The best gadgets and gourmet gifts for foodies this Christmas
For those who don't want a present they can gobble down and regret not savouring later, we've the best non-edible gifts for people who love their food
Cooking lessons
Call time on kitchen disasters and pack your loved ones off to a top cooking course. Vouchers from Ateliers des Chefs buy you a place at cooking lessons covering anything from kids food (expect to be inundated with fairy cakes), to everyday easy dishes, or for the more ambitious, culinary masterclasses. Vouchers start at £15, so are even good for those on a budget. Atelierdeschefs.co.uk
Divine recipes
Back in paperback with the endorsements of baking queen Lorraine Pascale, the Divine Chocolate Cookbook is a compendium of over 100 of the stickiest, gooeyist most unctuous chocolate recipes a cook can attempt. Written by Linda Collister, the lady behind the two cookbooks that accompany the BBC’s Great British Bake off series, there’s a line up including hot chocolate brandy soufflés, white chocolate cookies with cranberry and upside down sticky pear pudding. And if you do it right, it’s all Fair trade, so you can assuage your guilt – at least a bit. £14.99, http://www.amazon.co.uk
Come Dine with Me – Extra Spicy
Ever wondered what they don’t include in the 30 minute Come Dine with Me edit? Wonder no more – the makers of the programme have packed the most outrageous conversations, huge rows and culinary disasters onto a highlights DVD. Great for a Christmas giggle, and as a manual of how not to run a dinner party. £11.99, amazon.co.uk.
Pimp your presentation
After hours of watching the cooks on Masterchef construct intrepid towers of food, it’s time for someone else to have a go. The new presentation skills set from the BBC show contains all the nozzles, moulds, graters, and piping bags you could possibly need to turn out a professional looking plate. £35, www.johnlewis.com
Knife skills
A good sharp knife can make the most amateur cook look racy in the kitchen. But high quality knives don’t come cheap, so Global (recommended by Michel Roux Jnr), have put together a starter ‘Try Me’ set which pairs a water sharpener set with the brand’s G-2 knife, voted a Which? best buy and a great all-rounder to get started with. £150, http://www.globalknives.uk.com
Afternoon teasers
Patrick Cox cupcakes are rather raunchy and best enjoyed in private, rather than his Soho shop. The solution? He’s written a cookbook in collaboration with master patissier (and rather dreamy Frenchman) Eric Lanlard. With blueberry muffins with a liquid blueberry compote centre, or double chocolate skull cake recipes you can throw your own x-rated afternoon tea at home. £16, http://www.coxcookiesandcake.com/
Carving master
How better for a man to prove his masculinity than expertly carving a huge joint of meat. Learn from the best at the Mark Hix carving classes at Brown’s Hotel in London. Lessons on cuts of meat, preparations, cooking techniques, glazes and stuffings are all on the agenda. Plus at the end of the day enjoy a carnivorous feast accompanied by a bottle of wine each, desserts and cheese, plus a signed cookery book and apron from the chef. £150pp, www.roccofortehotels.com
Eat the world
A gastro guide to salivate over, Dorling Kindersley’s Ultimate Food Journeys runs through the world’s iconic dishes and then helps you plan a foodie trip to sample them in the places around the globe they originate from. Perfect pizza in Naples, soul food in the Southern USA or terrific tacos in Mexico, it’s got the lot. But watch out, you can work up a serious appetite just looking at the pictures. £12.11, Amazon.co.uk
Garlic gadget
It’s a Lovefood favourite and still tops our poll of kitchen gadgets that are actually useful. Yes, the Garlic Twist is a nifty little stocking filler that has a place in all utensil drawers. Pop in the garlic and (you’ve guessed it) twist, for perfectly minced cloves, no more garlicky smelling fingers that might put a dampener on a romantic Christmas. You can also use it for chillies and ginger, and don’t forget the chewing gum. £12.75, amazon.co.uk
Mix it up
The mixer of dreams, made even better by coloured stripes, the Kenwood kMix Firecracker is a kitchen showstopper worth splurging on. It’s got a five-litre bowl, whisk, beater that can mix up to 2.7kg of cake mix and a dough hook that will knead up to 1.3kg of bread dough, enough to keep the recipient busy, and you very well fed. The whole thing is dishwasher safe, it has eight speeds, including one specifically designed for whisking perfect egg-white peaks. Plus a splashguard, to keep things spic and span. £369, johnlewis.com
Tinsel taches
Bereft of the moustache fun of Movember? Recapture it with these cheeky moustache glasses, which have a different style of tache on each one. The moustaches are actually printed in 24-carat gold leaf, so even if it’s silly, your Christmas tipple will still retain a certain air of sophistication. £15, heals.com
Santa snacks
A prime I’ve-bought-this-for-you-but-it’s-really-for-me number, this shiny red mini-retro popcorn maker is far classier than its Argos or Cineplex counterparts. It can churn out bowl after bowl of pristine movie snacks to keep your hands and stomachs entertained throughout the deluge of Christmas day TV, and beyond. Plus it uses air instead of oil to pop the kernels, so it’s healthier. £29.99, www.gilesandposner.com
Grow your own
Pesto is one of those things that we all should make from scratch (it’s easy, right?) but rarely do. With this handy make your own pesto set from Secrets du Potager you can subtly push someone in the right direction. It includes basil and thyme seeds, a pestle and mortar, a metal marker for tracking the plants’ progress and, most importantly, the instructions of how to make the pesto at the end. £14.99, johnlewis.com
More festive foodie fun
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