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10 Christmas gifts for foodies- Part 2: food gifts and hampers

December 2, 2015 6 Comments Filed Under: Christmas, Food, Recipes, Uncategorized

At Christmas it’s a moment to spend a bit more on food and if you can afford it, eat better quality food, it is after all a midwinter feast. Food might seem mundane as a gift but the list below will make people change their minds. I particularly like gifts that are subscriptions throughout the year, it’s a little treat. One of the perks of being a food writer is that you are often sent food. The doorbell rings and the postman is there with a box of something, it can really make your day. Buying a gift like a subscription is a way of feeling a bit like a food writer! All of the gifts below I would describe as ‘experiential’.

Balsamic vinegar from La Tradizione

Balsamic vinegar

You’ve never tasted proper Balsamic vinegar. Really I’m telling you that you haven’t. This is the real stuff, La Tradizione from Modena, a cooperative of craftsmen: dark, thick, syrupy, caramel, fruity, figgy, aged. It only comes in two shapes of bottle. Genuine Balsamic vinegar is expensive, and this is a complete Christmas treat. Too good for salads, drizzle it on cheese, into avocado, over strawberries.  You can buy the bottles from La Tradizione from £12 to £155.  One I tried (on the left) was aged for 12 years and costs £46 which I know is a lot of money but I can assure you it is worth it and would make a very special present.

Bottarga

I wrote earlier this year about this wonderful ingredient, compressed dried fish roe which is wonderful sliced thinly or grated onto pasta or crostini. Order from Delicatezza. £9.99 plus delivery

chocolate selection

Chocolate

Cocoa Runners do a monthly chocolate club where you are sent a selection of high quality chocolates from around the world, costing around £200 a year.

Citrus

Last year I ordered fragrant Meyer lemons (6 for about $30) from Lemon Ladies Orchard who run a citrus farm in California. I made a Meyer lemon meringue pie from them and made a little video of it in my half-hearted bid to be the foodie Zoella. This failed miserably mainly due to frequent on-camera swearing from myself and behind-camera criticism by my darling daughter who was ‘directing’. You never know, I may edit and upload it some day. Still Meyer lemons are ace and virtually impossible to get here in the UK. 
From a site I’ve just discovered Citrus and Life, you can order fresh yuzus (around 78 euros) and other exotic citrus.
You can order British grown wasabi , different from horse radish, (from £12.50), the plants and fresh yuzus (about £4 each) is The Wasabi Company.
You could also give a present of a kaffir lime tree £25 (you can use the leaves for Thai curries) or a yuzu tree £40 from Plants4presents. 

cafedirect coffee

Coffee

I’ll be frank, I’m not a coffee person even after my visit to Portland where I tried ‘cupping’, but even I was impressed by the Cafédirect coffee discovery plan, where you pay £7.95 a month and get sent a different coffee every month. So far I’ve tried the Colombian and the Rwandan coffee; I particularly like the latter which is smooth and not too acidic. I’m drinking coffee again as a result. (A cup of coffee a day is good for your health, fights against obesity and diabetes).

Pomora olive oil

Olive oil

I recently went to visit Pomora olive oil in Sicily. You can adopt or foster one of their olive trees for £29 a quarter. Choose from two farmers, Carmelo in Sicily or Antonio. You can even visit the tree.

POuring tea

Tea

Now I am a tea person. My mother drinks a cup of tea every 20 minutes and I’m rapidly turning into her. As my palette refines I’m less satisfied with ordinary tea and, like wine, once you’ve had good tea, it’s hard to go back to the factory-floor-shavings tea bags. My favourite teas are by the following people:
The pioneering tea entrepeneur Rare Tea Lady (my blog post on her here) does a monthly tea subscripton which costs £77 a year. Every other month you are sent four different teas.
This year at my historic afternoon tea at Dennis Severs House, I discovered Newby Teas and was extremely impressed by their perfumed black teas such as Earl Grey, Lapsang Suchong and Darjeeling. Even their herbal teas and green teas are good (so often they taste dusty or bitter). Gift sets here.
You could do worse than purchase MsMarmitelover’s Secret Tea Party book as a gift. It’s gorgeous and I wrote it!

