KITCHEN TALK
FOR THE BUDDING CHEFS
- Falcon Enamel Bake Set: This five-piece Falcon enamel bake set is really handy and something we use time and time again. From roast chicken to pies or lasagna this collection is incredibly versatile and long-wearing that will be useful for years to come.
- Le Creuset Cast Iron Casserole: A cast-iron Le Creuset is a hefty investment but a classic piece of cookware that will last, making it the perfect gift for a cooking enthusiast. A must in anyone’s kitchen!
- Hand Blender Set: it took us quite a few years to get a hand blender set, and we have used it almost every day since! Super versatile, the chopper is great for hummus or salsas, whilst the hand blender is super for soup or sauces and I use the whisk every time I’m baking. A really useful gift.
- Peugeot Salt & Pepper Mills: Seasoning is key when cooking and these Peugeot salt and pepper mills are a great present for any cook really. Both sturdy, the Peugeot mechanism literally comes with a lifetime guarantee, and esthetic, with their classic Parisian look, the mills can be adjusted to the perfect coarseness. Pair it with a selection of salts and peppercorns from Spice Mountain and you’ve got a great little package.
- Kitchen Confidential Book: Released in 2000, this book is a vivid and deliciously funny read that all food lovers would enjoy. The chronicles trace Anthony Bourdain’s journey through the culinary landscape, from his early years as a dishwasher in a seaside joint, to his ascension to an executive chef in NYC. Quick note: this is not a book for die-hard vegetarians nor the faint-hearted, as the ‘punk rock chef’ is not one to mince his words!
- Le Creuset Cast Iron Round Grill: This grill delivers the flavours of an outdoor grill in the comfort of your own home. From lamb, asparagus, kebabs, sourdough bread, you name it! This is probably the most used item in our kitchen and practically never leaves our hob for very long. A great gift!
FOR THE EXPERIENCED COOKS
- Camerons Stovetop Smoker: Smoke-cooking is a brilliant way to infuse flavour to food and this compact smoker easily brings a wonderful smoky aroma to meat, seafood, and also vegetables or tofu. It works on a hob and only emits a small amount of smoke which makes smoking food at home a hassle-free possibility! This would certainly delight an avid home cook.
- The Sous Chef Tasting Box: As avid cooks, there is almost nothing as exciting to us as discovering new and intriguing ingredients. If you know a foodie who loves trying out new foodstuff, this subscription box by Sous Chef would make a really fun present! You can pick from a monthly subscription to up to 12 months, which would make the gift doubly exciting as it’d be something to look forward to.
- Japanese Mandoline: The Benriner Japanese mandoline is a popular tool in the culinary world and definitely one of our most used items in the kitchen. The vegetable slicer is a compact and sturdy item, with a razor-sharp blade. You can adjust its thickness, and also swap it with three interchangeable julienne blades with different thicknesses. This truly helps save time when preparing a coleslaw or potatoes for a dauphinois. You might want to pair it with this grater glove, which protects the hands, which in our experience is definitely necessary!
- Mexican Tortilla Press: This traditional tortilla press makes creating authentic, fresh and delicious corn tortillas a breeze. Since getting this tortilla press, we make fresh tortillas almost on a weekly basis! Pair it with a bag of Masa Harina flour and this brilliant book, Tacos, and you’ve got a great gift set for anyone fond of Mexican food.
- Food, a History of Taste Book: If you know a foodie that also has a strong interest in history, this book should be well received. It not only retraces our relationship with food and cooking through the times, from prehistory to today, but makes a sleek addition to the coffee table.
- MasterClass Blow Torch: This blow torch is perfect for bruléeing, blackening, and torching kitchen creations to a restaurant-level quality. It’s very user friendly, and refuelling is pretty straight forward. It also features a safety lock, thus making the casual use of a blow torch feel secure, with no fear that it may explode.
FOR THE KEEN BAKERS
- Piping Nozzle Set: A piping set is such a wonderful gift for any baker. Not only great for cake or cupcake decoration, but a piping set also opens up the possibility to create macarons, choux or to fill doughnuts. You can pair it with a reusable piping bag and a cookbook on macarons or éclairs for a wonderful package.
