A festive feast with Love Your Larder

The dry chill in the air and cascade of commuters clutching red coffee cups that greet me every morning en route to the office is a sign of only one thing – Santa Claus is coming to town! I’m totting up a long wishlist of London food markets to get me into the festive spirit, but I’ve asked my friends at Love Your Larder to share their favourite seasonal recommendations to make sure that your Christmas is a cracker, no matter where you live. With over 1000 gourmet products on offer from 80 different independent producers, you’re bound to find the ideal foodie gifts for all the family in their online marketplace…

All the good things about Christmas, the giving and sharing, spending time with loved ones and celebrating this time of year just wouldn’t be as good without all the gorgeous food and drink it is almost compulsory to indulge in at this time of year. There is no other occasion in the year where it is perfectly acceptable to have chocolate followed by champagne at breakfast, followed by smoked salmon, more chocolate and lots of gorgeous joints of meat and roast potatoes before eating decadent Christmas pudding with lashings of cream or brandy butter. And that’s before we even start thinking about what we are will be washing it all down with.

Working at Love Your Larder means sampling lots of food and drink (hard job we know, but someone has to do it) and here are our top picks for the festive season, whether you’re looking for something to give the foodie in your life or want to make your Christmas dinner the one that goes down in family history.

Sugar Plum Fairy Christmas Pudding by Scarlett and the Spotty Dog - £10
Christmas isn’t Christmas without a Christmas pudding, and Scarlett and the Spotty Dog’s Sugar Plum Fairy Pudding has a certain wow-factor and definitely stands out against all the bland traditional puddings you are used to. It is made from zesty lemons, sweet almonds, Christmas spices, currants, dates, lemon zest, candied peel, whisky, cranberries, cooking apples and lots of other tasty ingredients. It makes the perfect end to your festive feast and is unlike any Christmas pudding you will have previously tasted, the people at the great taste awards agreed and awarded it a gold star.

Baruzzo Fine Italian Chocolates - Starting from £9.95
A Christmas has never gone by where we haven’t received chocolates, whether it be a selection box when your just a wee nipper or the regulation tin of Roses dropped off by some distant relative that get scoffed intermittently through the festive period. Baruzzo’s fine Italian chocolates are not for scoffing, they are for savouring, each one is a handcrafted delicacy flavoured with the finest ingredients sourced from Italy. They have to be some of the most exquisite chocolates we have ever seen and mother in laws across the country will suddenly be so much friendlier after receiving a box of these. It would be very difficult not to be impressed by them.

Lottie Shaw’s Seriously Good Yorkshire Christmas Hamper - £29.99 including postage
This hamper has been described as ‘Christmas in a box’ as it includes all the foodie treats you need to stock your house with this yuletide. Mince Pies and Fruit Cake sit alongside some very traditional Yorkshire fare such as Parkin loaf, biscuits and pudding as well as a gorgeously sweet and sumptuous caramel sauce. It makes the perfect Christmas gift coming packaged in a rustic hamper with straw but we wouldn’t tell anyone if you kept it for yourself!

Flowering Tea Bloom Gift Set by The Tea Experience - £25
We don’t need to tell you that tea is a British institution, preferably with a bit of cake or a biscuit, but these flowering teas from The Tea Experience have made us think again about our regular brew and biccies. Flowering Blooms are skilfully made with silver needle green team which is hand sorted before being turned into a hand sewn bouquet producing a light and delicate blend of tea. This gift set comes with a glass tea pot so you can admire the beautiful blossom whilst sipping from one of the glass tea bowls. What a refreshing way to enjoy your tea!

These are just a few of the lovely gifts and produce we have on Love Your Larder this Christmas, so if you would prefer a crate of ale or basket of gin we cater for you too! We also write this fabulous blog, which gives tempting recipes, “how to”s for all your Christmas needs, and lots of other thoughts on food. You can also follow us on twitter at @loveyourlarder, we often post videos of cute cats.