Looking for a luxury present for a supreme foodie who has missed going to fine restaurants during the lockdown? Fine Food Specialist is our go-to shopping destination for rare, exquisite and decadent delicacies that can be enjoyed from the comfort of home. We take a look at some festive favourites that are sure to make any food lover’s Christmas one to remember.
Note: This post contains affiliate content, meaning that we may receive a small commission from purchases. Sated only ever partners with brands, companies and individuals of the highest calibre. All sponsored posts contain only genuine recommendations and all content is created by Sated.
Why Choose Fine Food Specialist?
Fine Food Specialist is the online shopping destination for quality produce and hard-to-find ingredients: a haven for the curious foodies and chefs alike. It was founded in 2010 by ex-Michelin trained chef Drogo Montagu who, set aside by a crippling illness, embarked on a culinary adventure to find the finest foodie products imaginable and make them accessible to everybody from the comfort of their own kitchen.
Fine Food Specialist scours countries and continents, to bring its customers the rarest and most exquisite gourmet gems, providing a wide range of products, from the finest British seasonal fare to the most sought after culinary delights from the furthest corners of the globe. It sources all ingredients from passionate suppliers who share the same ethos of attention to detail and utmost quality. A quick browse on the website will reveal an ever-growing catalogue of hard-to-find products including wagyu beef, caviar, exotic seafood, artisan cheese, truffles, edible flowers, micro-herbs, exotic fruits, and unusual vegetables.
In short, this is a true goldmine for enthusiastic foodies and lovers of all things gourmet.
Fine Food Specialist Christmas Gifts
As well as catering for customers’ everyday, luxury grocery shopping needs, Fine Food Specialist has a mouthwatering array of high-end hampers, gifts and pièce de résistance table centrepieces that would make for a show-stopping Christmas. Here are but a few that make our lips tingle but there are many more than can be found on the Fine Food Specialist website.
Salmon, Caviar & Champagne Special
This decadent set is the perfect romantic treat for two and is guaranteed to impress!
Featuring at its heart a regally textured, 400g premium fillet of Tsar Nikolai salmon, lightly smoked using beech chippings, accompanied by a pot of the finest Imperial Osciertra Caviar, a pack of delicate mini blinis and – of course – an obligatory bottle of Laurent Perrier Brut Champagne to wash it all down, this is the ultimate gift for those who love the finer things in life.
Price
£121.95. Buy it here.
Artisan French Cheese Board Selection
Christmas and cheese for us go hand-in-hand. There’s nothing quite like a cheese board on a cold winter’s night, whilst you’re sitting around with friends and family, chatting over a few bottles of red wine.
For people who like it pure and simple, this glorious cheese hamper weighs in at 1kg and contains 100% French artisan cheese, with a great selection of soft, blue and goat’s cheeses, including Blue de Basque, Banon, Langres, Saint Maure de Touraine and Brie with Truffle Cream. The set includes a beautiful wooden cheese board with a handle for serving, as well as a selection of biscuits and a jar of Moscato grape nectar, which is a fabulous accompaniment. This beauty is best enjoyed leisurely in a comfy chair that it’s easy to doze off in.
Price
£96.95 Buy it here.
The Ultimate Christmas/Boxing Day Hamper
Calling something “The Ultimate Christmas/Boxing Day Hamper” is a big statement however, in this case, Fine Food Specialist’s version may very well be deserving of the title.
Created by chef Drogo Montagu himself, this mouthwatering gourmet hamper is loaded with some of the finest delicacies known to man. All the flavours and textures associated with Christmas are neatly packaged for you to enjoy at some stage over Christmas. From festive ham to smoked duck breast, potted stilton to the finest smoked salmon, magnum bottle of Prosecco to tawny port, this is the finest array of gourmandising goodness around.
