Last-minute Foodie Gift Ideas
Don’t fancy a last-minute dash to the shops for a gift but have a pantry that’s bursting with ingredients? To save you the hassle of a busy town centre or supermarket, we’re sharing with you – as we always do in the run up to December 25 – some simple foodie gift ideas you can prepare to wow your loved ones. Take a look at our top suggestions…
Christmas Cookies
Got some cookie cutters, a jam-packed baking cupboard and something to decorate your masterpieces with (plenty of red and green sprinkles, anyone?!)? If so, you’ve got yourself a tasty – and thoughtful – gift. Just add your home-baked Christmas cookies – we like this recipe – to a glass jar and tie it with a large red ribbon or rustic twine. Simple and stunning.
Mince Pies
“Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without homemade mince pies”, says Jamie Oliver – and he’s right. “This is a mince pie to please everyone.” referring to his recipe (linked below). “Getting your hands on some really good-quality mincemeat, then stirring through a few extras to really make the flavours sing is the key to getting this moreish festive treat to taste absolutely incredible.” the TV chef adds.
A great gift idea, homemade mince pies can be added to a festive tin and given to anyone who loves something sweet.
Christmas Jam
If you’ve never made jam, now could well be the time to start. This Christmas jam makes the most of seasonal cranberries and it’s guaranteed to taste amazing, too. Why not add some edible glitter, says BBC Good Food, to ensure it really adds some sparkle to their festivities?
Classic Gingerbread
If you usually make (or buy) gingerbread men (below), why not go for a recipe that’s slightly more sophisticated this festive season?
These classic gingerbread squares are perfect for gifting this December – and they’re really simple to make. With a crumbly, chewy texture, they combine ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon and will fill your house with beautifully Christmassy scents while you’re baking them. Delicious! Add them to a tin or wrap them in some baking parchment tied in string and featuring a festive gift tag.
Rum Truffles
If your mouth is watering at the mere thought of rum truffles, you may find that you’re simply not ready to gift them to someone once you’ve made them. So, why not make two batches? Win-win!
Olive magazine has the recipe and it looks like a good one. The perfect pre-Christmas activity, making homemade rum truffles (with some festive songs on in the background, of course) is the ideal way to get into the spirit (quite literally).
Seeded Stilton Biscuits
Give cheese biscuits a festive twist by using strong blue cheese, says delicious magazine, who have foodie Christmas gifts all wrapped up here. These seeded stilton biscuits are the perfect Christmas nibble to serve with fizz, says the site, but they’re also lovely to give a cheese lover as a gift.
You might also like the site’s parmesan and rosemary biscuits.
Will you be giving any of these Christmas gift recipes a try? Let us know in the comments.
Until next time…