Foodie Christmas Gift Guide

Can you believe it's that time of year again! How quickly does the time go?! If you're not quite in the festive spirit yet then hopefully today's post should get you feeling the warms of Christmas and excited to tick off names on your gift list. Over the last few weeks, I have been collating a selection of my favourite foodie gifts that would delight any grub-lover like me. From low-sugar jams from the London Jam Factory to state-of-the-art Magimix blenders, there's something for everyone in this edit.

The London Jam Factory 

The London Jam Factory is helping you add a little sugar to your festive gifting with a luxurious box selection of home-made artisan jams, including four striking flavour combinations: Mango & Passionfruit, Fig & Cinnamon, Cherry, Raspberry & Rose and the newly launched delectable Raspberry & Champagne.

At £25 for the set, the preserves use the finest quality seasonal fruit and are beautifully packaged in a presentation box, ready to be popped under the Christmas tree with the mere addition of a pretty ribbon. Lovingly produced in the company’s Islington kitchen, quite unusually the jams are handmade using more fruit than sugar, with exotic and unusual fruits and spices designed to delight the palate.

Mighty Fine Honeycomb 

Looking for something more luxurious than your average chocolate orange or coins this Christmas? Mighty Fine’s range of honeycomb shards dipped in luxurious chocolate flavours is the ideal festive sweet treat with a difference.

Made by hand in the company’s London kitchen, Mighty Fine’s Honeycomb Dips (90g; £3.50) with five or six chocolate dipped honeycomb shards are a fantastic stocking filler for everyone from the Dad who’s difficult to buy for to the foodie in your life. They also come in an array of eight flavours - Milk Chocolate, Peanut Butter, 70% Dark Chocolate, Salted Caramel, Summer Orange, Strawberries & Cream, Lemon Tart and Straight Up - meaning you can hand pick the perfect pack to impress come Christmas Day!

For twice the treats, Mighty Fine’s Honeycomb Boxes (220g; £8.95) come pre-packed in beautiful gold patterned outers ready to be popped under the Christmas tree. With flavours including creamy Milk Chocolate, Peanut Butter, 70% Dark Chocolate and Salted Caramel, and costing less than a tenner, they are a great secret Santa present to wow your work colleagues, or a lovely additional present for one of your family. 

Bourne and Hollingsworth

In January 2016, one of London's favourite food and drink brands, Bourne and Hollingsworth Group is launching B&H Kitchen, a brand new cookery school hosted by executive chef, Adam Gray. Offering a practical insight into the specialist techniques and ingredient knowledge of an expert chef, Gray’s tutorials bought as a gift will be a treat for any skill level of foodie wanting to learn the likes of bread baking, sausage making and how to cook the perfect steak.

Jay Rayner's Dining Hell

I actually attended the first tour earlier this year and found Jay's dark comedy and passionate approach to bad restaurants absolutely hilarious. Tickets for renowned restaurant critic Jay Rayner’s 2016 nationwide tours – My Dining Hell and A Night of Food and Agony – will offer evenings of foodie entertainment to look forward to in the new year. The former will see Jay discuss our love affair with lousy restaurant reviews while the latter will entertainingly combine Jay’s flair for storytelling and acerbic wit with a hitherto hidden talent as a jazz pianist.

Cuisson 

Bespoke dining company Cuisson are offering gift vouchers for the full POP-Down experience. Taking place at the Vaults, Cuisson’s interactive supper club provides the amateur foodie with an opportunity to channel their culinary ambitions. Guests are invited to assist the chefs when plating up their dishes and learn to garnish with flair

The Savoy

Feeling fancy this Christmas. Well, in the new year, the senior bartenders from the American Bar at The Savoy will pamper our fascination with the processes, ingredients and techniques involved in concocting world famous cocktails in their cocktail masterclasses. These events will teach guests how to make drinks from the American Bar’s historic repertoire of innovative cocktails as well as an insight into the history of the spirits used.

Mac & Wild's Festive Feast 

This December Mac & Wild will be celebrating Christmas with a whole month of yuletide treats. Mac & Wild will be offering two festive feasts with Caorumm Gin cocktails on arrival and an array of delicious Scottish delicacies, perfect to revive, refresh and reinvigorate you after a long day Christmas shopping.

In keeping with Mac & Wild’s roots, venison will feature heavily on both menus with dishes including the award-winning Venimoo Burger and Venison Chateaubriand. To round off the fantastic festive menu, there will a dessert fit for Santa Clause himself, Sticky Toffee Pudding, which will have you shouting ho ho ho from the rooftops.

