdough).

* For a great accompaniment to that olive oil, then how about Smoked Sea Salt from Halen Môn? Infused with smoke from Welsh oak, this has an almost sweet edge to it, like many tobaccos, and will give the foodie hours of pleasure in working out how to best make use of the unique flavour.

* Not really new news, but the tobacco truffles from Artisan du Chocolat are one of the most creative food uses of the tobacco flavour around. You can order them online, just make sure that you fill in the comments to specially request them. They have to be tried at least once in a lifetime.

* If you want to really push the boat out, then London Fine Foods offer a Smoked Hamper which has everything from smoked salmon and eel through to smoked duck and pigeon. Certainly plenty of smokiness to go at, although not for the vegetarian!

* If this flavour thing is bordering on an obsession, then how about learning how to smoke your own things? With

Benromach Peat Smoke

a day course in Cumbria they could learn to smoke cheese, meats and vegetables, looking at both hot and cold smoking, as well as brining. Plenty of hands on experience, not to mention eating and goodies to take home.

* For a smoke filled finish, then how about Benromach Peat Smoke Batch 2 Whisky? According to the tasting notes, this has a seriously smoky character, being complex, intense and challenging, and yet well balanced (so, that’s where I went wrong with my men, missed the last bit out! ) And if you like a splash of water, this will bring out treacle toffee and creamy notes. Sounds delicious. Now, if only I liked whisky!

There’s a fabulous article on cooking with tobacco in the first edition of Fire and Knives, and a subscription to that should be every foodies gift wish list. If they are inspired, and if your local tobacco merchants is a thing of the past, then try James Barber for a great selection of loose tobacco online. Just stick to smoky flavours, rather than taking up the evil weed!

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Not what you were hoping for?

I am not sure how many shopping days there are left, all I know it’s kind of the moment when panic tends to set in! The crowds are building in whatever shop/car park you want to be in, what you want is sold out, and your brain is empty of ideas.

Lets face it, whoever thought of Internet shopping was a genius! Cup of tea, comfy chair, sorted! Here’s a quick round up of the funnies from this week:

1. Kitsch cake tin – could be all sorts I guess. Lakeland has trains to dinosaurs, and Splat has Erne the Duck. I would say a 3D duck was fairly kitsch!

2. Vintage tea bag squeezer – now, that is a fairly niche request! Can’t see one on there at the moment, but I would keep an eye on Era Vintage, good for these kinds of things. Or buy them a nice new one!

3. Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille – please Santa, let that be someone looking for me! I think you still have to pop by Selfridges or Harvey Nichols for that one, but boy is it worth it. But I could settle for replenishment of Black Orchid please. Not foodie necessarily, but fabulous food notes mean I feel it’s a worthwhile present for this foodie!

4. For the person who searched on the phrase “pour port Stilton” there is only one answer: step away from the Stilton! This is a waste of both port and Stilton. Do it again, and Santa will leave you coal.

5.  Toilet shaped mug – why, oh why, would you do this? Check out why bad gifts destroy the value of your cash.

6. What are Whittard doing for Valentine’s Day?Who knows? Right now, just one person outside of Whittard Head Office cares. That’s taking organisation too far, definitely not romantic!

7. What would Gene Hunt like? Spaghetti hoops I would think. I’ve got a t-shirt that tells me so!

8. What do you get the woman who has everything? Now, if I had the answer to that, I would probably be a very rich woman. But I had a try at what to buy those who say they don’t want anything. Don’t fall for that one, see my suggestions here.

Iwould say the panic is beginning to set in, there is definitely a rise in those looking for last minute ideas, but still waiting the hard-core onslaught. Expecting them about 9.23pm on 23rd December!

Gin Fizz from Lubin

I think if you’ve ready any of my posts you’ll have the distinct impression that I love, nay adore, my food. You may not have got my great love of food, but for me the two things go hand in hand, as great recipes in both are based on great ingredients. So in my mind great food lovers should adore great fragrances. A slight variation on my usual ideas on gifts for food lovers, but here’s some suggestions on fragrant gifts for foodies this winter.

1. For a bit of zing, and for lovers of Asian food, then I would recommend Origins Ginger. Rich, warm but not overpowering, this is the real stuff, freshly cut, rather than the dried, powdered stuff going into baking. I’d go full out and order the Ginger Treats Gift Set which would give you top to toe ginger gorgeousness.

2. For those who like a bit of the sweet stuff, then I would try Laura Mercier’s Marron Glaces. Not too sticky, you’ll find notes of mirabelle and hazelnut leaves (unusual but gorgeous in my book) plus vanilla and amber. It’s going to be  a warm, rich and comforting smell without being sickly sweet. If you need more sweetness, then Laura also does some great products in Creme Brulee and the new Creme de Pistache is smelling good too.

3. A tough one, what to recommend in vanilla? I love vanilla, but we’re talking about great vanilla and not vanilla essence. As in cooking, in fragrance there are some really cheap and nasty things masquerading as vanilla. That said, when I’m in France I always pick up Lait de Vanille shower gel from Le Petit Marseillais, which is a lovely creamy vanilla scent. I think if there was only one, then you could do a lot worse than Vanilia from L’Artisan Parfumeur. This is a loud fragrance, not given over to subtlety but quite something for a vanilla lover!

4. For spice lovers, then I would recommend Noir Epices from Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle. I love this whole collection of fragrances by some of the greatest perfumers alive, and this one is a masterpiece by Michel Roudnitska. It’s like a trip through a spice market in the Orient, with notes of nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves and pepper. More raw spice than baked goods, it works for a man or a woman, and is distinctive and memorable. It’s also not available everywhere, so could become a real signature fragrance.

5. For something a bit fresher but not sweet, then I’m going for a classic that’s been reissued, and that’s Gin Fizz from Lubin. With notes of bergamot and lemon tempered with juniper, you’ll smell fresh and summery. As opposed to like someone has thrown a G and T over you! Great for summoning up summer days, even in the midst of winter!

6. For something just rich, lush, slightly dirty but with sweetness (and mainly because this is on my wishlist) it has to be Tobacco Vanille by Tom Ford. Preferably hand delivered by Tom please. The name is slightly misleading, in that it has notes of dried fruits, honey and spices with the sweetness and earthiness of fresh tobacco leaf, all with a bit of pure vanilla thrown in. Whenever I pass by a Tom Ford counter, I always have a spritz of this. It’s not subtle, but it is gorgeous.

So, half a dozen choices that combine beautiful food notes, without straying over into sticky sweetness. If you want that, then I would go through the Philosophy range. And if you want something spicy and vanilla based, then I could also recommend the wonder that is Girard’s Bouquet D’Orient. But then I’m biased on this one, I launched it back into the market! But a foodie will plunder its notes to work out what is going on in there!