Wine

I’ve worked with a new company Winetrust100.co.uk over the last couple of years and am consistently impressed with the selection of wines, carefully picked by MW Nick Adams and reasonably priced. Favourite include an Italian Primitivo, Paul Cluver’s Gewurtraminer from South Africa and well-made Chardonnay from Argentina. They do a wine club costing  from £96 to £198 per year,  if you want to work your way through the list. Eastenders stars and other TV celebrities buy from them.

Hampers

I love hampers and would like to be buried in something wicker with leather straps and a champagne glass, sort of a death picnic.  I also like the fact that you can learn about new foods with a hamper, there is such choice, items known and unknown.

  • Italian: Lina Stores in Soho do some cute tins of tomato collections from £18 up to large hampers costing £100
  • Posh: Fortnum & Mason’s hampers are world renowned and beautifully packaged. Anything from £55 to £1000. 
  • Cheffy: one of my favourite online shops souschef.co.uk do book/food hampers with some essential items from the ingredients list in famous cookbooks. Examples include my own V is for Vegan collection at £35, Ivan Ramen’s book and Asian food collection at £85,  Sabrina Ghayour’s Persian collection with book £37.50, plus plenty of other inspirational foodie hampers. 
  • Japanese: the Japan Centre does a big selection of food hampers for making sushi, ramen, tea, miso from £11.95 to £49.99
  • Modern: a tin box hamper from Toast £125
  • Ethnic: Ottolenghi’s Jerusalem hamper £75
Celia Brooks doing the Borough Market food tour

A food tour

A London food tour with chef and cookbook author Celia Brooks (above) is a fantastic experience. You can choose from Borough Market (she is the only official tour), Covent Garden, Portobello or Marylebone. Prices are from £60 to £75, there are plenty of tastings and all specialist diets can be catered for. I went on one of Borough Market in September and even though I’m a Londoner, I learnt new things and tried new foods.

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Comments

  1. asharpknife

    December 3, 2015 at 1:01 am

    Only you could come up with a line like this; 'I love hampers and would like to be buried in something wicker with leather straps and a champagne glass, sort of a death picnic.'. Brilliant. I fully agree!

    Reply
    • Kerstin Rodgers aka MsMarmiteLover

      December 3, 2015 at 12:57 pm

      If you died in the summer I suppose. I think in the winter they could just bung me on a bonfire and warm their hands on it while baking potatoes in the embers…

      Reply
  2. Nic M

    December 3, 2015 at 7:29 am

    Tesco sells Meyer lemons in season and they're pretty good quality. I've been trying to source Buddha's hands with little success.

    Reply
    • Kerstin Rodgers aka MsMarmiteLover

      December 3, 2015 at 12:56 pm

      People have mentioned that before but I've literally never seen them.

      Reply
  3. Rachel Lucas

    December 3, 2015 at 6:49 pm

    Yes to the Tesco/Meyer lemon thing! Our Tesco Extra here in Aylesbury stocks them in January, wrapped in tissue paper…about £1.25 each. Being a foodie wilderness hereabouts, no one else ever buys them so I snap them up! Gorgeous things…

    Reply
    • Kerstin Rodgers aka MsMarmiteLover

      December 4, 2015 at 9:19 am

      I'm glad to hear these mythological Tesco Meyer lemons actually exist. I'm going to have to put a call out on Twitter in January to find out if there are any Tescos near me that sell them.

      Reply

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MsMarmiteLover aka Kerstin Rodgers.

Chef, photographer, author, journalist, blogger. Pioneer of the supperclub movement.

This is my food and travel blog, with recipes, reviews and travel stories. I also stray into politics, feminism, gardening.

