36 Christmas Gift Ideas from Kavey Eats

Like many of you, I've been thinking about Christmas gifts – what I'd like to receive myself and what might make the perfect present for others.

Here are 36 ideas that I'd like to share with you… I hope some of them give you some inspiration for your own Christmas shopping or wish lists!

Doy Bags

I have two doy bags, a Banana Ketchup shopper and a larger Jungle Juice shopping bag, which I bought a few years ago and still use regularly. I always get smiles and comments when out and about with these sturdy bags and am often asked about them.

In a nutshell, doy bags are made from recycled doy packs (the small foil pouches which are most associated with Capri Sun here in the UK but are much more widely used in East Asia). They are collected, washed, prepared and sewn into products by a women's cooperative in the Philippines. Not only does the income help some of the most impoverished families in the region to improve their lives, it's also a model of environmentally friendly recycling.

Doy Bags also make desk tidies, aprons, purses and backpacks, coasters and Christmas ornaments.

Jar Tops

I love these clever jar tops from Dutch company, Royal VKB – they screw onto standard jars and transform them into useful household objects. Get creative and leave the labels on some of your favourite condiments and jams for an even funkier look.

Rachel Lucie Johns Handmade Jewellery

I went to sixth form college with Rachel over 20 years ago. When we recently re-connected online, I discovered that she is now based in Yorkshire where she designs and makes hauntingly beautiful jewellery using sterling silver, semi-precious stones and freshwater pearls. I covet more than half the collection, especially that Sahara necklace, top centre.

Salad Plant

These salad servers are disguised in plain sight as an attractive potted salad plant. I think they're rather adorable and would make a lovely gift for anyone who loves both cooking and gardening.

Love Bird Bowls by Prince Design

I found these beautiful love bird bowls by Prince Design when browsing through folksy.com – a site where makers of beautiful things can sell to an appreciative market. They also make some delightful hanging ornaments, based on similar designs.

John Lewis Picnic Tiffin Box

It's probably the Indian in me – countless memories of childhood picnics Indian style – but I think these stylish and modern tiffin boxes from John Lewis are gorgeous, available in bright and woodland colour schemes.

Lego Figures Ice Cube Tray

I know a surprisingly large number of people who I reckon would love this Lego Figures Ice Cube Tray!

Midori Photo Notebooks

I have an addiction to notebooks which I buy in copious amounts and squirrel away in a drawer for use as travel journals on my holidays. I reckon one of the reasons I have such itchy feet is the size of my notebook collection – I need to travel more to reduce the notebook mountain! I confess that I was first drawn to the Midori range, on The Journal Shop's fabulous website because I love that vibrant green melon liqueur of the same name but then spotted these inexpensive photo notebooks, several of which are ideal for food lovers.

Also worth checking out are Midori's leather bound traveller's notebooks and the CIAK ecological notebooks.

Fuller's Vintage Ales

Pete enjoyed his first Fuller's Vintage Ale (2004) earlier this year and is planning to buy some more vintages very soon. Available directly from Fuller's brewery shop, selected Waitrose stores and other stockists.

Pierre Hermé Macarons

If someone you know loves macarons and hasn't tried Pierre Hermes' beauties, get them a box and make their Christmas! Available in the UK from Selfridges food hall.

That's My Jam Watermelon Jelly

This watermelon jelly seems to ship only within the United States but I'm listing it for my US-based readers. I'm absolutely going to try and make my own watermelon jam next summer!

Hanne Rysgaard Ceramics

Bristol-based ceramicist Hanne Rysgaard produces these funky jugs in the shape of milk and juice cartons.I particularly like the floral designs.

Brown & Forrest Smoked Meat & Fish

I can personally vouch for Brown & Forrest's smoked black pudding, duck, eel, salmon, trout and more having tasted a wide selection during my visit earlier this year.

Catalan Cooking Classes

The inimitable, indomitable Rachel McCormack offers fun and informative Catalan cooking classes with lots of hands on experience and plenty of opportunity to ask questions, and much eating of good food. You'll hear rave reviews from everyone who's been lucky enough to have attended.

Elf Candle Holders

How can anyone resist these kitch little elf candle holders from CB2?

