A selection of the best food and drink
Some of the best seasonal hampers and delicacies to get you in the Christmas spirit.
Fortum & Mason Imperial Hamper(£5,000 Fortnumandmason.com) is awinter wonderland of extravagant, irresistible delicacies. From the vintage Krug champagne to the Scottish smoked salmon, this is bursting with festive treats. Finish off your meal with the new Nuts About Christmas Pudding, with its crown of gilded nuts and its melting heart of Somerset Cider brandy butter (pictured above).
Last order date for Christmas delivery: 23 December.
Belvelly Smoke House supplies smoked salmon to some of Britain's top restaurants, and its salmon is "widely acknowledged as some of the finest in the British Isles", says Bill Knott in The FT's How To Spend It.
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Unsliced smoked salmon is charged at €55/kilo, with a minimum order of six sides (average weight +/- 1.3-1.5kg depending on availability), plus P&P. (Frankhederman.com, email: info@frankhederman.com).
John Lewis Christmas Extravaganza Leather Trunk Fresh Hamper (£800 Johnlewis.com) comes in a faux leather trunk bursting with a variety of festive goodies, including Laurent Perrier champagne and a set of luxury die cut Christmas crackers. Perfect for an indulgent Christmas with family and friends.
Last order date for Christmas delivery: check online.
The Ottolenghi Christmas Hamper (£95 Ottolenghi.co.uk)is a hamper from the delicatessen run by the Soho restaurant NOPI. It includes both sweet and savoury snacks, as well as some essentials for the store cupboard.
There's Christmas cake, cranberry relish, dark chocolate, six mince pies, rosemary-spiced nuts, Palestinian za'atar, sumac, panettone classico and Rustichella d'Abruzzo extra virgin olive oil.
Last order date for Christmas delivery: 15 December.
"For the truly hands-on gourmet, the ideal present might be one of ," says Bill Knott in the FT's How to Spend It magazine. The Brindisa Iberico Bellota Pequeno Ham Set (£380, Brindisa.com) is one of the great Spanish delicacies four years of slow curing produce a wonderful ham with deep, multi-level flavours.
It comes from free-range, acorn-fed pigs that have been allowed to roam and forage. This ham from Brindisa, a London-based delicatessen specialising in Spanish food, comes with a stand and knife, and a DVD showing you how to carve like an expert. Minimum size 7kg.
Last order date for Christmas delivery: noon, 19 December.
The Selfridges British Cheese Hamper (£75, Selfridges.com) proves that British cheesemakers can hold their own against their continental rivals. The hamper comes with traditional preserves and a Ctes du Rhne.
Last orders for Christmas delivery: 19 December.
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