msmarmitelover

I wrote this long read for @scotnational about the I wrote this long read for @scotnational about the anti G8 camp in Stirling to protest against the G8 in Gleneagles. I partipated in the camp & protest along with my daughter @siennamarla playing in the samba band, part of the Pink Bloc. The camp was an incredible experience- the possibility of a different type of politics, of horizontal democracy. It was also a lot of fun. But our protest was tragically overshadowed by the 7/7 bombings in London. We wanted to create a new world but by the actions of a few disaffected British Muslim terrorists our positive movement for change was drowned out by hideous violence against normal ordinary people. Here is my account. 20 years anniversary #7/7 #londonbombings #scotland #antig8 #protest #gleneagles
Cheap stuff. Since the pandemic money has been tig Cheap stuff. Since the pandemic money has been tight. I shop at Lidl and aldi for food, Vinted, Portobello and Primark for clothes. The first pic is gazpacho with a banderilla from Lidl. They often have Spanish weeks and other nationality foods at a bargain price. I love those huge cartons of gazpacho- I glug it down like juice, especially in the heat. The banderillas are sold by the jar. Second pic is me in a primark vest, cardi, with an Anthropologie sale belt and old denim shorts from 10 years ago. Sorry about the mess behind, I sold a piece of furniture, a desk I found on the street, painted enamel green with ‘bamboo’brass handles which I sold on eBay for £225 #needsmust #thrift
My tea book Msmarmitelover’s secret tea party is My tea book Msmarmitelover’s secret tea party is now out on the cookbook app @ckbk it’s now out of print but you can still buy some print copies via me or Amazon. However you can see all the recipes ( like my sour cherry icecream which I served last week) on this site which is like a Spotify for cooks. Arguably afternoon tea is a meal which the English do better than any other country. #cookbooks #afternoontea #supperclubs
Saturdays midsummer supperclub was mostly a bbq on Saturdays midsummer supperclub was mostly a bbq on the @biggreenegguk I divided the meal into fragrance families: vegetal, fougere (fern), green notes, fresh: asparagus, garden artichokes on the bbq, dolmades made from my garden vine leaves. Then citrus fragrances with yuzu, 🍊 🍋 bergamot glaze, salmon, smoked tofu steaks, vegan smoked salmon carrot. Next spice which in perfume is oriental spices: bbq mini aubergines with paprika seed oil, home ground garam masala, a tahini caper dressing. Then wood and resinous fragrances using rosemary oil brushed bbq mini peppers, pine syrup on labneh, mushrooms a la grecque with juniper, finally the floral family of fragrance with sour cherry and rose icecream, lavender shortbread  hearts and orange flower water meringue kisses. It was a lively warm evening- children were welcome. There was a bonfire, lots of wine and laughter. I buy welding gloves £12 from Amazon  to use with the bbq. I also use @pomoragoodfood oils #london
With my home grown artichokes, grown from seed for With my home grown artichokes, grown from seed for tonight’s supperclub.
Sour cherries from the garden for my midsummer sup Sour cherries from the garden for my midsummer supperclub in the garden this Saturday 21st June. Tickets available, link in bio. Also at this link: https://substack.com/redirect/5a700a44-49c1-4e6d-834f-8d4851f98f45?j=eyJ1IjoiMWUzYm4ifQ.njFJL9K8WpzSqVZ5HFSvq84gnJeUD7reFZV9LrDwYtI #midsummernightsdream #supperclub #og #sourcherry
Can’t wait to delve into this by one of my favou Can’t wait to delve into this by one of my favourite food writers @kitchenbee it’s got everything: kitchenalia, divorce and food. Did you know that what we call heartache is actually stomach ache? It’s now recognised that rejection actually causes physical as well as psychological pain. A study shows that pain relief medications such as paracetamol can alleviate heartache. Some of our emotional pain is autonomic: it’s referred to as polyvagal theory. #heartbreak #foodwriting #lovehurts #takotsubo #dopaminewithdrawal
Midsummer supper club 21st June. The theme is frag Midsummer supper club 21st June. The theme is fragrance and scent. Tickets are £45  and you can bring your own drink. Starts 7.30pm and the nearest tube is Kilburn on the jubilee. Parking is free outside. Exact address given on booking. https://msmarmitelover.com/product/midsummer-supper-club-2025-scent-and-fragrance #london #supperclub
