Christmas Gift Guide for new moms

Our friends at Bump PR have asked us to share some nifty Christmas gift ideas for expectant or new mums, and here they are.

1) Polarn O. Pyret | Twinning Organic Pyjamas | RRP: £50 Available from Polarn O. Pyret: Matching PJ’s are essential for Christmas morning, and Scandi born brand, Polarn O. Pyret (POP for short)  has got you covered. The iconic clothing brand with a truly ethical mindset has some gorgeous organic, cosy pyjamas for the whole family. Mum is sure to adore the classic red stripe set, the perfect festive loungewear for the whole season.  https://www.polarnopyret.co.uk/

2) Bravado Designs | Restore Bra and Panties Set | RRP: £29.00 Available from Bravado Designs: Give the gift of comfort to a new or expectant mum this Christmas with the stretchy and soft Restore bra and Panties Set! Featuring sustainable fabrics that will keep mum comfy and cosy during the winter months, this set is sure to be a favourite stocking filler! https://uk.bravadodesigns.com/

3) Izmi | Essential Wrap|RRP: £34.99 Available from Cheeky Rascals: Izmi’s Essential Wrap provides natural and close all-important bonding moments for a new mum, keeping little ones near for kisses and cuddles. An essential item to stay cuddly and close to little ones, especially during the festive season. https://www.cheekyrascals.co.uk/

4) Mother Fit | A Year’s Subscription | RRP: £90 Available from Mother Fit: Give the gift that keeps giving all year round with Mother Fit, a unique digital platform that encourages and supports a truly holistic approach to motherhood. The thoughtfully designed website will look after women’s mind, body, and soul, during pregnancy, postpartum, and beyond, thanks to its personalised subscription service offering access to fitness classes, expert content, antenatal care, hypnobirthing courses, daily engaging live activity, nutrition, a supportive online community, and so much more. https://www.motherfit.co.uk/

5) Kit & Kin | Mum Skincare Bundle | RRP: £30.57 Available from Kit & Kin: This natural skincare bundle is the perfect natural indulgence for Mum! The set includes a body butter, which contains a blend of naturally nourishing butters and oils, producing a deeply moisturising thick and creamy formula that leaves your skin hydrated and gloriously silky smooth. The breast balm cools, heals and protects sensitive nipples, whilst the stretch mark oil contains 15 naturally nourishing oils that will keep your skin supple and stretch mark free. Approved by dermatologists and certified natural by the soil association, all Kit & Kin skincare products are made without any harsh chemicals or synthetic fragrances. https://kitandkin.com/collections/skincare

6) Smart Toys and Games | 30 Seconds Board Game | RRP: £29.99 Available from Smart Toys and Games: For the Mum who enjoys some good ol’ family rivalry during the festive period, give the gift of fun this Christmas, with the number one bestselling board game, 30 Seconds. This fast-paced general knowledge game gives players just 30 seconds to describe five names on their chosen card, for their teammates to guess – the perfect Christmas day board game! https://smarttoysandgames.co.uk/uk/

7) Purer Mama | Pregnancy Wellness Products | RRP: From £16.50 Available from Purer Mama: Purer Mama is the brand behind a unique collection of Pregnancy and Postpartum supplements and wellness products, created by three incredible sisters. The vision of one of the UK’s award-winning obstetricians, alongside a paediatrician and psychologist, the PurerMama products are manufactured exclusively in the UK, to provide the most advanced pregnancy and postnatal nutrients yet. The PurerMama Essence Capsule is a product truly pioneering excellence within this category, it is the only pregnancy supplement on the UK market to contain the recommended amount of Choline, a vital nutrient. The Pregnancy Collagen is the UK's first pregnancy collagen designed by pregnancy experts! https://www.purermama.co.uk/

Looking for great Christmas gift ideas? Then go to the Black Sheep Brewery

The Black Sheep Brewery has a number of hampers full of cheeses, snacks, chocolates and most notably – beer!

Cheese Platter Gift Box – RRP £40.50.

