Favourite food & drink presents

[Cariocbirello]

I would like to give really lovely food or drink presents to some people this year - they all have plenty of ‘stuff’ and I think it would be nice to give them something luxurious that they may not buy for themselves but will not take up houseroom forever. (Worst case scenario is they can at least pass on this type of present to others if it doesn’t appeal to them.)

What have been the nicest food or drink presents you have received, or what food or drink items do you love and consider a special treat?

I guess iits hard As everyone has such personal tasted - off the top of my head I would enjoy

Godiva licquer whole cherries
Lindor Champagne Truffles
Lagavulin whisky (very peaty)
A lovely Malbec or Viognier wine
I also love Parma violets !

For my DH it would be Bendicks Bittermints
Chocolate Bath Olivers

Any cheese

Hotel Chocolat dipping adventure.....or any Hotel Chocolat stuff really.

Oh and a really nice spiced rum.

Jamie Oliver has been promoting a cheese subscription (I think it's Neals Yard Dairy...?), but you can also purchase it as a one-off box.

Fantastic ideas, thank you!

Pepperwand I was thinking of spiced rum for my brother - do you recommend any one in particular?

Gin - Caorrun or Sipsmith Sloe are lovely
Rum - NB or Kraken
Whiskey - Tobermory is good

Our local artisan bakery are offering vouchers for a one off ‘weekly’ box. Breads, fruit, veg, eggs, milk, treats and flowers.
Also lots of companies do traybakes by post.

My absolute favourite food gift was This from Pipers farm. I got it for friends as a housewarming gift, they raved about it so DH and I got one for date night during lockdown.

Re rum - just reminded me I like Negronis & when I was away I had what the bar called a Chocolate Chilli Negroni - they replaced the gin with a chocolate rum - it was delicious - for the life of me cannot recall the rum but think it had an unusual name.

Gin - I watched the Fever Tree/Pizza Express virtual cocktail thing & they tasted a Sipsmiths Orange & Cacao Gin which they paired with the Fever Tree Ginger Ale - well received online - I have yet to try it but it appealed

The mini bauble M&S gin licquer with gold leaf for £10 would be a fun small stocking filler

& now I think more a very large tin of Gordal Olives - these are the only ones that I really love

Panettone. I love being given Panettone at Christmas.

Bollinger
Macallans
Truffle cheese, our local Italian shop does an amazing one
Good olive oil
Good olives
Nice coffee
Yum little things like flavoured salts or quails eggs mmmm

Hungry now, damn it

I don't really like cake or chocolates, so find those faintly disappointing, although the DC are always happy.

Whisky, cheeses from Paxton & Whitfield, crystallised fruits from Fortnum's, panforte (but not panettone), chocolates (Charbonnel, Rococo, Valrhona, but not Hotel Chocolat which are sickly sweet and yuck), good bottle of wine, throw in a really good pork pie and I'd be happy. Always liked those Texas fruit cakes in the tins but haven't had one for years.

I would prefer not to receive food or drink presents, unless the giver knows me well. Chocolate, a panettone or anything with liqueur would be given straight to a tombola (or lockdown equivalent). They are the equivalent, for me, of a Yankee candle.
If the giver knows me well, they would get me a nice red wine, a bottle of port, champagne or cheese.

For me, good red wine, cheese/crackers (but not caramelised onion or chutney or chilli jam which I always find horribly sweet), lemon curd (if beautifully tangy and sharp), hot chocolate made from actual chocolate, good olive oil, maple butter.

I love getting chutneys and crackers or jams and biscuits.

Champagne, and I do love a whole Stilton.

Actually maybe port, cheese, crackers and chutney. Would be my number 1 choice.

Decent truffle oil.

Cheeses for me but not with chutney or crackers - I make my own chutneys and have loads already and the crackers are always disappointing.

No flavoured drinks, but a good quality gin would be nice. Plus some Fever tree tonic.

Chocolates - to be honest I'd rather go cheap and cheerful with a big box of Maltesers than fancy ones.

I'd appreciate a voucher for a local farm shop to pick something myself.

Champagne
Japanese whisky
Cheese with Peter’s Yard crackers
Anything from Sous Chef (If you want a referral code, send me a PM)

Ooh and Lakrids liquorice.

Definitely quality rather than quantity, so a fab bottle of red rather than half a dozen bottles of the kind of wine you drink every day. For the past couple of Christmases, Waitrose have done 10 wines at £10 - wines that are normally £15-£18, reduced to £10 a bottle. Every one I've had has been fab and shows the difference in quality from my usual £8ish I would normally spend. Worth keeping an eye out for.

Other lovely things that have been appreciated by foodies:
Delivery from Rick Stein (also lovely homeward on his website designed by Jill Stein)
Cheese delivery or subscription
Magazine subscription to BBC Good Food or Olive magazine
Monthly flower delivery
Coffee subscription (Colombia Coffee Roasters in Oxford are excellent)
Godivas or Leonidas as mentioned above if chocolate is welcomed
Smoked salmon from one of the Scottish smokeries

Nigellas chilli Jam. Love the stuff but it makes about 10 jars which is too much for just me and there's nothing similar available in my usual supermarkets

Loving all these suggestions. Cheese is popular, which is great, I love cheese & there’s so much to choose from. Going to google salmon smoke ties & coffee subscriptions too.

@Cariocbirello regarding rum this one is really nice or for a bigger budget we received the Plantation XO for a wedding present and it was fabulous.

I've also just remembered that a couple of years ago I got a jar of truffle honey, it was absolutely gorgeous with brie.....may have to buy myself a jar!

Bumbu spiced rum is a popular one.