Oil portraits of me painted at Burning Van festiva Oil portraits of me painted at Burning Van festival by artists @cristina_vercesi (left) and YouTube sensation and Royal Portrait gallery exhibiter @alex_tzavaras. It was an utter privilege to sit for these wonderful artists- a real highlight. I’m taking them home and framing them. It was easy to sit still for 90 minutes with the amazing DJ set @leonidas_lovetoparty More deets later. #portraiture #festivals #oilpainting
Went with influencers to @standrewslakes in Kent w Went with influencers to @standrewslakes in Kent with @ourfinland @lakelandfinland @pcagency to experience Finnish food such as Karelian pies with egg butter, cinnamon buns, blueberry pies, and pea soup which they have with mustard and sour cream. We did zip lining, kayaking, saunas, whipped ourselves with birch sticks, ate in a gorgeous wooden bbq shed @arctic_cabins at the end of all this activity we were all tired but happy. @miramakeup @holidaywiththeheathers @amie_jane__ @onehungryasian @iamtimchung @travellingtuesdays @helimendetravels @charlotteemilyprice #presstrip
@camille.osullivan @camilleosullivanpics and @grah @camille.osullivan @camilleosullivanpics and @grahnort @wiltonsmusichall god this woman is talented. She did a solo show of The Rape of Lucrece. Her voice! #theatre #shakespeare #london
My latest article on Hungarian cuisine, a unique m My latest article on Hungarian cuisine, a unique meeting of east and west, for @ckbk It's a blend of Ottoman, Eastern and middle European, Austro-Hungarian empire and cowboy food. #food&travel #foodanthropology #hungary
Made Fermented Cucumber dill pickles from @nickvad Made Fermented Cucumber dill pickles from @nickvadasz book The Pickle Jar. At @katzsdeli in New York they sell half sours and full sours. I reckon these are 3/4 sour. The white mould is fine btw. These are delicious #pickleperson #fermentation #guthealthy
London in bloom: wisteria, cherry blossom, lilac, London in bloom: wisteria, cherry blossom, lilac, plum blossom, 🌸 you don’t need to go to Japan for the Sakura season- it’s all here- london at its most beautiful. #london
Bluebell walk on Wanstead flats. The scent is incr Bluebell walk on Wanstead flats. The scent is incredible: similar to lily of the valley. These are actual English bluebells - a deeper colour & more delicate than Spanish bluebells which are rather invasive. #london #walks #april #bluebells
Snapshots from portobello rd market. Portuguese fo Snapshots from portobello rd market. Portuguese folar de pascua bread from Lisboa patisserie,  a gorgeous mosaic table from Fez, my favourite antique shop @muirshindurkin, Alice’s shop, an Easter hat, the best wisteria I wrote a substack on portobello road: https://open.substack.com/pub/kerstinrodgers/p/where-to-go-in-portobello-road-the?r=3873k&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true #london
I visited @tokyobagellondon with my granddaughter I visited @tokyobagellondon with my granddaughter yesterday to try one of their viral wobbly bunnies. We also tried the multi layer Oreo pancake cakes, the onigiri shaped croissant. My sister had the black sesame latte and I had yuzu tea. I spent £35 in a short space of time as each dessert was £5 but it was a fun experience. Ophelia said ‘lovely flowers’ which shows a degree of sophistication for a 2 year old. I preferred the strawberry to the coconut flavour . #londondaysout #grandmacore #easter
A quick high protein lunch of ratatouille with smo A quick high protein lunch of ratatouille with smoked tofu.  @pomoragoodfood olive oil then an aubergine cut into thick slices then quartered. Fry till translucent then add the chunks of red pepper. 2 fat garlic cloves sliced thinly, a block of smoked tofu in chunks, 2 bay leaves, a small handful of maldon salt. A courgette cut into thick half lengthways- then sliced into half moons. I might chuck in a handful of pantelleria capers in vinegar to give some acidity. Serve hot or cold. #sololunch #protein #vegetables
Inspired by @nickvadasz book The pickle Jar I used Inspired by @nickvadasz book The pickle Jar I used his dill pickles to make one of my favourite recipes for lunch - a potato, sour cream & pickle soup. Recipe on the blog. #soup #pickles
One of my favourite ways to eat mushrooms. Cook wh One of my favourite ways to eat mushrooms. Cook whole button mushrooms in olive oil, lemon juice, a little white wine vinegar, salt, bay leaves, whole coriander seeds, thyme, and white wine if you have it to hand. I used @pomoragoodfood olive oil. You can eat it straight away or leave it to marinate longer and eat the next day. #vegetarian #vegan #mushroomrecipe
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