This Cheese Platter Gift Box is a delicious selection of sweet and savoury treats. The hamper includes Black Sheep’s favourite cheeses from the Dale in Hawes - Yorkshire Wensleydale Cheese and Fountains Riggwelter Cheese.

The gift box also includes cheese biscuits and Botham’s fruit cake, a deliciously rich cake packed with the finest fruits, aromatic spices and Black Sheep's very own Riggwelter Ale. 

This is matched with Black Sheep Ale, a full flavoured premium ale with a rich, fruity aroma, and Bobby Horn’s Cider, a premium, high quality sparkling cider made with 100% British apples and a higher juice content for better flavour. 

The Luxury Hamper by Black Sheep – RRP £79.95

This Christmas, treat family or friends to a luxury hamper full to the brim with some of the finest produce locally-sourced from in and around Yorkshire. 

This hamper has everything you need for a real feast, including Yorkshire Crisps, olives, ‘Bobby Horn’s Cider’ made with 100% British apples, and a selection cured meats such as Yorkshire Chorizo and Hazelnut and Cider Salami, from one of the UK’s finest independent butchers; Lishmans of Ilkley.

The hamper also includes a range of artisan cheeses from Wensleydale Creamery, along with Black Sheep’s very own cheese biscuits and Riggwelter pickle served on a branded wooden cheeseboard.

The Deluxe Cheeseboard by Black Sheep – RRP £84.95

A perfect gift for all you cheese fans! Black Sheep has teamed up with Wensleydale creamery and selected four of their best cheese for this must-have hamper.

The hamper includes creamy Wensleydale, Cranberry Wensleydale, Apricot Wensleydale and Fountains Riggwelter Cheddar.

Alongside this delicious selection of cheese, the hamper also includes a classic fruity pickle from Black Sheep’s neighbour in Masham, ‘Rosebud preserves’, as well as cheese biscuits, a branded wooden cheeseboard and knife set, and of course a selection of Black Sheep’s award-winning beers, Blitzen and Riggwelter.

Gin Party Box by Black Sheep – RRP £79.95

The Gin Party box is an ideal gift for any gin enthusiast. Black Sheep’s Gin is a perfect take on the London Dry Gin style, bursting with citrus aromas and flavour with a blend of 14 botanicals including the spice of pink peppercorns and a touch of malt barley and Lemon drop hops in a nod to Black Sheep’s brewing roots. The gin is handmade in Black Sheep’s home town of Masham.

The hamper also comes with two flavoured tonics, as well as a branded shaker and two beautifully decorated tumblers, perfect for your Black Sheep Gin after a long day.

To learn more or to buy online, please visit them on https://www.blacksheepbrewery.com.

This Christmas use eco-friendly WaxWrap

Looking for wrapping material for this Christmas? How about opting for eco-friendly WaxWrap, which is reusable for up to 200 times with proper, careful use?

It's great for keeping food fresher for longer after festive feasting. So it's kinder for our planet and kinder for your wallet, too.

It's a nifty, great alternative to single-use plastic cling-film which allows food to breathe the way nature intended it to.

It's ideal for wrapping everything from sandwiches to snacks to fruit and keeping leftovers fresh in the fridge, even good for saving wine, too. 

It’s sustainable, reusable and at the end of it’s long and happy life it is completely compostable. It's available in bags, wraps and unique roll format - the UK’s Which! report in March 2021 found that beeswax wraps outperformed cling film in keeping an apple fresh, keeping the apple more moist and less brown by up to five more days; they fared better in preventing the bread in sandwiches from becoming soggy and were just as effective as cling film in wrapping up food which has a strong odour, like Stilton cheese.

WaxWrap comes on a waxed cotton food roll, which  increases freshness and reduces waste, so you can do your bit for the planet and ditch cling film from your life.

It's comparable to traditional clingfilm, but it performs as well as clingfilm, but can be even better, too.

It's also Vegetarian Society-approved and WaxWrap contains organic certified ingredients and the production process behind these wonderous wraps meets rigorous environmental and social standards, making them a safe and responsible choice for the home. 

