Christmas Gift Guide: Food + Drink

Wednesday, November 22, 2017
I don't know about you but this year has just gone by so quickly, especially the past few months and Christmas is almost upon us! If you're like me and you need to be super organised otherwise you'll become so stressed and anxious then I hope these gift guides will be useful for early Christmas gift ideas!

I've already posted a few gift guides including my latest pampering gift guide for him and her (and it features a new giveaway!) but today's post is a little different as I'll be focusing solely on Christmas food, alcohol, coffee gifts and unusual foodie items for friends and family this year! Thanks to Coffee Gator, Summit To Eat, Hofmeister, Elizabeth D Bakes, The Nut Kitchen and Vilarnau Barcelona.

*Vilarnau Barcelona Brut Reserva Cava (£11.99, 750ml)
Let's start with one of the most interesting and beautiful items in this gift guide, although it's hard to choose! If you know someone who drinks then alcoholic gifts or gift sets are such easy, safe gifts but so many of them either look quite cheaper or on the other hand, they can be very expensive but this gorgeous bottle of cava is at such a great price point!

It won the gold medal at Tom Stevensons Champagne & Sparkling Wine World Championships for the best Spanish sparkling wine (2017) which is fantastic. It's a blend of Macabeo, Parellada and Chardonnay that is aged for two years. It's "rounded in the mouth, the wine offers a perfect balance of flavours. It is rich and smooth with a very pleasant".

I don't drink very often apart from special occasions such as weddings, Christmas and New Years eve and this would be perfect for the upcoming festive season. I actually really like this cava, it's delicious (can you describe anything alcoholic as delicious...you can tell I'm not a wine connoisseur!). I think it would make a fantastic Christmas gift for colleagues, friends or family - it's a perfect all around option especially as it looks unique and striking so it's bound to get people talking.
*Coffee Gator Pour Over Coffee Maker (£30)
Next up, one of my favourite items as we all know how much I love coffee, maybe a little too much...Coffee Gator is a new brand to me but I love it already. Coffee gifts are be ideal but I think quite a few are so generic but these three items are unique and nicely presented gifts for the coffee lovers in your life.

I haven't seen a pour over coffee maker like this before, it looks so unique and fancy! To use, you just use your pre-ground coffee, add it to the filter and slowly pour over hot water as your coffee slowly drips through the filter. It makes three cups which is approximately 400ml of coffee and it is super quick and easy to clean.

I've been using it for the past week or two since I received it (I have the memory of a goldfish recently) and I'm loving it. I've been using my Taylors Of Harrogate coffee mostly and it's perfect but I only get two cups out of it as I use massive mugs for the maximum amount of coffee each time! Any coffee lover would adore this pour over coffee maker as it not only looks amazing but it's a different gift to receive, it's made to a very high standard and it's a useful, practical gift. You can see how gorgeous it is in the video below.
*Coffee Gator Coffee Canister (£30 - Medium, Grey)
Next up is an item you could gift alongside the pour over coffee maker, it's a coffee canister with a difference. It's not only a nicely made, high quality canister to store your coffee beans or ground coffee in but on the lid it has a tracking disc so you can add the day and month your coffee will expire - how genius is that!

Additionally the canister has a built in value within the lid that releases carbon dioxide keeping your coffee fresh! It comes with four extra valves that can be replaced every 12 months or so to make sure the contents of the canister are as fresh as possible. A 1/8 or 30ml measuring cup is also included within the box along with instructions and cleaning/care guidance.
I have the medium size which is huge so it will be able to store a large amount of coffee within it or maybe it could even be used for biscuits and other items that need to be kept in an airtight container? I think it would be a very practical and useful everyday gift that would be ideal for a coffee lover. I cannot recommend it enough!

*Coffee Gator French Press ($50)
Last but not least from the wonderful Coffee Gator is their French Press (I can't find it online for some reason!). It features thicker surgical grade stainless steel thermal walls that keeps your coffee hotter for longer and the double layered filter means a cleaner cup. It has a huge 1000ml or 34oz capacity which will make approximately six cups.
It's such a well made, very heavy French press (aka. a gigantic cafetiere) so it would make a substantial, luxe gift for the coffee lovers in your family. It matches the canister and so it would be great to buy as a set because they'd look great together. It's very quick and easy to use despite the weight of it and it is so easy and fuss free to clean as well. I think it would be perfect for new home owners, families or anyone who loves coffee. I cannot recommend these three Coffee Gator products enough!
*Summit To Eat Festival Kit - Vegetarian (£19.50)
Next up is a kit that is probably one of the most unusual but oddly practical and applicable gifts you'll see in one of my gift guides! Summit To Eat creates freeze dried meals that would be perfect for hiking or prolonged outdoor exercise, camping or for festivals as each meal is so incredibly easy to make as you only have to add hot water to the packet - no pans needed.

I was kindly sent the vegetarian 'festival kit' which contains macaroni cheese, vegetable chipotle chilli with rice, scrambled egg with cheese and morning oats with raspberries. Each packet is one serving and they are fully cooked within ten minutes in the packet so there's no clean up needed.
I've only tried the macaroni cheese so far, although not all of it as I'm reducing my calories and fat and these aren't ideal for that. As they are freeze dried, I thought the macaroni cheese might be a little grainy, powdery or potentially very bland and boring but it's surprisingly good and moreish! I think if you've had a long day at a festival or camping then these are fantastic quick and easy makeshift meals that are actually so delicious.

