<preform>Food & Drink notes</preform>

Dramatic dessert; Salad craze; Ferry good show; Home on the range

Climb every mountain

Climb every mountain

Who needs a Christmas tree when you can have a two-foot high pyramid of profiteroles, filled with cream and covered with caramel? Of course, a dessert designed to make a dramatic impression at any party is exclusive. But not that exclusive. This croquembouche costs £50 and is available from Tuesday until Thursday only in selected Tesco stores within the M25. Ring 0800 505555 to check for availability.

Salad craze

Could buying lettuce like this be the tip of the iceberg, and the end of bags of slime at the bottom of the fridge? Sainsbury's Living Lettuce comes in a pot and can live on the windowsill until you're ready to pick some perky salad leaves. The plastic pot is top heavy with lettuce so you may want to repot if you're hanging on to the lettuce for a few days. £1.09 each from Sainsbury's.

Ferry good show

Eleventh-hour shoppers should call The Food Ferry ( www.foodferry.com/020-7498 0827) before 11am on Thursday for free delivery in central London before 2pm on Christmas Eve. Order before this Tuesday for national deliveries on Thursday. They'll magic up and drop off everyday essentials as well as seasonal treats like organic turkeys, hams, handmade puddings and pies, charcuterie, roast artichokes and 10 types of olive, to last through the next few days or ingratiate you to Christmas hosts.

Home on the range

The only cook who'd be able to fit this in her stocking would be the old woman who lived in a shoe. But faced with the prospect of another Christmas struggling to cram dinner into the old oven, most of us would happily put something a bit bigger than a blender or a fondue set on our under-the-tree present wish list. Then, if the Christmas fairy delivers her promise (she takes four to six weeks after ordering the kit), next year's cooking can be done in a blaze of glory. Britannia's newest range cooker is the Sigma SLX in glossy black for around £2,599. Ownership of a range admits you into the Britannia Club along with an equally glossy magazine. Order a brochure from 01253 471117 or visit www.britannialiving.co.uk