Besides which, in contrast to cling film, WaxWrap is made from merely four natural materials: organic cotton, organic Jojoba oil, pine resin and beeswax, allowing food to breathe naturally. 

It's also incredibly malleable, thick and rigid enough to take form around the most unusual shapes whilst still creating a secure seal, won’t leach toxins into food and drink, is totally re-useable and suitable for the safe storage of a wide range of foods. 

It's good for your housekeeping budget, saving you money in the long-term. It's safer and won’t pollute the oceans, kill marine animals and birds or enter the food chain, either.

Easy to use (no more fiddling with flimsy clingfilm!) – and easy on the eye thanks to the selection of bright, nifty designs and is a positive step towards leading a Zero-Waste lifestyle

Using it on a roll? Just cut the wrap to the desired size and shape, then use it to top bowls and plates of leftovers, or for wrapping odd-shaped items. 

WaxWrap bags are the ideal partner for packed lunches and picnics, plus storing salad leaves, fresh herbs and vegetables, whilst the pre-cut sheets remain a firm favourite for super speedy food storage. 

Once used, WaxWrap can simply be cleaned by washing with cold water and a bit of eco-friendly washing up liquid, then patted dry with a clean towel. 

They can be washed over and over and if used correctly, should be around serving you well for around a year (or about 200 times). 

Besides which, when the wrap comes to the end of its long and happy life, it’s completely compostable. And if you have a log burner you can even use it as an eco-firelighter.

WaxWrap is available in a range of five products: 

Waxed Cotton Food Rolls in a choice of three sizes:

Small: 20x120cm RRP £12

Medium: 30x150cm RRP £16

Large: 40x200cm RRP £20

Waxed Cotton Food Bags in sets of three, RRP £22.50 (Small 21x31cm, Medium 25x31cm, Large 32x31cm)

Waxed Cotton Food Wraps in a set of three, RRP £16 (Small 20x20cm, Medium 30x30cm, Large 40x40cm)

WaxWrap can currently be bought online at www.waxwrap.uk or via Planet Organic and Whole Foods Market.

Delicious bites for a festive season to remember at Dobbies

Dobbies, the UK’s leading garden centre, again proving itself as the go-to destination for all things Christmas with an impressive new menu of seasonal recipes, guaranteed to tantalise your tastebuds this festive season.

From canapes for Christmas parties, to delicious sharing dishes and desserts, to non-alcoholic cocktails that everyone can enjoy, indulge in Dobbies’ great-value delights, and make your festive get-togethers memorable for family and friends.

Christmas canapes and magical mocktails

Ideal for glittering festive soirees, these delicious canapes and accompanying mocktails will ensure your party is the talk of the town. Plus, they’re super simple to make, meaning you can get the full family involved.

Goat’s cheese bonbons

Makes 24

You will need:

300g soft goat’s cheese

3g mixed soft green herbs such as parsley, dill, and chives, finely chopped

2g crushed pink peppercorns

2g toasted sesame seeds

3tbsp toasted hazelnuts, chopped

Method

1. To make your crispy coating, spread the chopped green herbs, pink peppercorns, sesame seeds and

hazelnuts in a thin layer on separate plates. Then, line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.

2. Divide the goat’s cheese into 24 equal portions. Using your hands, roll each portion gently into a small

ball.

3. Roll your goat’s cheese truffles in your coating mixtures, alternating between the herbs, peppercorns,

sesame seeds and hazelnuts to get an even spread of flavours, until all truffles are evenly coated. Place on

your lined baking tray and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

4. Serve up and enjoy!

Virgin Earl Grey Martini

Makes 2

You will need:

100ml grapefruit juice

100ml cold strong Earl Grey tea

40ml lemon juice

25ml honey

Few drops angostura or orange bitters

1 free range egg white

Ice to shake

Twist of grapefruit zest to garnish

Method

1. Place two martini glasses in the freezer to chill, preferably an hour in advance.

2. Fill a cocktail shaker (or flask) with ice and add all the ingredients. Shake vigorously for 1-2 minutes or until the shaker feels icy cold and the mixture is frothy.