I haven't tried the others but the scrambled egg with cheese sounds great as does the morning oats with raspberries. As I said, I have the vegetarian kit but there are other kits available and you can buy individual packets too - there is so much choice. I think these kits or packets would be great presents or individual stocking fillers for those who love the outdoors, camping or are festival goers! It's also quite a quirky and unusual but interesting and practical stocking filler idea that no-one will be expecting.
*Elizabeth D Bakes Gluten Free Cranberry, Pistachio and Orange Stollen
Confession - I've never tried stollen...I know, what's wrong with me! Thankfully I started with a very delicious offering from the lovely people at Elizabeth D Bakes. This gluten free stollen contains cranberries, pistachios and orange as well as mixed spices, cinnamon and marzipan - all of the Christmas goodies!

This is the first stollen I've tried and I absolutely love it as it's pretty much Christmas in a box! I love the pistachios and orange as well as the 'sweet snow' on the top which makes it look so festive. It has such a soft, indulgent texture that definitely feels like a rich christmassy treat. There are various loaves, cakes, brownies and seasonal options to choose from and I have to say that the vegan pumpkin pie is calling my name! Additionally, there are boxed sets that would make yummy Christmas gifts, many of which are vegan so if you are vegan or if there's a vegan friend or family member that you need to buy for then look no further.

*The Nut Kitchen Pistachio Spread (£5.95, 200g)
I'm a big fan of Nutella or peanut butter on toast so when this pistachio spread arrived, that's the first thing I did and I think I might have died and gone to heaven. I love pistachios but I did think that this spread might be grainy, chunky or a little bitter but it's so incredibly delicious - I can just eat it out of the jar with a spoon...

It it suitable for vegetarians but not vegans as it contains milk powder. It is made from hand harvested Sicilian green pistachios and is crafted by Sicilian artisans. The texture is amazing as it's so smooth and creamy and it's ridiculous moreish. I could easily eat the whole jar (not all at once, or could I). I cannot recommend this enough, especially if you like Nutella or peanut butter as it's a wonderful alternative. I may or may not be eating it as I type.
*Hofmeister Hells Lager (£19.99 - case of 12)
The final item in my gift guide is a super safe option for all the dads, grandads, uncles, husbands and friends out there! Hofmesiter Helles is an independently owned brewing company that recently won the 'best lager of 2017' award at the prestigious IWSC Beer Awards. It's made using only hops, barley and mineral water from the historic beer brewing region of Bavaria - it adheres to the Reinheitsgebot 1516 brewing purity laws.

I was kindly sent a massive box of 12 bottles *thank you* which are 330ml each and have an alcohol percentage of 5%. I'll be honest and say that I'm not a frequent beer drinker but I actually like this one which is an achievement in itself! For me, it isn't something I'd drink often even though it's refreshing, dry and fairly mild but I know that my dad as well as my cousins would absolutely love it! It would be perfect to add to a food and drink Christmas hamper. For a limited time you can use the following code to get free delivery: FTBHOF17 - only while stocks last so go, go, go.

Check out my video gift guide below and if you have any problems viewing the video, can you let me know asap! Also if you have any comments or questions, leave them in the comments section below.

What do you think of my foodie gift guide? Have you tried any of these products? 

23 comments

  1. Loving this guide! The Coffee Gator is so cool, such a wonderful idea!

    Anika | anikamay.co.uk

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  2. The design on that bottle is so funky, it would make such a nice present! And I could always do with another coffee gadget, I can't leave my house without one in the morning.
    Alice Xx
    www.blacktulipbeauty.co.uk

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  3. I happy with a box of chocolates 😂

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  4. I always make food hampers for my parents at Christmas, they're the best kinds of gifts I think!

    Gemma Louise

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  5. Oh wow the cava bottle is so lush! X

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  6. I've never come across Coffee Gator before but I love the products x

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  7. The summit kit would be so cool if you know someone who loves festivals! Xx

    Www.coleoftheball.com

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  8. The coffee Gator items look so cool! I love the style and design of them so much!

    Erin || MakeErinOver

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  9. Food & drink make for fab Christmas gifts, especially if you choose something they love that's a little bit more fancy than they'd normally go for - it feels like a treat then :) xo

    Char | www.charslittleblog.co.uk

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  10. I love foodie gifts for Christmas - you can never go wrong buying me something I can eat or cook with!

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  11. This is such a good gift guide! I love the look of that bottle of cava the packaging is so pretty!
    Chantelle x
    The Girl In The Tartan Scarf

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  12. I'm a huge, huge, huge coffee fan so these gifts are perfect.

    Roxie | thebeautifulbluebird.com

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  13. I love the packaging of the cava bottle! Would definitely make a fab gift as it looks so fancy x

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  14. The cava bottle packaging is so pretty x

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  15. I love Gift Guides that have something a little different - this is a brilliant one with lots of fantastic options! I absolutely love the packaging on the Cava bottle - so pretty! x

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  16. Wow the pistachio spread sounds delicious!

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  17. I'd be happy to open any of this on xmas day!

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  18. Those coffee accessories look beautiful! Especially the glass pour over container, I've been eyeing some like those similarly for my boyfriend :)

    Cindy | www.cindyhyue.com

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  19. Some great bits here! I always like chutneys and jams so they keep x

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  20. The Gator French Press sounds really cool! My boyfriend wanted some coffee related gifts for Christmas and I think this could be the ideal gift for him! x

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