- Nordic Ware Bundt Pan: A Nordic Ware bundt pan has actually been on my wish list for quite some time. The shape is so lovely, and the non-stick cast aluminium will yield an evenly cooked and beautiful cake. But with quite a few baking tins already I have yet to get yet another one, like quite a few other bakers too I imagine. Thus making it a lovely gift!
- Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer: If you really want to splurge someone there is no more generous a gift than a Kitchen Aid for any baker out there. A great design that will not only look great, and help with baking but that will stand the test of time.
- Lares Extendable Frame: This extendable stainless steel frame is super practical as it reduces the number of baking tins pilling up in kitchen cupboards. With this one frame, I have been able to make a variety of different shaped bakes like millionaires shortbread, marshmallows and flapjacks. Something any baker will enjoy for its versatility.
- Cake Stand by Sophie Conran: I was looking for quite some time for a minimal yet homely cake stand that wasn’t going to take too much cupboard space. This small footed cake plate by Sophie Conran for Portmeiron is exactly that. Beautiful and timeless, that will make any cake look that much more impressive.
- Professional Silicone Pastry Mat: This is a non-stick reusable solution to tray liners that happens to be used by pastry professionals. Silicone is eco-friendly and can withstand high temperatures, making it a great versatile option for caramel, baking or tempering chocolate. This model has helpful measurements written on the surfaces for the ultimate precision baking. The neat-freak baker amongst you will love this.
FOR THE GADGET LOVERS
- Joules Sous Vide: When you think of a sous vide machine, you may picture a large cumbersome apparatus only reserved for professionals. The Joules sous vide machine is anything but. A sleek and small device, not much bigger than a hand blender, the Joules is connected to an app that makes sous-viding a walk in the park. No, really. We’d even go as far as saying that this device is great for novice cooks as it really guides the user in creating perfectly cooked food every single time.
- Rice Cooker: We never saw the use for a rice cooker, until we received it as a gift from my sister returning from a trip to China. Dubious at first, we have since totally embraced it as it produces wonderful fluffy rice, totally hand free and keeps it warm too. An unexpectedly great gift for the cook amongst you.
- Ooni Pizza Oven: If you’re after something a bit special for a loved one, look no further than this compact pizza oven by Edinburgh-based company Ooni. The gas oven is super fast to set up, heats up to 500˚C and really does create authentic pizzas. Sam has absolutely loved using it and experiencing with different pizza toppings. It should be used outdoors though, so make sure you’re offering it to someone who has at least a small balcony.
- Heston Blumenthal Scales by Salter: As much as we’d like to think that cooking is a creative endeavour, rather than the more rigid baking, precision does come into it too. This British Salter scale accurately measures ingredients from 0.1kg to 10kg and reads in grams, ounces, millilitres and fluid ounces. Our classic version has been a reliable help in the kitchen, but if the present is intended for a Heston Blumenthal fan, then this collaborative version will be extra special.
- Magimix Food Processor: This tool is a mainstay on our kitchen counter and for good reason. It is multifunctional and really speeds up prep time for big batches, from blending chickpeas into hummus or slicing potatoes in record time for gratins. To top it off, the powerful motor has a 30-year guarantee - a mark of the quality and durability of the machine. A gift that will be hugely appreciated to any cook or passionate foodie out there.
- Rosle Roasting Thermometer: This dual-sensor thermometer takes the guessing work out of roasting. With a built-in timer, it also comes with editable presets to match whatever meat you’re cooking. Best of all, the long cable and integrated magnets means it can be placed conveniently on the oven door and left there.
FOR THE SUSTAINABLE CHEFS
- Piccolo 7 Seeds Collection: I’ll admit it, I am absolutely rubbish at gardening or keeping any plant alive. However, perusing through the Piccolo seed collections makes me excited (and naive enough) to want to plant lots of herbs. With urban gardens in mind, Piccolo offers vegetable and plant seeds designed for pot growing and suitable for smaller spaces. Their packaging is also stunning and is made with sustainable and recyclable materials.
- Rooted Spices Box: The various single-origin spices from UK based Rooted Spices are wonderful in terms of quality, and most of them are organically grown. They come in lovely little tin caddies and refills can be ordered to minimise packaging waste. For Christmas, you can put together a bespoke gift box of nine spice tins, for a more personalised gift.
