Christmas Gift recipes?

[Sianilaa]

I've decided to make a lot of Christmas gifts, almost like little hampers really.

Just wondered if any of you regularly make food gifts and what do you make? Or what kind of things do you like to receive? I've made some rhubarb, apple an vanilla jam today which has worked really well. I was thinking about maybe mincemeat? Fudge?

Anyone got any good foolproof recipes?

Thanks!

I've done fudge in the past... usually it's homebrew wine though!
I've also received Jam gratefully; oh and chutney.

Wonderful idea. Not sure you can go wrong!

Marmalade - a lot cheaper than jam to make! I got some glass jars and will let DS lose with some of those special decorating pens that you bake hard in the oven.

What about roast nuts? Or flavoured gin or vodka? Vanilla sugar? Quite easy. Fudge is just evil though.

Love getting homemade food gifts. I make shortbread stars and ginger snaps, and pack them in pretty tins; John Lewis and most supermarkets do cheap but nice tins at Christmas, or if I can be bothered i get vintage ones from eBay.

Sloe gin always seems to go down well, as do mini Christmas cakes (I bake one big square then quarter it).

Mincemeat's a great idea, because then the recipient is two steps closer to making their own homemade ones if they want to.

Homemade red onion marmalade. I bought some cute jars in Lakeland today (6 for a fiver and on 3 for 2), they will look beautiful as gifts.

I made brandied apricots this year & was so pleased with them I plan to do several jars as gifts next year.

I do pickled onions and red cabbage, which I give to the family in time for Christmas. They'd be good as part of a hamper and it's only about £3 for a huge sack of pickling onions at the moment.

My Nan's recipe:

Peel and rinse your onions
Sprinkle liberally with salt and fill a jar up
Add a dessert spoon of sugar
Fill to the top with malt vinegar
Tip upside down occasionally to dissolve the sugar

Ready to eat in about 6 weeks.

I am going to try this! Last recipe I used, after a few days it smelled like chemical warfare.

Thanks! Def going to try pickled onions! :)

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2920/christmas-muffin-mix

These went down a storm at our school Christmas fair.

Wailedfig If you do things with a shortish shelf life, like shortbread, do you make them really close to Christmas, or do you give them and tell the recipient to open them earlier?

Shortbread actually lasts quite a long time, as do spiced cookies, if you seal round the edge of the tin with sellotape. I usually spend a Sunday afternoon around the middle of Dec watching something festive on the tv and knocking out a several batches of biscuits for friends/colleagues. I don't put date stickers or anything on the tins - they're not really for under the Christmas tree, more for tucking into during late night wrapping sessions or leaving in the office drawer for seasonal sugar emergencies.

Thank you!

Every year I make pink grapefruit marmalada and all butter cranberry and macadamia cookies.

Good thread.

I think I'm going to have a go at making Panforte, which is a kind of Italian Christmas cake thing...it looks like it can be cut up into squares and presented in a gift box.
nice recipe, except I'm going to add some pine nuts

Oh and I made chocolate and cinnamon biscotti last year. They were OK but the cookies are better.