3. Strain into your chilled glasses and garnish with a twist of grapefruit zest. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Starters worth sharing

Whether you’re sitting down as a family to watch your favourite Christmas movie, or having friends over for a festive tipple, this heavenly baked camembert recipe is a must-try. Perfect for sharing, this classic Christmas dish takes less than half an hour from start to finish and is a great way to get in the yuletide spirit.

Baked Camembert with Roasted Grapes

Serves 4 as a sharing starter

You will need:

250g whole camembert

2 sprigs of rosemary

2 sprigs of thyme

1 clove of garlic, finely sliced

100g red grapes, vine on

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp white wine

1 tsp runny honey

1 ciabatta, sliced

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 200C/180C fan.

2. Remove the camembert from the box and remove the wrapper, then put it back in the box and place it on a baking tray.

3. Using a small sharp knife make diagonal cuts on top of the cheese. Push a few sprigs of Rosemary and Thyme and a few slices of garlic in the grooves. Arrange the grapes on the tray next to the cheese and scatter over the remaining herbs and garlic.

4. In a small bowl, mix the olive oil, white wine, and honey until well combined. Drizzle the mixture over the cheese and grapes and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until the cheese is runny and the grapes have softened.

5. Warm the ciabatta in the oven for the last 5 minutes of cooking, then top the cheese with the grapes and serve with warmed ciabatta slices on the side.

Mouth-watering mains

For a showstopping dinner party that will leave your guests impressed, this spiced beetroot tarte Tatin is your new favourite recipe. Ideal as a starter or a vegetarian main, this dish both looks impressive and tastes incredible, with plenty of rich flavours perfectly balanced with fresh herbs.

Spiced Beetroot Tarte Tatin

Serves 4 as a main, or 6 as a starter

You will need:

500g Beetroot peeled and cut into thin wedges

1 red onion, cut into wedges

1 tsp fennel seeds, lightly crushed

1 tsp coriander seeds, lightly crushed

1/4 tsp chilli flakes

3 tbsp olive oil plus extra for drizzling

2 tbsp wine vinegar

2 tbsp soft light brown sugar

500g block puff pastry

40g feta or goat’s cheese

1 tbsp pomegranate seeds

1 tbsp fresh dill, roughly chopped

Flour for dusting

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan. In a large bowl, toss together the beetroot, onion, fennel seeds, coriander seeds, chilli flakes, olive oil, vinegar, and light brown sugar until well combined. Tip the mixture into a non-stick, oven-proof dish or frying pan and arrange the veg so they cover the base of the pan.

Cover with foil and cook for 1 hour.

2. Lightly flour your work surface and roll out the puff pastry block until roughly the thickness of a pound coin, then cut out a rough circle approximately 2cm bigger than the diameter of your pan - you can use a dinner plate as a guide to make sure your circle is even.

3. Take the pan with the beetroot out of the oven and remove the foil. Allow to cool for a few minutes before pushing the veg into the middle of the pan slightly to make a compact layer. Working quickly, place the pastry on top of the veg and push it in around the edges. Return the pan to the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until the pastry has risen and is golden brown.

4. Allow to cool for 35 minutes - 1 hour before running a pallet knife around the pastry edge to loosen and carefully turning the tart out onto a plate.

5. Just before serving, scatter the cheese, pomegranate seeds and dill over the top and drizzle with a little extra olive oil. Serve slices warm or at room temperature.

Delectable desserts

Dobbies guarantee everyone will have room for dessert when you delight them with this cheat’s cherry trifle. This sweet recipe utilises canned cherry pie filling and shop bought custard for quickness and ease, but your guests will never know!

