Anyone else doing home made foody Christmas gifts this year?

[notjustme]

We're pretty tight on funds this year so I'm planning on putting together a nice little 'hamper' type thing for each person, nothing daftly huge but a nice selection. Going to get some nice ribbon and some cellophane bags and make them all christmassy

Anyone else doing the same? What are you making? My mum specifically prefers savoury nibbles, so planning on making her more cheesy biscuit type things than sweet things, but MIL likes fudge and peanut brittle and that kind of thing so I'll be making that kind of thing for her...not sure what to make for my gran though!, she is the queen of christmas cakes etc so can't even try to compare to those!

I've done homemade stuff for a few years now, first year was all cakes and biscuits which was a nightmare because most of it had to be done last minute. Last year I did sweets which could be frozen etc which was much better. This year i'm going to do: christmas pudding truffles, christmas pudding vodka (really hoping i've done enough to go round everyone ) apple and roasted garlic chutney, shortbread and i'll probably try and find a recipe for some savoury biscuit type things to go with the chutney.

Was thinking about attempting christmas cake pops - I don't like christmas cake but it'd be a xmassy take on cake pops!

I made red and green Skittles vodka for my DP last year, if you Google there are loads of tutorials on the web. I put them in two posh bottles from John Lewis and he loved it.

We're pretty skint this year and we're going to make fudge for our families - milk chocolate and whit chocolate fudge for the kids and hopefully Baileys fudge for our parents. I ordered the cellophane bags off eBay today for about £2 and I'm really excited even though I've never made fudge and they'll probably turn out shit...

I've made cantucci biscotti before with coriander seeds and almonds. They were really popular. This year made rose turkish delight with the kids. Got the recipe online then quadrupled the amount of rosewater as it was too bland, and added some drops of lemon juice too. They taste great.

Cranberries please if anyone spots fresh cranberries can they tell me.
DH has an amazing spiced cranberry recipe. It's best made well before Christmas and makes a great gift. But fresh cranberries are hard to find until very near the 25 th.
I will post the recipe, but must go and cook.

My local Sainsburys had fresh cranberries last week!

We usually make a pate or pies. In the past we have made game pie in shortcrust mustard pastry, mini quail egg pork pies, mini pork and Stilton pies, mini pork and cranberry pies, layered chicken, pork and cranberry pie, country pate wrapped in bacon (from Gary Rhodes complete cookery year), basic chicken liver and sherry pâté, duck liver and orange pate.

I would love to share recipes but apart from the Gary Rhodes pate, I make up what I'm doing as I go along! Makes it hard to remember year to year how to do things but generally I just make up a new recipe!

I also make cranberry jelly, using cranberries stewed in sugar and port, and then adding sugar free raspberry jelly powder to help it set.

A friend from work makes biscuits and gives it as her sons gift to close friends. I'm 'borrowing' that idea for my 1yr old. I was going to make biscuits and a banana and walnut cake (my speciality) as they are quick and can freeze. However I feel inspired.
I have both Loraine Pascal books (although, I think my OH has given my most recent one away!) so will have a look.
Thanks again to the friend at work, I am wrapping them in cellophane (ebay) with a nice Merry Christmas ribbon (ebay again).

I've made Christmas cake pops twice this year for 2 fetes and they went down very well.

Each year I make cranberry and macadamia all butter cookies the second weekend in Dec and give them out around the 15th so people can eat them before Christmas. I make more every year as word spreads.....

I also make Sarah Raven's cranberry compote the same weekend but advise people its for Christmas Day and after as it needs a few weeks to mature. I have great difficulty giving it away as I love it so much.

I used to make pink grapefruit marmalade but have decided I prefer the seville, so make it end Jan and give to a select few then.

sorry if this repeats but where can i get bottles into which to I can decant my plum vodka? cheap would be good.

Go round the pubs and ask them to save you suitable bottles - WITH the tops. Look for soft drinks and mineral waters that come in screw-top bottles, preferably clear glass to show off the colour.

Last year I made a huge batch of Nigella's chocolate chip cookies from her Kitchen cookbook, you can freeze these once cooked, then I bought some nice red cellophane bags from ebay and when I knew I was going to see one of the recipients I'd just get the right number of cookies out of the freezer, about 5 per person, pop them in the bag and tie with festive ribbon with a gift tag and hey presto, fresh cookies!!! This year I'm making christmas cake truffles (supposed to be made with left over Christmas pudding but I have cake in the freezer from last year - fruit cake keeps for so long!!), these can't be made so much in advance but I think I'll be getting some more cellophane bags to give them in again. Much more personal than bought gifts IMO and good fun to make as well!!

Re tins, Ikea have some good cheap ones or they do cheap kilner style jars too in a variety of sizes.

Other friends have done chutney, chocolate tree bark, florentines, jars with Christmas muffin mixture in...

I'm thinking about doing a batch of walnut and cranberry fudge next week. I've just bought a sugar thermometer specially, so I've got to do it!
I've been meaning to make some panforte, here, hopefully I'll have time to do that as well.
Or I'm quite tempted by Dan Lepards amazing sounding orange and pistachio stollen bars, here, half way down, although I'd probably end up eating too many of those myself; yum.

Seriously impressed with some of you busy folks; I always have good intentions to make all sorts then never get round to it.

I have some christmas pudding vodka on the go, bewing ready for my secret santa. I'm going to filter it the night before and will see what it tastes like - if it's rank then a late night trip to Tesco for some Celebrations or a bag of coal may be in order!

vanilla pods in caster sugar in a lovely jar is quite nice

Fresh cranberries are half price in Sainsburys at the moment. £2 for 300g.

Best fudge recipe I've found is the Carnation one here

it's yummy :) and you don't need a sugar thermometer to make it. Also Tesco sell condensed milk that's not Nestle made if that matter to you :)

Careful of those Ikea jars, they don't have a proper seal - or at least some of them don't .... depends what you want to use them for, but I wouldn't trust them where an airtight seal is vital.

Oh and my muthey arem gets the Homes and Antiques magazine. This month they are giving away vintage christmas labels.

or,

my mother buys the Homes and Antiques magazine. This month they are giving away vintage Christmas Labels.

Had a little help with the typing and send button, previously.

lol craigslittleangel - I did wonder what a muthey arm was!! Someone posted some lovely free printable jam jar labels the other day, very vintagey.

Bumpybecky - thanks for that link, have bookmarked it as I don't have a sugar thermometer!

Notjust, she is now in bed, so from now on all mistakes are mine!

Who and where is the link to the jam jar labels?

Hmm, well I think it was a thread in Chat but I'll be damned if I can find it - I did download the jam labels though - its a pdf file, if you let me know an e-mail I'll send it over to you?

Found it!! blog.worldlabel.com/pdf/WorldLabel-CatheHolden2.5RoundLabels.pdf

I think I am having a typing and reading episode. Perhaps I should go and find my glassess. The last line of my last post is a little weird.

Thanks Notjust. Downloaded.