Lush Bath Melts and Ballistics

I've been a fan of Lush since they opened their first London shop many years ago. I love the kerplunk fizz of their bath ballistics but more commonly choose their luxurious bath melts, which are even kinder to my skin. A selection of ballistics are available in a handy gift tin. The bath melts haven't been incorporated into a similar selection box but if you pop into a store you can make up your own. My favourites are Dreamtime, Floating Island and You've Been Mangoed.

Imperia Pasta Machine

I've been coveting a pasta machine for ages, even though we have absolutely no space to keep one. I consistently read good things about the Imperia models such as this SP150, sold here with some attachments.

Gower Cottage Chocolate Brownies

After falling head over heels for these decadent, sinfully good chocolate brownies from Gower Cottage I have sent them as gifts to several family members and friends as birthday gifts, thank you gifts and general I-love-you gifts.

Gingerbread House Kit

I had great fun making my first ever gingerbread house this year but if you want to take the short cut, this kit from Lakeland might fit the bill.

Bodum Bistro Mug

Odd for one who likes her tea and coffee to cool down a fair bit before drinking, but I love the idea of double-walled glass mugs such as this one from Bodum.

Brays Cottage Pork Pies

Having met Sarah of Brays Cottage Pork Pies on twitter, I was very keen to try her much-raved about pork pies. Now I've done so, I can vouch in person for how very, very good they are. Available in small or humungous sizes, mail order.

Book Darts

I just won a set of these clever Book Darts on Fig Jam & Lime Cordial. They are precision-cut, paper-thin metal markers that can be used to mark pages in a book far more elegantly than my usual approach of scattered yellow sticky notes or, messier still, torn scraps of envelopes!

Paladone Happy Man Corkscrew

Yes, it's very obvious humour but it makes me giggle. Paladone Happy Men are also available as bottle stoppers and bottle openers.

Pong Cheese

If any of your friends love cheese even half as much as I do, they'll surely be delighted with a box of top quality cheese? I've ordered my own Christmas cheese selection from Pong for delivery a few days before Christmas, so I have put my money where my mouth is!

Fire & Knives

Look no further for top quality food writing than this quarterly publication, launched by food writer Tim Hayward last year. Aiming to showcase the best work by both established and new food writers - often pieces that would not be published elsewhere - Fire & Knives is not only a superb read but also a work of art for graphic design, printing and typography geeks.

Tiger Spices and Spice Mixes

I love Tiger stores! I'm lucky in that there's one just a few minutes walk from my house, which is just as well, since they don't have an online shop. If you can find a handy store to visit (most are in London), I recommend their fantastic value £1 packs of spices and spice mixes. Only a small fraction of the range is shown on the website – you'll be seeing some of the more interesting spice mixes here on Kavey Eats in January.

As well as spices look out for cute kitchen crockery and utensils, hobby craft items, storage solutions, kids toys and all kinds of random knick knacks, all at pretty low prices. I really like their owl design crockery, not listed on the website.

Wild Garlic Foraging Courses

It's no secret I'm a huge fan of Mat Follas' The Wild Garlic restaurant in Beaminster, Dorset. Last year I attended one of his land and sea shore foraging courses. He's offering an expanded range of courses for 2011, which are proving very popular.

My Cuppa Mugs

I love the idea of these tea and coffee mugs with colour strips along the inside to give guidance to friends and colleagues on just how you like your tea or coffee.

Ganesha Felt Decorations

I love the range of felt Christmas decorations from Ganesha, especially their snow leopards and ibexes.

Mamta's Kitchen Aprons

Yes, let me remind you that Mamta's Kitchen aprons are still available! Made by a catering industry clothing specialist, the bib apron we chose is made of heavy-weight 100% cotton. The corners are reinforced for strength and the anti-tangle ties are long enough to cross behind your back and tie around the front. We particularly like the generous width and length which provide more protection than other aprons we have tried. Even with the (beautifully detailed) embroidery, the apron can still be machine-washed at 40 degrees. A great gift for fans of the site!

Waitrose Cooks' Ingredients

I'm a big fan of the Waitrose Cook's Ingredients range – all those I've tried have been of excellent quality. A selection of these would make a great home-made hamper for anyone who loves to cook.