Tel: 020 7637 0510Web:www.macandwild.co.uk

Wringer & Mangle
This December London Fields latest edition to the drinking and dining scene, Wringer & Mangle will be throwing open their doors, shouting ho ho ho and offering a set menu fit for Mr and Mrs Clause. Wringer & Mangle have the perfect festive feast to get you in the mood for Christmas and have you rocking around the tree.
Dishes on the Yuletide menu include haunch of venison, traditional roast goose with all the trimmings and, marvelous mince pies and a creative Christmas pudding with brandy custard. For a traditional Christmas dinner with an East London twist, there is nowhere more merry than Wringer & Mangle.
W: http://www.wringerandmangle.co.uk/
Tel: 020 3457 7285

Buon Natale at Bistro by Shot

Bistro by Shot will be getting into the festive spirit this year with a creative Christmas menu that will have you singing Buon Natale as you feast on an array of delicious Italian-inspired delicacies.

The merry menu will feature three courses and a glass of prosecco for just £35 and dishes will include guinea fowl terrine with pistachio and kumquat, ravioli of mushrooms, monkfish tail with saffron vegetables and bûche de noel.
Website: www.bistrobyshot.com
Tel: 0207 371 7533

Bake Box

Bake Box is the brand new subscription box designed for blossoming bakers to build up a brilliant repertoire of new skills as well as a collection of great baking equipment. Bake Box will be the first of its kind available in the UK and includes recipe cards for 6 stunning bakes and the tools needed to transform any cake into a showstopper.

Learn the tricks of the trade and to bake like a pro with each bi-monthly delivery including: at least 6 specially curated bakeware items, decorating kits from Rainbow Dust and complimentary access to Bake Club Live. Bake Box won’t break the bank either. At £14.99 per month, it’s great value for money as each box contains at least £40 worth of equipment. 

Tassimo

For the perfect gift this Christmas, why not choose an adorable yet ultra technical Tassimo brewer. With different brewer styles and colours available, as well as a vast range of top brands and hot drinks to suit every taste, the choices are endless. 

Tassimo Caddy: The stylish brewer houses two holders, each offering space for up to 16 T-Discs and the ability to add an additional six holders to the machine. The Tassimo Caddy is perfect for those hot drink fans that love to have a wide range of T-Discs at their fingertips.

The Tassimo Suny: Add a splash of colour to your life with the chic Tassimo Suny, which is available in Autumn Red, Pacific Blue or Midnight Black. This stylish brewer is the ultimate gift for those in a hurry. Simply press your cup against the Smart Start button, and watch the Tassimo Suny make coffees, teas, chocolates, and more, creating the perfect drink every time.

The Tassimo Vivy: Thanks to its petite stylish size and compact design, the perfectly formed Tassimo Vivy is ideal for those who desire a more compact machine. Not only is this efficient brewer shorter in depth but has been carefully designed to fit into the snuggest of corners making it the ultimate choice for those where space is at a premium.

R&B Distillers 

R&B Distillers are offering a great high-end gift idea for whisky aficionados - membership to their Na Tùsairean club.The inaugural 100 casks will be bottled exclusively for Na Tùsairean club members who will receive one bottle each year for ten years, gradually building up a rare collection of R&B Whisky. Members will also receive miniature so they can experience a dram of the whisky without breaking into their collectors bottle. Membership costs £599 so is an extra special present for your closest loved ones. 

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REVIEW: Sutton & Sons, Essex Road

I am chuffed to be reviewing the lovely Sutton & Sons again, and as I have been instructed by the manager to say - GO VISIT THE NEW LOCATION! Earlier this year Alex and I visited the original Stoke Newington branch of Sutton & Sons and the latest venture on the Essex Road does not disappoint. They have taken the delightful Stokey menu and simply moved it over to the new location, which I am sure will perfectly suit the semi-hipster crowd there. 

Where
Sutton and Sons, Essex Road
When
Saturday afternoon, from 12 noon
What we drank
4 mugs of tea, (because why not)
What we ate

• Butternut squash and goat's cheese pie with chips and gravy
• Lobster roll with gherkins and chips

Highlights

• Once again, my experience at Sutton and Sons was just delightful! I am a huge fish 'n' chips lover and Sutton & Son's are the best in London. I certainly hope the team intend to open more across North and Central London.
• My pie was full of butternut squash and goats cheese which made a lovely vegetarian alternative to actual fish or a meat pie. Don't get me wrong, until my change of diet I would have devoured a beef and ale pie, but I am very happy with this veggie version. 
• Both my and Alex's chips were lovely and not at all greasy. There was plenty of crisp to my chips and the flavour was delicious.

