From cookery courses and chocolate workshops to freshly baked pastries and foraged condiments – meet the perfect gifts for gourmets
Gilbert & Swayne’s chocolate-making course
This one-day course is a lovely intimate affair for groups of up to six people, running for five to six hours including lunch and a glass of wine. On the course itself, students learn how to temper, fill and decorate Fairtrade, single-origin chocolate, making them the perfect experiential gift for budding or seasoned chefs.
Attendees can experiment with innovative ganache fillings infused with fresh herbs and spices, they can also get creative with decorative touches to personalise their sweet creations. Choc fiends finish the day with a super generous haul of 70 handmade chocolates in their bag, all beautifully packaged – perfect for re-gifting or scoffing throughout January, there’s no judgement here.
Farm Shop foraged condiments gift box
Breathe new life into any fridge-raid meal or weekend-leftovers feast with an original and tangy accompaniment. Somerset’s Farm Shop has just the answer, with its newly launched range of condiments, ideal for festive cheese boards and Christmas-roast leftovers.
Curated by in-house forager Kenny, the gift box includes quince and crab apple chutney, beetroot and horseradish chutney, pickled walnuts, rowan berry jelly and wild garlic meat seasoning – all made with locally foraged ingredients from the hedgerows, woodlands and riverbanks of their farm.
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Da Bara Bakery’s breakfast box
Freshly baked, carby delights are ideal for brunch-loving, pastry-obsessed cherished ones. Baked in Truro and couriered overnight to any address across mainland UK, this box is light on fuss and heavy on butter.
The selection box includes a white sourdough, two croissants, two pains au chocolats and four of the cafe’s cult cinnamon buns – a Food Lifestyle team fave. Each flaky bun is slathered in cinnamon butter and showered with cinnamon-spiked sugar for the ultimate winter indulgence.
High Grange’s fire school
Cooking-over-fire geeks will love this smokin’ hot immersive course as a pressie. Held at High Grange’s woodland kitchen overlooking Devon’s rolling hills, the course welcomes keen fire-starters and curious novices alike.
On the day, they learn to cook everything from fresh shellfish to hefty cuts of meat using a range of barbecuing and smoking techniques under the guidance of seasoned fire-wielder Luke Mackay. Throughout the day, guests practice butchery, discover how to prep ingredients, dig roasting pits and then happily retire to feast under the trees on the day’s delicious yield.
Book here.
The Country Crib’s teak scoop
For friends who appreciate small luxuries in the kitchen, these handcrafted grain spoons – made from reclaimed teak – make the perfect stocking filler for a foodie. The 25ml scoop is perfect for measuring grains, nuts, seeds, tea or any other loose ingredients in the heart of the home.
Crafted from durable, food-safe teak, each spoon is unique and full of individual charm, making them a simple pleasure for any discerning home cook.
Like 5 of the best gifts for gourmets? Check out our round-up of gifts for coffee lovers.
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