Cheat’s Cherry Trifle

Serves 10

You will need:

5 sheets of leaf gelatine

2 x 410g cans of cherry pie filling

400g of Madeira cake or madeleines

6 tbsp cherry jam

3tbs amaretto liquor

800ml good-quality shop bought custard

400ml double cream

1 tsp corn flour

1 tbsp icing sugar

15g flaked almonds, toasted

Edible glitter or gold sprinkle dust and gold edible balls to decorate

Method

1. To make the jelly layer, soften the gelatine in a small bowl of water. Tip the cherry pie filling into a saucepan with 100ml of water and gently cook on a low heat on the hob, being careful not to boil.

2. Add the softened gelatine sheets to the cherry pie filling and stir until dissolved. Allow the mixture to cool slightly before transferring to a 20cm trifle dish. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or until the mixture has set.

3. Cut the Madeira cake or madeleines in half, length ways. Spread with the cherry jam and sandwich back together before cutting into large chunks. Arrange the chunks in a layer on top of the jelly and then drizzle over the amaretto. Gently pour over the custard and level over with a palette knife. Refrigerate for a further 30 minutes - 1 hour.

4. Meanwhile, place the cream in a large bowl and sieve in the icing sugar and corn flour (this will help stabilise the cream if you are making this in advance). Whisk the cream mixture until soft peaks form, then spoon the cream on top of the custard and scatter over the flaked almonds, glitter, and gold balls. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

For more festive food inspiration, and to browse Dobbies’ seasonal ranges for Christmas 2022, visit

www.dobbies.com.

Incidentally, my wife and I are members of the Dobbies Club Plus, which is very worthwhile. We'll be popping in to their restaurant several times between now and Christmas.

Looking for some tasty little foodie gifts for hard-to-buy for relatives? Get Happi!

Buying for people with special dietary requirements can make festive shopping a bit of a chore, but thankfully HAPPi is launching some vegan and gluten free chocolate treats that everyone can enjoy this Christmas!

Whether you need to purchase some extra gifts for your mum, your dad or your aunt, or need to get an allergen-free selection box for the kids, then HAPPi has you covered. 

For hot chocolate fans, HAPPi’s Hot Chocolate Spoons are the perfect option. The ideal addition to a Christmas Eve box, or a lovely and thoughtful stocking filler, these spoons are made using HAPPi’s delicious Plain Oat M!lk chocolate and can be stirred into any hot milk for a luscious and creamy hot chocolate. RRP £5 for a gift box containing 2 x 40g hot chocolate spoons. 

What about the kids? Well, for the kids, HAPPi has launched its Happi Holidays Selection Box which is chock full with a selection of HAPPi’s Oat M!lk Chocolate treats including 1 x 80g bar, 3 x 40g bar and 1 x 50g hot chocolate spoon. A fantastic stocking filler that everyone can enjoy the Selection Box is RRP £12.50 for 240g box. 

For the ultimate chocoholic, pop HAPPi’s two new seasonal 80g bars in their stocking. New for Christmas 2022 is  Peppermint and Honeycomb Ginger. 

Peppermint is a delicious yet subtle mix of natural mint flavour with Oat m!lk chocolate, which gives a special nod to candy canes, while Honeycomb Ginger gives a warming, wintery combo that has all the spice and sweetness needed to give a real taste of Christmas that will appeal to all. RRP £2.95 for an 80g bar. 

HAPPi’s range of vegan Oat M!lk Chocolate tastes great; is lower in sugar than other leading Milk Chocolate brands; and is made using the best sustainable and ethically-sourced cacao from Columbia’s Luker Chocolate. 

HAPPi’s Christmas range is available from www.happifreefrom.com. Its free from bars are available from Tesco. 

Opies Fruits With Alcohol Collection: The Ultimate Foodie Gift and Answer to Your Decadent Festive Desserts

With Christmas being a maelstrom of events, activity and things to do, the present buying list can feel never-ending, sometimes. 

From teachers and neighbours to friends and family, or special work colleagues, the inevitable box of chocolates or bottle of wine can sometimes feel a little predictable and perhaps a bit repetitive?

Then, of course, there is the overlooked last-minute gift or for an impromptu call to cater for descending guests. 

