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Christmas 2015: 20 best luxury food and drink gifts

The festive period is all about indulging, so make sure you do it in style

Wednesday 25 November 2015 14:53 GMT

As we are so often reminded, Christmas is about giving. And there is one present that is going to always go down a treat on the 25th: food and booze.

We scoured the Christmas offerings of scores of shops to give you the best presents for foodies this year.

1. Chocolate bauble and Christmas Tree: £62 and £30, Maison Pierre Marcolini

Pierre Marcolini is the Bernini of chocolate. He makes the most beautifully chic creations from his high-quality, homemade Grenache. Who doesn’t want some edible art on Christmas day?

Buy in-store

2. Hound dogs salt and pepper shakers: £48, Jonathan Adler

As Elvis said, you ain't nothing but a hound dog. So get salt and pepper shakers to match. These are dainty and rather beautiful, which may go some way to explaining its price.

3. Nopi: The Cookbook: £12.99, Amazon

Everyone’s favourite chef, Yotam Ottolenghi, has produced this cookbook which brings together the best recipes from his upscale central-London eatery Nopi. It has 100 recipes, so there is pretty much something for every occasion.

4. St Nicholas Hamper: £300, Fortnum and Mason

Nothing can really touch a Fortnum’s hamper. It is the epitome of foodie luxury. This one is particularly good – it has everything from cakes to tea to several bottles of wine. Give this on the big day and you will be in the good books until at least next Christmas.

5. H by Hine VSOP Cognac: £36.34 for 70cl, Master of Malt

This VSOP from Hine is a blend of 15 Champagne eaux-de-vie. Only spirits more than 4-year-old spirits are used. Perhaps with that attention to detail it should be no surprise that this won a gold medal at the 2007 International Spirits Challenge.

6. Gift pack: £12.99, London Tea Company

This London-based tea company – the name rather gives it away – specialises in high-end tea bags - think, black, white and rooibos teas. This, their Christmas box, is like a selection box for grown-ups.

7. Art Muria honey gift set: £44.95, Harrods

This is one for serious honey-fans (and those with big wallets). It is a collection of the most delicious honies you are likely to find this side of the Iberian peninsula. There is a rosemary, orange, forest and high mountain honey

8. Illy x7.1 Iperespresso: £199, Selfridges

This is the Ferrari of small-scale home coffee machines. Not only is it quick, beautiful and with more setting buttons than the Starship Enterprise, it is also nicely self-contained, so it won’t make a mess of your worksurfaces.

9. Taste of Wine School hamper: £150, from Berry Brothers & Rudd

From Britain’s most famous wine merchant comes this top-notch wine hamper. It contains eight bottles and a book to guide you through a tasting of them. A great present for budding oenophiles.

10. Chateau D’estoublon Olive Oil Le Flacon Couture: £59.95 for 70cl, Amazon

Not only does this fabulous olive oil come encased in just about the chicest bottle we have ever seen, the golden glugging liquid inside is an absolute delight of fresh grassy flavours too.

11. Zwilling J.A. Henckels miyabi knife: £231.00, Selfridges

A blade as sharp as a samurai sword and a comfortable grip make this knife very popular with professionals. And if you are not a professional, don’t worry - with its long cutting edge and balanced design, people might well mistake you for one.

12. Baci di dama: £17.95, Carluccios

The Italian deli and restaurant comes up trumps with this beautiful jar of Italian chocolate biscuits. It looks like it is an émigré from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and they are so moreish they pose a clear and present danger to your waistline.

13. La conica espresso coffee maker by Aldo Rossi: £165, Alessi

This stove-top espresso maker isn’t just a pretty objet d’art – though it does look incredibly chic on your shelf – it is also a wonderful piece of coffee engineering. The espresso comes quick, hot and very tasty.

14. Bethan Gray Alice herringbone chopping board: £265, chaplins.co.uk

There is no getting around it, this is a lot of money to pay for a chopping board. But not only does its marble finish mean it will last ‘til doomsday, it also looks like it has come out of an artist’s studio, so beautiful is it.

15. SMA 50s-style popcorn maker: £64.95, Selfridges

Not only does this have the look of a mid-century American diner, it also produces red-hot homemade popcorn by the bucket load. Just think, you would never need to spend any money in the cinema again.

16. DISC decanters and tray: £150, LSA International

These are the absolute antithesis of the fussy, fuddy-duddy decanters your great aunt Nelly used to keep her sherry in. They have clean lines and come in a delightful carry box.

17. The Botanist gin: £42.99, Selfridges

This gin from the Botanist restaurant is rich in botanicals, and you can taste them when you mix it with tonic. It’s an all-rounder, though, so it is just as good in a martini as it is in a G&T.

18. Moët & Chandon “Mini Crackers”: £21.99, Moët UK

Forget those traditional snap-bang crackers with their motto and party hat - this has a real treat inside: a mini bottle of champagne.

Buy in-store

19. Hand-blown Ichendorf tumblers: £18 each, The Conran Shop

These dainty, hand-blown tumblers are an absolute delight. They are easy-on-the-eye, light in the hand and add a wonderful splash of colour to your kitchen shelf.

20. RJR John Rocha oil and vinegar set: £21, Debenhams

Forget those oil-soaked bottles, get yourself one of these sets and treat your oil and vinegar with the respect it deserves.

Verdict

Give the gift of good coffee with either the pricey-but-great Illy x7.1 Iperespresso. The slightly more bargain option (well, comparatively) is the La conica espresso coffee maker by Aldo Rossi. Life is too short for bad coffee.