It’s nearly Christmas! When the f**k did that happen?! You’ve still got to buy presents for the family, the colleagues you actually like and those friends who keep getting you heartfelt gifts so that you are now forced to reciprocate. Don’t panic – we’ve got your back with a selection of unique gifts that the foodies/booze hounds in your life will absolutely love. No last-minute-purchase supermarket plonk or generic box of chocolate here, no Sir-ee! Our Sated Christmas Gift Guide 2017 is comprised of our favourite tried-and-tested products and services discovered this year. Go on, have a browse.
The Lakes Distillery Bauble 6-Pack Gift Set
£35.00
Move over tinsel and candy canes, there’s a new Christmas tree ornament in town and it’s just for adults. Introducing Lakes Distillery’s booze-filled baubles – a delightful addition to a Christmas tree near you. Six 5cl baubles are presented in a festive gift-box that will give the recipient information about the liquid contained therein as well as protecting the glass from breaking. This is an unusual gift you may just end up giving to yourself – we know we are.
With three variants holding the aptly named The ONE Whisky (the British Isle’s only blended whisky), The Lakes Vodka, and (our personal favourite) The Lakes Gin, you’re bound to find something that’ll match the tastes of any and all of your spirit-loving friends.
Click here to buy The ONE Whisky Bauble 6-Pack Gift Set
Click here to buy The Lakes Gin Bauble 6-Pack Gift Set
Click here to buy The Lakes Vodka Bauble 6-Pack Gift Set
The Lakes Distillery 20cl Bauble
£19.95
Love the idea but want something a bit bigger? Why not grab a 20cl version of the baubles?
Click here to buy The ONE Whisky 20cl Bauble
Click here to buy The Lakes Gin 20cl Bauble
Click here to buy The Lakes Vodka 20cl Bauble
The Courtyard Dairy Cheese
From £4.00
You can’t have Christmas without cheese – it would be morally irresponsible. Luckily for you, we have you covered. The Courtyard Dairy will deliver award-winning farmhouse cheese directly to your door. With countless unusual cheeses, individually sourced by Andy and Kathy Swinscoe from independent dairy farmers around the country, you’ll be sure to have a cheese board that rivals all others. What’s more, The Courtyard Dairy are giving Sated’s readers with the gift of 250g of Gorgonzola, free when you spend £30 or more via their online store.
Use code: FLXY39IT and get 250g Gorgonzola free! * Users must spend >£30 and also add the Gorgonzola to the cart for the code to work *
You can also give the gift of cheese in the form of The Courtyard Dairy’s Monthly Cheese Club, starting from £28.00. Click here to find out more.
Wanderlust Wine
From £5.68
Want oodles of quality, sustainable wine made by small producers delivered directly to your door? Clearly a rhetorical question as who wouldn’t – after all, it’s getting mighty chilly outside and you’ve already sampled everything worthwhile your local supermarket has to offer. Wanderlust Wine was started by the affable Richard Ellison, an ex-chef, ex-banker and full-time oenophile who decided to turn his passion for sustainable wine into a career. The team source directly from the winemakers themselves, which keeps prices fair and guarantees that their wines are all of the highest standard. Their range includes many organic and biodynamic wines from all over the globe.
Having people over for Christmas Lunch, a Cheese and Wine night, or need to give individual wine bottles to a whole host of acquaintances? We’ve got your answer.
Click here to explore their extensive range, including their “12 Wines of Christmas” Box.
Wanderlust Wine Club
£25 to £75 depending on tier
We all have that friend or family member who gets handed the Wine List whenever out for dinner. Well, this is the perfect gift for them. Wanderlust Wine has devised a Wine Club aimed at helping the wine enthusiast discover new wines, new regions and other wine-related experiences. Membership starts from just £25 per month, and benefits will include special privilege offers, 10% discount on all orders through the Wanderlust Wine online shop, invitations to exclusive producer selection tastings, opportunities to ‘meet the producers’, and introductions to new grapes and wine-making regions. Membership will get you six to 12 bottles of wine per quarter and can be cancelled at any time.
Bronze – £25 per month
The bronze box is filled with 6 of Wanderlust Wine’s solid everyday drinkers. These are quality wines offered at a great price. The average price of a bottle in this box is £10-12.