Opies Fruits with Alcohol collection offer the perfect solution to all festive scenarios! A jar is as welcome when popped into a gift bag as it is as an emergency ingredient to whip up an eleventh-hour dessert. 

These stunning globes of luxury fruit won't break the bank either, retailing at a mere £6.50 – with their gold foil detailing and intricate wintry etched jar design, they certainly look more than the price you pay. 

As well as seasonal favourites like Black Cherries with Luxardo® Kirsch, Peaches with Courvoisier and Apricots with Luxardo® Dark Rum, new for 2022 there is a delicious mix of Forest Fruits with Cassis.

Opies have taken blackcurrants, raspberries, redcurrants and blackberries, steeped them in syrup and then gently infused them with a decadent cassis blackcurrant liqueur. The fragrant and fruity cassis is the perfect foil to the abundance of forest fruits. As we have already pointed out, this affordable gift option has an RRP of just £6.50 per 460g jar and is suitable for both vegetarian and vegan diets.

For culinary inspiration, Opies have also incorporated recipes on the inside of the packs. Alternatively they can, of course, be enjoyed in the simplest of ways; with a generous glug of cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream as an early evening dessert. (EDITOR: Or with a generous glug of cream AND a scoop of ice cream? Or maybe a delicious dollop of thick, full cream plain yogurt as an alternative?) 

There's no need to waste the precious syrup either:  Opies suggests reducing it down with a little extra sugar to make a glaze for gamey meats such as duck duck or goose or as a drizzle over salad leaves, chunks of goats' cheese and toasted sourdough.

Or make boozy ice cubes by mixing the syrup with a little water and freezing into a cube tray, or combine with gelatine and champagne for luxurious grown-up jellies.

The new attractive globe jars with white snow-scape design also have a fabulous after-use. Simply wash out the jar and place a tea light into the bottom to make a pretty candle jar that can be used for future festive seasons. Or make a home-made snow globe with some glitter and a couple of teaspoons of glycerine mixed with water. It could be argued that Opies' Fruits with Alcohol are, indeed, the gift that keeps on giving!

Opies Fruits with Alcohol are, of course, immensely popular at Christmas and often sell-out before the big day. So do be aware of that. The 2022 collection includes:

Black Cherries with Luxardo® Kirsch available from Sainsbury's, Morrisons, Waitrose, Booths, Nisa and independent retail stores. It is (also available all year round at selected Tesco and Waitrose stores in a 370g jar)

Peaches with Courvoisier VS Cognac available from Sainsbury's, Morrisons, Waitrose, Booths, Nisa and independent retail stores.

Pineapple with Luxardo® Spiced Rum available from independent retail stores and Nisa.

Baby Pears with Luxardo® Amaretto available from Morrisons, Booths, Nisa and independent retail stores

Apricots with Luxardo® Dark Rum available from Sainsbury's, Waitrose, Booths and independent retail stores

Forest Fruits with Cassis will be available to buy for a limited time from October until Christmas from Booths, Nisa and high-quality independent retailers.

Where to Buy:

The Opies Fruits with Alcohol range is available from quality independent retailers, and it is anticipated that from October an online opportunity will also be available.

National listings are also available from the following stores:

Black Cherries with Luxardo® Kirsch - Sainsbury's, Morrisons, Waitrose, Booths and Nisa. It is (also available all year round at selected Tesco and Waitrose stores in a 370g jar)

Peaches with Courvoisier VS Cognac - Sainsbury's, Morrisons, Waitrose, Booths and Nisa.

Baby Pears with Luxardo® Amaretto - Morrisons, Booths and Nisa.

Apricots with Luxardo® Dark Rum - Sainsbury's, Waitrose and Booths.

To learn more about Opies please visit them at https://www.opiesfoods.com.

That's Food and Drink: Introducing delicious Cove Passion Liqueur

That's Food and Drink: Introducing delicious Cove Passion Liqueur: Building on the stunning success of their award-winning Cove Vodka, Cove Damson Liqueur and Cove Coffee Liqueur, Devon Cove is delighted to ...