Inish Turk Beg Whiskey

To my surprise (since I don't usually care for whiskey or whisky) I found myself falling for Inish Turk Beg's single malt offering both on taste and because of the utterly gorgeous hand-blown bottle. ITB are based on an island off Ireland's West Coast, in County Mayo and this is their first whiskey. As a limited edition special, it's an expensive gift, but if you've been struggling for something for a very special someone, do take a look. I was able to sample the whiskey in Harvey Nichols, where there are tastings on offer of the whiskey and Inish Turk Beg's smoked fish products.

Williamson Elephant Tea Caddies

I will happily confess that it's the caddies I can't resist. I can't vouch for the tea, even though I own a couple of elephants, as I've still not actually tried it. But come on… elephant tea caddies! Available directly from Williamson or also stocked by John Lewis.

Teanamu Lychee Black

I can recommend many tea providers (including Lahloo, Rare Tea Company and Jing) but for a tea that I think suits Christmas particularly well, you can't do better than Teanamu's delicious lychee black. Whole leaf Congou black tea is scented with the fresh peel of ripe lychees and absorbs both the flavour and fragrance of the exotic fruit.

Check out the rest of the store for some beautiful clay tea pots.

Chocolates

I love chocolate and couldn't possibly narrow it down to one. Buy the tastiest treats from Artisan du Chocolat, Booja Booja, Chococo, Damian Allsop, Marc Demarquette, Gorvett & Stone, Matcha Chocolat, Melt, Paul A Young, Paul Wayne Gregory, Prestat, Rococo and William Curley.

Hot Water Bottles

I love hot water bottles. Much to Pete's despair, I use them not just in the coldest depths of winter but for half of autumn and spring as well! This site has showcases all the best hot water bottles and helped me track down these Blue Monster, Hello Kitty, Vagabond Owl, Penguin, Tea & Sympathy and Grumpy Chocolate great designs.

So, did I give you any ideas?! Do let me know if you buy (or receive) any of the gifts above!

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The Great Christmas Pudding Taste Test!

When I asked people what Christmas food (and drink) they most love and hate, Christmas pudding topped the list of hates.

Luckily, enough people love Christmas pudding for me to easily find a band of volunteers to taste test a random selection of 2010 Christmas puddings. When Sarah of Spoon PR kindly volunteered Spoon HQ as the venue, we were all set!

A couple of the puddings were sent to me for review. Some, I bought from supermarkets. My fellow tasters obtained a few more.

In the end, we tried only 8 of 13 puddings assembled – we just couldn't manage any more – but we did work our way through all those I had most wanted to review. One of those tested was a home-made pudding, which I'm not including in the main listing, as the test was intended to be shop-bought puddings only.

I can't claim that the test is scientifically very rigorous – we steamed three of the puddings for their allotted number of hours but the rest were microwave heated. And there are many, many, many puddings out there that we didn't include. But we had a great evening and, with ten of us judging, we got a decent and varied response to each pudding.

Here are the panel's scores (out of 10) and feedback, in reverse order:-

7th Place: Sainsbury's Basics

Price: £1.09
Size: 454 grams
Container: plastic

Heated: in microwave

Average score: 2.3
Lowest score: 0
Highest score: 4
My own score: 2

Comments: Held it's shape well, a paler colour than others, glossy, not much smell, stodgy and dense texture, very bland, tasteless, lacking in flavour or richness, lacking in spices, no booziness, a cheap, burnt sugar taste… some felt it had a lot of fruit, others that it didn't have enough, there were comments that there were lots of sultanas but not much of any other fruit, an orangey taste but flavouring not real fruit, it was "like a school pudd", it was "not much like the ghost of Christmas puddings past".

Despite the universally negative comments, all were impressed when the identity and very low price were revealed, especially as the pudding would likely be improved by being flambéed and served with brandy butter, cream or a good custard.

6th Place Pudding: Petersham Nurseries

Price: £28.50
Size: Listed as 1.4 kilos but not sure this is correct, as didn't seem that large
Container: real pudding bowl

Heated: steamed

Average score: 3.7
Lowest score: 0
Highest score: 6
My own score: 3

Ingredients: This was a very natural pudding with an ingredients list of suet, raisins, currants, sultanas, breadcrumbs, muscovado sugar, candied peel, Armagnac, lemon, orange, nutmeg, cinnamon plus flour, milk, free range eggs and salt.

