Something nicer than chocs/wine but similar?

[Bookpage]

🤣

For BF's parents, sprightly late 70s.

Last Christmas we were newly together and I as invited for Boxing Day buffet. BF said not to take gifts, which thankfully I didn't completely heed and took wine and flowers, as his mum got me two lovely gift sets - the kind of thing that often looks lovely but you don't actually use, whereas I have used everything in these.

I'm going to a similar thing this year and would like to take "something" although TBH I don't really know them any better than I did last year.

Also he has a teenage niece, who currently thinks she's a boy. A token for them? I think the best I can do is a higher end selection pack?

😁 You’re behind the times, @Dragonscaledaisy, @sprigatito! (Assuming you actually eat fish, which obviously not everyone does.)

https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/gen-z-food-trend-shopping-list-kombucha-matcha-b1260145.html

https://giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/actions/redeem/054a1a62-9c1d-4b17-9f3d-cc96db04c18aNigella Lawson’s Christmas 2025 gift guide, plus 82 more very good presents from £3.95 to £2,950

The best luxury gifts for foodies

https://www.thetimes.com/article/bf9df241-583d-4afa-99bc-eb2893e8c5ff?shareToken=dfe8fd140ede0a05cdcf808831b6ebcf

Etc, etc …

One of my favourite gifts last year was two fine bone China Christmas mugs, beautifully gift wrapped. I can’t wait to use them again this year.

A really nice bottle of port

I do eat fish. I catch and prepare it myself, or I buy it from a decent fishmonger. I’m afraid no amount of advertising in the Tory press is going to convert me to the tinned muck 😆

Turron. It's a Spanish Christmas staple. There's at least 10 different types. But they nearly all involve nuts, almonds being the most popular. It's really delicious to have some after dinner with coffee.

You can get it from Spanish food places online.

I read somewhere that a nice bottle of olive oil is the in thing to take. Seems slightly weird to me, but many of my friends/family don't drink for cultural/religious reasons, and most do love to cook, so works for me!
You could do a hamper or something from her favourite shop.

A bottle of Rubis - choclate wine.

www.rubiswine.com/

No no no. It would end up re-gifted to our resident herring gull.😂

Not the point of the thread but “tinned muck”!! Try this stuff https://www.herpac.com/ you won’t regret it

I’ve just bought two things from that Nigella list and could easily have bought more! Thanks 👍🏼

It's got nothing to do with being behind the times. Fish is a very common dislike and so the opposite of that "safe" gift OP is after for someone she doesn't know well, especially as she has given no indication that they are particularly foodie.

Similarly I wouldn't buy posh olives in this scenario, much as I enjoy receiving them.

I'm enjoying this thread but it has made me very hungry, in particular for Indian sweets. I think I might need to start a new family tradition!

Oh yeah we do that. We have a really nice guy who has an olive farm in Greece. It always goes down well. People have started requesting it!

@Glamba I think we have to assume the OP isn’t daft enough to buy anything fishy as a gift without first checking that the recipients would like such a thing.

Delighted to be of help, @VenusClapTrap! 😁

One place to get Turon is called Tapas Lunch company. Brindisa do it but I think it's really expensive.

Do you live anywhere that has a local delicacy/famous foodstuff? I'd get some local things- chutneys, jams, cheese, alcohol? You could do a small hamper. Might also be an interesting talking point if they are not from the same area.

They sound really nice. I want some bone china now!

The adults

• Hotel Chocolat gift
• one of the Bailey's special flavours (the chocolate orange one is amazing!)
• Amaretto
• a game? M&S used to do some really good themed ones at Christmas not sure if they still do.

The niece

• gender neutral fragrance
• cinema voucher
• JD voucher
• M&S Big Daddy chocolate bar
• Dubai chocolate