Dressing for a seasonal feast
AS CHANUCAH falls at Christmastime this year, there is a whole heap of festive inspiration out there for foodies. I asked experts what to give your food-loving friends and family this festive season: David Harrison is an olive oil producer and co-owner with partner Peri Eagleton of Seggiano, an importer of Italian fine food. He keeps things traditional with his new-harvest extravirgin olive oil.
“It’s nice to give something that’s not sweet and you can take a bottle of olive oil instead of wine to a dinner party. And obviously olive oil is especially relevant at this time of year.”
The oil is from this year’s crop of Olivastra Seggianese olives — unique to the northern flanks of Monte Amiata in Tuscany, where some of the trees are more than 1,000 years old. It is superfresh — “Those olives were on the tree only a few weeks ago! We supply the oil bottle with a stainless steel cork and steel pourer, which makes it a really special gift during this festive season. At home, we use it for dressing and seasoning, on salads, hearty winter soups and we also drizzle it over fish dishes to pep them up,” he says. If you want to try before you buy, Harrison will be doing tastings in Selfridges, London this weekend. Spencer Hyman of Cocoa Runners has the ideal gift for chocolate lovers with a conscience. “Not only is our chocolate sourced from artisan suppliers but the beans are fairtrade.” To spread the love, buy a subscription,providinggourmet chocolate once a month (£18.95 per month). Or you can send a one-off chocolate presentation.
“We do hampers, boxes or boards — the boards make a fantastic alternative to a cheese course or instead of dessert. If you choose the dark chocolate, it’s parev and can make a wonderful ending to a meaty meal.”
For last-minute purchases, the subscription can be delivered the next day
Take oil instead of wine to a dinner party’
Tcho milk chocolate cacao, Cocoa Runners, £5.95
Carvo caramel andvodka, £29.99 and the company even does a box in which all the contents are hechshered.
Lance Forman of H. Forman and Son says: “Smoked salmon has always been a popular gourmet food, especially with us Jews, and gourmet experiences are really popular.”
H. Forman offers two different experiences with appeal for smoked salmon lovers. One is a tour of its smokery. “You don white coats and hair nets — which people always enjoy — and I personally take guests on the tour, during which I share a little of the history of smoked salmon, how it has changed and the Jewish history.
“Darren — our specialist carver, who holds the Guinness world record for smoked salmon carving [a side of salmon boned and sliced in one minute and seven seconds] — demonstrates how to fillet and carve; we then go up to our restaurant where guests can taste all our different types of salmon. You can also buy some at a discount.”
The other experience Forman offers is a smoked salmon carving class. “It’s a very lovely skill to be able to carve salmon in front of your guests for a dinner party,” says Forman.
Benjamin Gestetner of Kedem Europerecommendssomehechshered boozy gifts to get the Chanucah party started. Carvo caramel and vodka is infused with caramel toffee flavours. Sip some with your doughnuts, either as it is, over ice or mixed into cocktails. You could even pour it over ice-cream. The bottle is also beautifully designed. Similarly delicious is Walders Banoffee, which blends rum, banana and toffee. It is parev but manages to taste