Christmas gifts for home cooks and food lovers
Kitchen kit
Every Ever cook, even the most mo casual, needs a pr probe thermometer, said sa GQ. And the “classic “orange” Thermapen T (£52; the thermapen.co.uk) – which takes accurate temperature readings in just three seconds – is “one of the best”. Or for £66, the Thermapen One will do the same job in a single second. Accurate weighing is another key to success, said The Daily Telegraph – and “one of the sexiest scales around” is the Ooni Dual Platform digital scales (£40; uk.ooni.com). An “ergonomic wonder”, it measures to within a tenth of a gram. For a chef’s knife that can tackle any job, the Wüsthof Classic Santoku (£77; boroughkitchen. com) is ideal: it sharpens up superbly and has scalloped sides to stop food sticking to the blade. For a young baker, the Casdon Kenwood mixer (£25; very.co.uk) would be a good present: with soft rubber “blades” to prevent injury, it can whip cream, stir pancake batter and mix juices. In the “boring but useful” category, said The Independent, Nomess tea towels (£16 for two; nunido.co.uk) are “genuinely the best tea towels we’ve ever found”.
Condiments and edible treats
Hot-sauce lovers will appreciate Bao’s new range, said The Observer. There are four flavours – Hot Man Sauce, Plum Pickle Ketchup, Burnt Chilli Sauce and Tiger Dressing – with labels designed by Erchen Chang, the co-founder of the Taiwanese restaurant chain (£6-£7.50; baolondon. com). Another “exciting addition to an adventurous cook’s store cupboard” from Bao is Aged White Soy Sauce, said GQ (£19.50): rarely found outside Taiwan, it’s “slightly sweeter than the soy sauce we’re used to”. Our favourite relish right now, said BBC Good Food, is Plant Bae scotch bonnet chilli jam (£5; byplantbae.com): it’s the “perfect accompaniment to your Christmas cheese”. For three classic sauces taken “up a notch”, try The Black Pig selection (£20; goodsixty.co.uk): there’s salsa verde, peperoncini s’ott olio (chillies preserved in oil) and honey truffle parmesan mayonnaise. A present that will “look beautiful under the tree” is Dolce & Gabbana’s Saffron and Mandarin Panettone (£43; souschef.co. uk), in a sumptuous colourful tin.
Some of the best hampers
The Oldstead Ultimate Festive Feast Box from Michelin-starred chef Tommy Banks (£160; madeinoldstead.co.uk) is outrageously good, said The Independent. It contains, among other things, “incredible” chicken liver parfait, coldcured salmon, and Banks’s famous root vegetable mince pies. For those with a sweet tooth, the Cutter & Squidge family Christmas Hamper (£70; cutterandsquidge.com) is packed with treats, said BBC Good Food – including chocolate shortbread and clotted cream fudge. The Newt in Somerset’s Sparkling Breakfast Hamper (£135; thenewtinsomerset. com) has the ingredients for a “decadent grown-up breakfast”, said the London Evening Standard – including a bottle of the South African sparkling wine Sprankel. Any y meat lover will love The Baker’s Pig Charcuterie Board (£40; thebakerspig. ig. com), said GQ, with its delicious salami and air-dried ham from the Brecon Beacons.