Silver – £35 per month
The silver box has a mix of price tiers, with some more expensive bottles than their everyday drinkers. You’ll get 6 to 9 bottles and the average price of a bottle in this box is £15.
Gold – £50 per month
The gold box has the most diverse offering – you’ll have a mix of price tiers, with some bottles that go right to the top of Wanderlust Wine’s portfolio – single vineyards, micro-batch wines and rare stuff that they just manage to get a trickle of! You’ll get 6 to 9 bottles and the average price of a bottle in this box is £20-25.
Platinum – £75 per month
For a true wine lover – the Platinum box is the same as the Gold but with more bottles for you to enjoy! You’ll get 12 bottles instead of 6 to 9 in a mix of price tiers. What a treat!
Click here to Sign Up or give the Gift of Wine!
L’Amethyste Chocolates
From £15.00
L’Amethyste is a tiny independent patisserie punching well above its weight. Since chocolatier and pastry chef, Oksana, opened her North London shop in 2015, her products have been raking in the accolades, including International Chocolate Awards 2017 and Great Taste Awards 2016 and 2017. Her range is made up of three varieties, all made with beautifully tempered chocolate, delicate fillings created using the finest natural ingredients, stunningly painted and presented in a jewellery box fashion. If you want to give someone a show-stopping gift, look no further.
Zephyr
Domes of thin chocolate cover a patented filling, resembling a light and airy marshmallow. Unusual flavour combinations such as Earl Grey with Bergamot and Devilish Rum and Raisin stand out from the crowd.
£15 for a box of 9; £17 for 10; £25 for 16
Truffles
Each truffle is handmade and developed to balance exemplary ingredients with smooth, rich chocolate. The award-winning Brandy Orange blends premium brandy with zesty orange in an enrobing ganache. The Pistachio and Cardamom, finished with white chocolate and crushed pistachios is powerfully flavoured and complex – perfect with champagne.
£20 for 16 truffles; £22 for 18; £34 for 30
Chocolates
These are by far our favourite of Oksana’s ranges. Pristine ingots of chocolate are filled with a flavoured ganache and, in some cases, a layer of jelly. Smooth and well-rounded, as well as just looking fantastic, we’d certainly be happy to receive these any day of the year. The Green Apple and Smoky Pu Erh Tea is a symphony on the palate with the sweetness of the white chocolate ganache playing with the earthy fullness of the aged tea. Dark chocolate keeps them in check and ensures a delicious finale. Prune and Cognac with its grown-up jamminess and thick dark filling is another favourite, as is the bright and fresh Basil and Greengage Plum.
£17 for a box of 12; £15 for 10; £26 for 21
Click here to explore the ranges
Paul A. Young Christmas Truffle Collection
From £7.00
We at Sated have been a firm fan of Paul’s for many years and when he keeps coming up with unquestionably unique gems like Beef Dripping Caramels, who can fault us for a tad of favouritism?! This year, Paul brings us yet more delights in the form of his Truffle Collection, featuring inimitable flavour such as Billington’s Burnt Sugar Eggnog, made using one of our favourite rums, El Dorado; Four Pillars Gin Punch, Glen Moray Whisky Cream Caramel and “The Cock Tail Chocolate”, fashioned from quality Guittard 65% Colombian chocolate, Remy Martin Champagne Cognac, sugar syrup, bitters and nutmeg – sounds like heaven to us!
Available from any of Paul A. Young’s three stores (Wardour Street, Soho; Camden Passage, Islington; The Royal Exchange, Bank)
4 piece box £7.00, 9 piece £15.50, 16 piece £26.00, 25 piece £40.00 & 36 piece £56.00.
Furi Pro 5 Piece Knife Block Set
£199.00
This may sound a little weird, but we have a bit of “a thing” for knives. Anyone who loves cooking will know that a good set of knives is an absolute MUST. Furi Knives is Australia’s leading innovator of professional kitchen knives and sharpeners, who have just launched a new knife block set in time for Christmas, exclusively available at John Lewis. This is the perfect gift for the cook in your life (as you’ll both reap the rewards, trust us). It may seem a bit steep at £199.00, but it really is a bargain, as you will be getting four top-end, professional grade knives that will serve all your feasting needs forever more. Be sure not to miss out on this one.
Constructed in rubberwood and teak, the block houses: a Paring knife (9cm), a Utility knife (15cm), a East/West Santoku knife (17cm), and a Bread knife (20cm).