• Alex loved the lobster roll, which is incredible as he has never eaten lobster before and normally hates seafood. The super-soft brioche bun offered a change in texture against the gherkins and sweet lobster meat.
• I also love, love, loved the sweet and meaty onion gravy! My Northern friends have been teasing me since this visit about my love of gravy and chips. The gravy had plenty of sweet onions to amp up the flavour which worked well against the pillowly soft inner chips.

Overall, there's absolutely no reason that any north or east Londoner shouldn't visit Sutton and Sons. The new location has tonnes of seating with the downstairs area available for private parties. Alex and I had the though that we could host our wedding at the chip shop! Can you imagine. Definitely go visit the new location and let me know what you think. 

Thank you so much to Sutton and Son's for hosting us for this visit. Tweet to @elliemathews1

Around London in 50 Breakfasts: Rocket, Bishopsgate

Normally serving up unique Neopolitan Pizza & Californian style grills & salads, my brunch invitation to Rocket in Bishopsgate was rather unexpected. And I think this may have been the case for the restaurant too as we had the place to ourselves. Not that I'm complaining - I got to quiz our waitress on the best dishes and thank the chef personally for my breakfast. Don't people normally pay a tonne of cash for this? 

Taking notes from the Italian inspired day menu, Rocket are offering an amazing Prosecco brunch exclusive to the Bishopsgate location. When you order a main course from the a la carte or brunch menu then you are eligible to enjoy unlimited Prosecco, Bellinis or Bloody Mary's for just £15. Pretty good deal huh? It's available every Saturday from 11am-2pm and is a great idea for getting the girls together over some delicious food and unlimited food. Plus, they offer breakfast pizzas - yes FOR REAL. Enjoy today's review.

Where

Rocket, Bishopsgate

When

Saturday, 11am - 12 noon

What we drank

• 2x cappuccinos
• Sparkling water (one of us was hungover as hell)

What we ate

• 1 croissant
• 1 pain aux chocolat
• 2 vegetarian breakfasts (one with mushrooms and tomatoes, one without)

Highlights

• The brunch menu at Rocket is short and concise but with a few a surprises, including the breakfast pizza. Although we were tempted we opted for the vegetarian breakfasts instead. Diners can also chose form the a la carte menu is nothing takes their fancy.
• I found my breakfast very naughty and yet very comforting. The eggs were perfectly fried with deep yellow yolks which worked gorgeously with the grilled halloumi. The hash brown and beans were both fine but nothing special.
• My guest's grilled mushroom brought a really meaty touch to the vegetarian plate, which is something meat eaters would appreciate.
• Both coffees were strong and arrived at drinking temperature.

Lowlights

• We were only given white toast and not offered brown, granary or an Italian-led alternative. This was disappointing and I sadly am really not a fan of white toast. I think this was the first time in about three years I have eaten white toast.
• I found both the pastries dry and unappealing - I would have preferred something Italian such an cream filled cannelloni or a slice of panettone, rather than the sad pastries we had. Sorry to sound rude but I was just confused by these. 

Overall, would I head back to the Rocket brunch? Probably not - however I would be keen to try out the day menu. I think perhaps this was a step into the trendy brunch crowd that Rocket just didn't need to take? Around the City area is dead at the weekends and this offering may be better suited to the Holborn location - just my opinion.

Thank you Rocket for hosting us. 

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Around London in 50 Breakfasts: Barnyard, Charlotte Street

Charlotte Street in Fitzrovia is known for is fabulous restaurants and bustling atmosphere. The area plays host to many independent and small-scale food business which perfectly suit the creative crowd. Barnyard, situated halfway along Charlotte Street, is a great match for the area with a fun twist - the whole restaurant is literally converted into the inside of a barn. From corrugated iron panels on the walls to the busted-up wood detailing throughout, one is transported from busy central London to the country inns of America. Thank god there's waffles.

The key theme at Barnyard is the friendly, relaxed atmosphere. Tables are arrange into twos and fours but with a higgle-de-piggle-de effect with multiply layers to the space. The Americana them continues with the mis-matched mugs, vintage glasswear and enamel crockery. All of this is quite surprising as Barnyard is the second venture of Ollie Dabbous - a famously modernist foraging chef. Barnyard appears to be the antithesis of Dabbous, with focal dishes of waffles with banana and huge dollops of natural yoghurt with honeycomb. However, there is a precision to every dish: the flavours may sing of the deep south, hearty food that yo mama makes, but the precision in each dishes presentation and the key attention to detail throughout explain the Dabbous connection perfectly.