Comments: Pale colour, lots of spice in the smell, smells of nutmeg, an odd medicinal tang, spongy texture, dry and cakey, no obvious taste of booze, plenty of fruit, fruity but not cohesive, rather bland, flavour too subtle, tasteless, strange flavour, meatiness!, distinctly unrich, coats the inside of the mouth, strange aftertaste.

Virtually everyone's comments included the word "bland" and when the identity and price were revealed, opinions went down further given the high price and the provenance.

5th Place Pudding: Forman & Field Vintage

Price: £14.95
Size: 454 grams
Container: real pudding bowl

Heated: steamed

Average score: 3.9
Lowest score: 2
Highest score: 6.5
My own score: 6

Ingredients: Another appealingly natural ingredients list including soft brown sugar, free range eggs, apricots, raisins, sultanas, currants, beef suet, natural breadcrumbs, apples, carrots, flour, mixed peel, almonds, hazelnuts, brown ale, navy rum, scotch whisky, orange, lemon, mixed spices, nutmeg, ginger, salt.

Comments: Very difficult to get out of the bowl without breaking, not very glossy, a reddish colour, looks good, seville orange marmalade smell, smells oranges and apples, smells of citrus, sticky, stodgy, gooey, the booziness tastes orangey, not very rich or complex in flavour, too much orange, tastes like marmalade, very sickly, too sweet, fruit doesn't come through well (apart from orange), not much booze, a bit heavy on sultanas, too orangey.

More than one person commented on the apples and oranges smell and several mentioned marmalade when trying to pin down the taste. Most of the panel liked the smell but were not keen on the taste.

Note: With the Forman & Field pudding came a huge jar of brandy cream. Flecked with vanilla and generous with the brandy this was (almost) universally appreciated and got a huge thumb's up. The only criticism of the cream was that it was a touch too thin and runny.

4th Place Pudding: Tesco Finest

Price: £12.00
Size: 907 grams
Container: plastic

Heated: microwaved

Average score: 5.2
Lowest score: 3
Highest score: 8
My own score: 6.5

Ingredients: The ingredients list is enormous, far too long to give you all of it, but includes vine fruits, sugar, glacé fruit topping, Courvoisier cognac, apricot, nut topping, brandy, vegetable oil, cherries, cider, almonds, free range eggs, pecans, sugar, glucose-fructose syrup, orange peel, humectant, molasses, yeast, vintage Port, single cream, lemon peel, mixed spice, vinegar, lemon oil, orange oil, plus colouring, emulsifier, preservatives, acidity regulator, flour treatment agent.

Comments: This pudding resulted in lots of oohs and aahs on sight.

Citrus perfume, sticky in places, in others quite dry, lots of fruits and nuts but they don't seem to blend very harmoniously, the candied orange is nice, gooey and gluey, squidgy, boozy, sticky on top but bland on bottom, more fruity than spicy, lots of fruit including cherries, big chunks of cherries and candied orange, too much on top and not enough in the pudding, "this is what Christmas pudding should be like" (taste), nice at first but soapy aftertaste, dressed up, bejewelled, "show stopping looks", "the next top model of puddings".

It's definitely a "wow factor" pudding with it's glacé fruit, nut and candied peel topping. That said, most didn't feel this was a "proper" Christmas pudding, despite how good it looked.

3rd Place Pudding: Lidl Deluxe

Price: £2.99
Size: 454 grams
Container: plastic

Heated: microwaved

Average score: 5.6
Lowest score: 3
Highest score: 8
My own score: 5.5

Ingredients: The ingredients list is oddly presented with the most appealing ingredients highlighted in bold through the full list which includes various vine fruits, almonds, demerara sugar, breadcrumbs, vegetable oil, glacé cherries, candied citrus peel, lemon peel, cream, flour, egg, pecans, cider, brandy, sherry, Cognac, rum, barley malt extract, salt and spices.

Comments: I was keen to include this pudding in our review after hearing that it came top in the Which? consumer review of Christmas puddings.