The epic The Ultimate Christmas/Boxing Day Hamper include (get ready): Smoked Duck Breast (375g), Filet Tsar Nikolai Salmon (400g), Comte AOP 15 Months (1kg), Snowdonia Orchard Chutney (198g), Heritage Selection Biscuits for Cheese (45g), Vacherin Mont Dor (500g), Cropwell Bishop potted stilton (200g), White Truffle Honey (260g), Traditional Festive Glazed Ham (2.2kg), AAA Grade Foie gras (100g), Terrine Brioche Loaf, Sweet Wine Jelly (45g), 40-52 Month 100% Iberico Bellota Spanish Ham (80g), Perello Gordal Olives, Valencia chocolate almonds (200g), Christmas pudding (450g), Truffle Salami (200g), Christmas Liqueur, Magnum of Prosecco, and Fine Tawny Port.
Price
£350. Buy it here.
Artisan Saucisson Gift Set
Charcuterie lovers will adore this delightful set, as it contains such a wide range of flavours and textures. They will be spoilt for choice between salty, rich, plain, red wine-soaked, nutty and spicy, and with the amble 1.2kg size, they’ll never be stuck for kitchen or cheese board inspiration again… well, not for a good while, at least.
The gift set is made up of four saucissons: one with pure pork, one with hazelnuts, one with green pepper, and a sweet and smoky one marinaded in red wine. Yum.
Price
£46.95. Buy it here.
Loch Fyne Side of Smoked Salmon
This 1.2kg side of gorgeous smoked salmon is a simple yet stunning gift for the holiday season. Perfect for those entertaining guests over the festive period, champagne breakfasts, light snacks between cooking and Christmas day nibbles, this thoughtful and impressive gift will be most welcome and add a touch of glamour to the recipients table.
Revered the world over, Loch Fyne smoked salmon is produced in the Loch Fyne Smokehouse, located in Cairndow Argyll, beside the renowned Oyster Bar and Restaurant. Fresh salmon fillets are dry cured using traditional methods and smoked over wood chips from retired whisky casks. This classic smoked salmon has a delicate yet richly flavour, with subtle smoke, hints of sweetness and the faintest tang of oak.
Price
£59.95. Buy it here.
Valrhona Luxury Chocolate & Champagne Hamper
There’s nothing like good quality chocolate and a delicious bottle of bubbly. Fine Food Specialist has curated a luxury chocolate and champagne hamper pairing bean-to-bar tablets from premium French chocolatier, Valrhona, with a half bottle of Laurent Perrier Brut Champagne – an indulgent basket of goodies for a chocolate connoisseur this Christmas.
Dedicated to quality, Valrhona selects and purchases its cocoa beans directly from choice plantations, securing exclusive supplies from South America, the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean. It was one of the first chocolatiers to describe its chocolate in a similar fashion to wine, with the labelling of such creations as grand cru, single origin, single estate and even vintage chocolate. From its beginning in 1922 to today, Valrhona is still regarded as being amongst the best of French chocolate makers.
As well as the bottle of champagne, the hamper features five 70g bars of milk and dark Valrhona chocolate, including our favourites, Valrhona Abinao 85% Cocoa Dark Chocolate and Valrhona Manjari Dark Chocolate and Orange.
Price
£64.95. Buy it here.
Full Truffle Indulgence Hamper
The full truffle indulgence experience is a very special hamper for someone who just can’t get enough truffle! This really is the whole experience and includes all the main truffle products Fine Food Specialist sells. It’s the perfect foodie gift for the person who has everything.
Shave beautiful flakes of truffle over dishes to enhance their flavour with the heady aroma of white or black truffle oil; drizzle Acacia honey with black truffles over goat’s cheese or buttered toast for that extra level of decadence; and dollop truffle mayonnaise onto rare, roast beef for a bite of pure, indulgent hedonism.
The Full Truffle Indulgence Hamper includes: fresh Black Truffle (30g – the species of truffle will vary depending on the season), Salami with Truffle (200g), Plantin Truffle Salsa (120g), Plantin Truffle Mustard (100g), Plantin Truffle Salt (120g), Black Truffle Oil (100ml) , Tagliatelle Pasta with Truffle (250g), Acacia Honey With Black Truffles (220g), Black Truffle Carpaccio (80g), Premium Truffle Crisps (40g), Moliterno with truffle (500g), truffle shaver, and a stainless steel, Laguiole cheese knife.