I was kindly invited to visit for a second brunch (I had previously visited ahead of the new Winter menu), and have to say I was mighty impressed. Within two weeks of my first visit, Barnyard had transformed into a restaurant that I would visit again and again for it's bold flavours and hearty breakfasts. Enjoy today's review. 

Where

Barnyard, Charlotte Street

When

Saturday morning, 11am-12:30pm

What we drank

• 2x cappucinos
• 2x Bloody Mary's

What we ate

• Brioche toast with butter, Marco Polo and raspberry jam
• Lobster roll 
• Warm potted shrimp salad
• Corn waffles with banana and smoked butter 

Highlights

• Firstly this visit was a huge move on from my previous brunch. The brunch menu is split into smaller and larger dishes, making the plates ideal to share with the table. Although this could be made clearer, I definitely found the general food atmosphere much more appealing.
• My Bloody Mary certainly had a kick - this stuff would wake the dead. Seriously.
• The coffee was once again rich, creamy and bold in its flavour. These arrived warm and freshly sprinkled with chocolate, which I normally don't like but it was fine in this instance.
• I loved the soft, sweet brioche toast with Marco Polo (a plum jam) and raspberry jam. Both jams were clearly made at the restaurant and didn't have that overwhelming sugar-y flavour.
• The natural yoghurt with thyme, honeycomb and EVOO was a real highlight for me. I loved the savoury and sweet combination of flavours and the mix of textures was great too. It need a dipping element of some sort though - I ended up layering it up with jam and toast.

• For our bigger breakfast dishes, my guest and I shared the lobster roll and the warm potted shrimp salad. What's more decadent that having lobster for brunch!?
• The lobster roll was sweet and moorish while the warm potted shrimp salad had a notably meatier flavour. This was needed as I think too much fish may have been overwhelming.

 Lowlight - Yes only one!

OK, I hate to do this, but I found the waffle really, really unappealing. Alex had this at our previous visit, and the maple syrup and smoked butter were served on the side. In this instance, the maple syrup and smoked butter had been combined into a very strange paste that was served atop the waffles. The banana and waffle alone was amazing, but because the paste was on top is was hard to avoid. I think because the smoked flavour evokes ideas of smoked salmon for me, that alongside banana was really not enjoyable :( Please go back to serving these separately - it was delicious that time!

Overall, I was delighted to have been invited to re-visit Barnyard. In general the experience was really lovely and the team took good care of us. The food is comforting and warming but with notes of high-quality restaurants which was nice. Go visit!

Thank you Barnyard for hosting us. 
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REVIEW: Ma Petite Jamaica, Camden Town

MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT TIME. I have a new obsession; Caribbean food. As a vegetarian, flavour is absolutely essential to me. I do not have the umami flavours of meat to excite my palate so have come to rely on beautiful spicing and fresh flavours - enter, Caribbean food, and in this instance specially Jamaican food. Oh my god, you haven't tasted anything until you've had Jamaican grub. It's more than just jerk chicken; think ackee and saltfish, amazing Rasta salads with corn, avocado and mango or the iconic goat curry! SO GOOD.

In case you didn't get the vibe from the above paragraph, today's review is a pretty lively one. I haven't been treated to Jamaican food before and in fact Ma Petite Jamaica is London's first Caribbean diner with a strong resturant focus, rather than a take away focus. It has 'some of the finest Jamaican food' available throughout the night as well as authentic rums and colourful cocktails. With Winter well and truly smashing in our front doors, these sunshine flavours make for joyful eating. Enjoy today's review - I loved eating it! 

Where

Ma Petite Jamaica, Camden Town

When

Friday night, 8pm - 10:30pm

What we drank

• 1 Rumapolitan 
• 1 Bird of Paradise
• 2 beers

What we ate

• Starters: Ackee and saltfish fritters, Lamb fritters (Alex ate these), Rasta salad, Salt fish fritters
• Mains: Jerk Chicken Roti, Jerk Red Snapper from the Jerk Pit

Highlights

• Both cocktails were fantastically sweet and bold with their alcohol. I loved my Rumapolitan which is extra great (amazing grammar there), as I normally hate Cosmos. Wooh for rum!!
• The ackee and saltfish fritters had a really strong and distinctive flavour which I think may put some people off, but we loved it!
• The lamb patties were deep in flavour with just the right amount of heat to top things off. You could tell the lamb had been cooked slowly with plenty of love.
• I found the fritters a little dry, however alongside the mango chutney these were really tasty. The mango chutney is definitely more of an Indian condiment but it worked perfectly with the salt fish.
• The rasta salad was really fresh with bright and bold flavours from the mango, pineapple and avocado. I could eat bowls and bowls of this stuff. 