Good round shape, slightly broken, dark colour, fruit and nuts showing, glossy, a metallic smell, liking the texture, crumbly and cakey, grainy, too sticky, mealy, generous fruit content, whole cherries and whole nuts, lots of full uncut fruit, feels quite luxurious with the chunks of cherries and almonds, taste caramel, rich and boozy, tastes boring, quite rich, slightly sickly, cheap nuts, sweet and rich, sweetness comes from sugar not from fruit, the nuts give a nice crunch but no flavour at all, not enough spice, coats the roof of the mouth, lacking something – maybe citrus?

With the exception of one panel member who gave it a 3 this pudding scored 5 or above from every other taster. When the identity and price was revealed, people were even more impressed with it's great value.

2nd Place Pudding: Marks & Spencer The Collection

Price: £6.99
Size: 454 grams
Container: plastic

Heated: microwaved

Average score: 7.6
Lowest score: 5
Highest score: 9
My own score: 8

Ingredients: A long list including dried vine fruits, demerara sugar, brandy, breadcrumbs, pecan nuts, brandy soaked cherries, cognac, ruby port, stout, Chilean flame raisins, vegetable suet, wheat flour, free range eggs, dried sweetened cranberries, humectant, almonds, orange and lemon peel, molasses, single cream, candied orange peel, ground spices.

Comments: Nicely rounded, lovely shape, looks chunky, pale, fruit and nuts clearly visible, not a strong smell but pleasant, smells of brandy, smells boozy, good texture – not too heavy, firm and dense, slightly dry, can taste brandy booze, can taste the almonds, pecans and cranberries, not enough fruit, lots of fruit, really chunky, huge chunks of nuts, nuts too whole, plenty of nuts, too much orange, too rich, not too sweet, not very complex in flavour, not very boozy, a good balance of flavours, not too rich but rich enough.

This pudding smelled boozier than it tasted. The flavours of the various ingredients melded together better than most of the other puddings and it got the balance right in terms of richness of texture too. By weight, priced similarly to the first place pudding, everyone felt it was a good price for a good pudding. This was a great all rounder and a close second.

1st Place Pudding: Heston from Waitrose Hidden Orange Christmas Pudding

Price: £13.99
Size: 1.2 kilos
Container: plastic

Heated: steamed

Average score: 8.1
Lowest score: 6
Highest score: 10
My own score: 9

Ingredients: The candied orange in the centre contains an orange (obviously!), sucrose, wheat glucose syrup and preservatives. The pudding contains vine fruits, demerara sugar, cider, breadcrumbs, palm oil, glacé cherries, single cream, whisky, wheat flour, concentrated orange juice, brandy, candied mixed peel, rum, walnuts, molasses, pecan nuts, mixed spice, salt and orange oil.

Comments: This pudding couldn't really be tasted anonymously, since everyone and his dog knows about the hidden orange at its centre!

Slipped out of bowl very easily, shiny, rounded, texture is very very soft, falls apart, loose, hard to cut neatly as so soft, as you cut into the orange, lots of thick orange syrup escapes, gooey, beautiful candied orange, feared orange would be too sweet but isn't, very fruity, gorgeous orange pieces, superbly moist, crunchy and moist, appears simple then is fabulous, plenty of fruit, an even spread of fruit, chunky nuts, not very boozy, not too heavy, lovely depth of flavours, stunning, rich, light but flavourful, love orange and nutty taste.

I think the panel unanimously loved the orange inside, not only for the spectacle but also for it's flavour and for the moistness its syrup added to the pudding.

With all the media coverage about this pudding – stores running out and crazy bids on ebay – I wasn't alone in wondering whether the pudding could possibly live up to the hype. It did!

Generous though I may have been to share my precious Heston pudding with the tasters, I did selfishly save the leftovers with which I shall be making some Christmas pudding ice-cream. So I will get to enjoy some of it on Christmas day too!

Honourable Mention: Andy's Home-made Nigel Slater Pudd

Many thanks to Andy for sending one of his home-made puddings for us to taste. It scored a very respectable 6.6 putting it behind only Waitrose/Heston and M & S.

Thanks again to my tasting panel: Becca, Chloe, Helen, Jen, Matt, May, Sarah C, Sarah M and Sue.

I hope you've enjoyed my mini Christmas pudding review. And yes, I know, fat lot of good the results are to you given that the first place pudding is no longer available! But I hope the second and third place puddings will give you food for thought!

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