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Buying for a food and drink fan this Christmas? These are the gifts they will be genuinely pleased to unwrap…

Gifting can be tricky, the last thing anyone wants to do is spend money on something that gathers dust in a corner. Our Christmas gift guide will help to ensure that your gift is both loved and used, we’ve got ideas for all budgets and tastes.

Gift: Pre-mixed spices set

Best for: Busy lifestyles

Budget: £

For busy home cooks who love experimenting with flavours these sets will really appeal. There are loads of options out there. Examples include a mix that’s great for coffee with ground almonds, cinnamon and nutmeg or a beef stew seasoning with rosemary, thyme, smoked paprika, celery seed and cayenne pepper. Want to up the personalisation? Make your own mix and gift it in a pretty jar.

Gift: Silicone splatter mats

Best for: Students and people with expensive worktops

Budget: £

If lids to pans are in short supply and there’s a lot of messy cooking going on, a silicone splatter guard can be a helpful (if deeply unsexy) gift. Lightweight, heat-proof and versatile, these are useful in the microwave as well as on the hob. A model with holes to let steam penetrate and a good microwave-safe handle is a must.

Gift: Hot sauces

Best for: Spice fans

Budget: £

How about a selection of hot sauces from around the world? Choose sauces with a range of chillies and heats to add a different type of kick to their dishes. Want to swap worldwide for local? There are lots of regional hot sauce producers throughout the UK.

Gift: Seasonal calendar

Best for: Conscious cooks

Budget: £

It can be hard to keep track of which fruit and veg is in season when, but a nice seasonal eating calendar will help. Many have beautiful pictures or illustrations to brighten up your kitchen, too!

Gift: Recipe folder

Best for: Sentimental cooks

Budget: £

Keep track of your favourite family recipes in a recipe folder. Add recipes passed down from generations so that they never get lost.

Gift: Loose leaf tea and a tea strainer

Best for: Tea-holics

Budget: £-££

Have you ever opened a tea bag? It contains very tiny grains of tea which brew very quickly. But when you buy good loose-leaf tea, you get much larger leaves and natural flavourings such as bergamot flowers in Earl Grey, or pieces of dried fruit zest. With a single cup strainer, you can make a brew that’s a cut above - and there’s no plastic tea bag waste either. The leaves can go straight into the compost.

Gift: Children’s cooking set

Best for: Tiny sous chefs

Budget: ££

‘Can I help?’ is a question many young children ask when their grown ups are trying to cook. So, by getting them their own equipment, you’ll be indulging their interests and helping them to learn kitchen skills early. You can buy safe knives, chopping boards, mixing bowls and wooden spoons, all the right size for their little hands.

Gift: Fancy kitchen knife

Best for: Keen cooks

Budget: ££

High-quality knives are a joy to use and make your everyday cooking experience better. They can last a lifetime too, so are a great investment piece because they’re easier to keep sharp and their balanced weight can make chopping so much easier.

Gift: A set of mixing bowls

Best for: Bakers and space-savers

Budget: ££

Everyone who cooks needs mixing bowls. However, most of us end up with random ones we’ve collected over the years. So why not treat someone to a set that not only matches but more importantly stacks neatly, freeing up much-needed cupboard space.

Gift: Fermenting jars or a kombucha making kit

Best for: Gut-health fanatics

Budget: ££

Making your own ferments is much cheaper than buying the live versions in the supermarket. If you know someone who loves kimchi or sauerkraut, they might appreciate these easy-to-pack wide-mouthed jars with a built-in ‘easy burp’ lids that means you don’t have to open the whole jar every morning. It also helps avoid overspills by releasing the pressure slowly. Combine with a wooden pounder for preparing and packing those vegetables. Likewise, kombucha – a delicious fizzy drink – is easy to make at home (and customise to your favourite flavours), but you do need a scoby (the starter) and a few bits of kit.

Gift: Corkscrew and vacuum stopper

Best for: Responsible drinkers

Budget: ££

Grown-up wine drinkers will appreciate a corkscrew that feels good to use - whether it’s a simple ‘waiter’s friend’ in a beautiful finish, an ergonomic lever model, or a fully automatic electric model. Combine the corkscrew with a vacuum-stopper system that keeps wine fresher with a rubber bung and pump to extract any air from the bottle.

Gift: Cast iron pan

Best for: Everyday cooks

Budget: ££

These really vary in price, but if well cared-for, a cast iron pan can last a lifetime. They can withstand high temperatures on the hob, in the oven or even on a barbecue and can travel between them, making them incredibly versatile.

Gift: Subscription box

Best for: Connoisseurs

Budget: £££

From coffee to chocolate, spices to fish if you know someone who loves one specific ingredient then a gift that keeps giving, will appeal. Depending on your budget, you could order a subscription to arrive weekly, monthly, or even quarterly so they receive ongoing declarations of your kindness.

Gift: Cooking course voucher

Best for: Lifelong learners

Budget: £££

This is a great gift for someone who’s looking to sharpen up their skills or learn new ones. From baking to cheese, Thai to Caribbean, there are plenty of options to pick from and you they could make some new friends in the process.

Originally published November 2024

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