Highlights, continued

• My main course of red snapper was really well cooked with a sweet and spicy sauce. The fish was still soft and had a crisp skin which worked perfectly with the wet sauce. I found the stir fried vegetables lovely as they still had plenty of crunch. I was unbiased on the rice.
• My side of macaroni cheese was DELICIOUS. We have been craving mac'n'cheese for weeks now so I am so happy to have kicked the craving. Dryer than I expected, the dish arrived as two slabs of macaroni in a cheese sauce - almost like two slices of cake. I would have preferred a wetter dish in a bowl, but hey it was tasty. 
• The flavour to the jerk chicken, once you got past the blasting heat, was really nice with plenty of levels to work through. As our waiter said, 'you'll never get a cold after eating this'.... well you said it mate. 

Lowlights

• My main course was supposed to come with coleslaw, rice 'n' peas and fried plantain. Although plain rice arrived, none of the other accompanying pieces did. This was very disappointing.Turns out, although I asked for the Red Snapper from the pit, I was actually served snapper with basmati rice and stir fried vegetables. Considering we spent a lot of time speaking with our very nice waitress, this is a massive oversight. Although the dish was very tasty, I would have been much, much happier with the dish I asked for.
• It could have been made clearer that Alex's filled roti was more of a curry dish with roti for dipping. 
• Finally the tap water we asked for never arrived. 

Overall I really cannot wait to visit Ma Petite Jamaica again. Understandably for such a new restaurant, there are plenty of kinks to work out, especially on the speed and accuracy of service. But the food is pretty much faultless; the flavours are bold, the portion sizes generous and the overall feeling very positive. The team at Ma Petite Jamaica are so friendly and willing to talk through their favourite dishes, so make sure to have a chat with them. Give it a few months and this place will be rammed all the time. 

Thank you to Ma Petite Jamaica for hosting us.
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Around London in 50 Breakfasts: Halva, Fulham Road

Halva, a super-cute bakery and patisserie on the Fulham Road, was the location for this weekend's brunch. As Alex has been out of town I have taken these last few weekends as opportunities to catch up with my girlfriends, especially those involved in the wedding. What's better than indulging in delicious pastries and discussing bridesmaid dresses? Nothing!!

'Halva', in Middle Eastern culture, means something sweet and Halva the bakery brings this sweet flavour to the Fulham Road. Closer to Parson's Green than it is to Fulham Broadway, Halva is ideally placed for local custom rather than the bustling main space of Fulham Broadway. Halva serves up warm and fragrant pastries all day alongside bespoke cakes, award-winning bread and hearty lunches. The cafe area serves fresh coffee, refreshing teas and even matcha lattes (much to my delight!). Enjoy today's very sweet review. 

Where
Halva, Fulham road

When

Saturday, 11 am onwards

What we ate

• 1 goats cheese and tomato croissant, 1 pain-aux-chocolat, 1 orange and cranberry Danish, 2 choquettes, 1 coconut and mango cake and 1 carrot cake slice

What we drank

• 1 matcha latte, 1 fresh summer fruit smoothie, 2 cappuccinos

Highlights

• The interior is lovely and cosy, with hanging lights and old wooden chairs- like a mix of modern and vintage which I love.
• There is an open kitchen out the back which is surrounded by floor to ceiling glass windows. As ever it is nice to see the chef at work!
• There are plenty of beautiful pastries on show and stunning cakes to tempt your paletee
• Our coffee was warming and fresh without the sharp, bitter kick which can put me off. The milk was perfectly frothed too.
• I adored the little choquettes - which are round pastries made from the same dough as eclairs, dotted with sugar cubes. Sweet, small and a lovely treat to kick off breakfast.
• I also loved the goats cheese and tomato croissant which was bursting with gorgeous French flavours. The salty goats cheese worked perfectly alongside the sweet tomato and the pastry was slightly soggy inside - which I loved.

• For 'dessert' we enjoyed a small coconut and mango cake and a single slice of carrot cake. These were both absolutely delicious with a stunning balance of sweet flavours with hints of savoury which helped to balance the palette. The coconut cake had a lovely soft texture with shredded coconut on the outside to give crunch. The disk of mango and white chocolate was also quite delicious. 

Lowlights

• Initially, no menu was provided but later I learned there is no menu! As a new guest at the restaurant, it would have been great to know what they serve for breakfast and brunch.
• The matcha latte was not very well mixed so I had little dots of powder throughout the drink which was not nice.
• I also found the orange flavour in the orange and cranberry Danish quite bitter and a little overwhelming - this may be a case of personal preference, though. 

Thank you to Halva for having us at this brunch.

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