- Eating for People, Pleasure, Planet: Tom Hunt is a chef, writer and food waste campaigner. In his latest cookbook, he's on a mission to teach a way of eating that prioritises the environment, without sacrificing pleasure, taste and nutrition. The book starts with information about the food, farming and sustainability sector and its importance. There are then simple guides on how to implement the recommendations for sustainable cooking and eating. Then, the book finishes with delicious recipes based on these principles. An all-round great gift for the sustainable chef you know.
- Stasher Re-Usable Bags: I recently discovered these silicone stasher bags on the search for an eco-friendly solution to ziplock bags and swear by them! Silicone is made primarily from inert silicon (sand) and oxygen, which is safe for human health and for the planet. These little bags are well designed and extremely durable providing a great solution for a sustainable kitchen.
- Oyster Mushroom Growing Kit: There is something wonderfully exciting and satisfying in watching something grow. This mushroom kit makes not only a fun growing project but a delicious one too!
- Fermentation and Pickling Cooking Class: Pickling is a wonderful way to use up vegetables and turn them into healthy & tasty ingredients that add a punch to your meals. During this three hour class by Borough Kitchen, one will be taught to make Korean kimchi and German sauerkraut and general pickling methods.
FOR THE COFFEE FANATICS
- Aeropress Coffee Maker: This little coffee maker may not look like much, but it makes an excellent, smooth, strong brew. Lightweight and robust, it’s great to take anywhere (we both have one at our respective offices, pre-covid that is). It makes tasty coffee in a matter of minutes and is super easy to clean. Great for someone who wishes they had great coffee at any time and anywhere!
- Frank Green Cup Reusable Coffee Cup: We searched high and low for a reusable coffee cup that was both esthetical, sustainable and leak proof. A lot of asks, that were perfectly met in the Frank Green Coffee Cup. On top of that, you can also choose from an array of colours to personalise the cup to match it to the gift receiver’s taste.
- Roasted Coffee Bag by Tim Wendelboe: Having won titles for World Barista Champion and World Cup Tasters Champion, Tim Wendelboe is a pretty big cheese in the world of coffee. As he resides in Oslo, Norway, his coffee is a little harder to come by in the UK. But behold, the London coffee shop Prufrock is currently selling a selection of his roasted coffee! Guaranteed to be absolutely delicious.
- The World Atlas of Coffee Book: This book is for everyone who wants to understand more about coffee. Written by champion barista and coffee roaster James Hoffman, the book goes in-depth into where coffee comes from, how it is harvested, the process of roasting and brewing methods. A great guide to the world of coffee.
- Colonna Coffee Capsules: If you know someone who loves their Nespresso, the Colonna coffee capsules make a lovely present. These Nespresso compatible capsules are filled with speciality, high-quality, single-origin coffee that will make a morning brew that extra bit more special.
- Chemex Coffee Maker: Invented in 1941 no less, the Chemex is a beautiful timeless coffee maker, with its hourglass shape, wood collar and leather tie. The coffee maker is made from non-porous borosilicate glass, which will not absorb odours or chemical residues, thus delivering a beautiful brew every time. A classic coffee apparatus that looks as good as the coffee will taste!
FOR THE GOURMANDS
- Pump Street Chocolate: The chocolate bars from Pump Street Bakery are made by hand, in the UK, using traditional methods and all-natural ingredients, and are simply delicious! They have several gift boxes to choose from. The Bestsellers box is a great option that contains the Sourdough & Sea Salt bar, our favourite.
- Ottolenghi Chilli Lovers Spice Collection: This little assortment of chillies from Ottolenghi contains chipotle, Aleppo, Urfa and Altino Sweet Pepper chilli flakes. This fragrant array will bring heat and aroma to any dish. Pair it with one of his latest cookbooks Flavour and you have a tasty gift bundle.
- Neal's Yard Cheese Subscription: I am personally quite partial to a good cheese board, and believe I am not the only one. If you happen to know a cheese fiend amongst you, what better gift than a subscription to Neal’s Yard Cheese I ask?
- Carluccio’s Biscuits: Generally speaking, Carluccio’s hosts a horde of lovely edible Christmas gifts. If I had to choose just one, it would absolutely be the Baci di Mama biscuits. It’s one of my go-to gifts when I don’t know someone personally but I think they’ll appreciate biscuits. The little hazelnut biscuits with a chocolate filling are just the right size to pop in your mouth and are just incredibly moreish.
- White Truffle Oil: A drop of this truffle oil will bring lovely earthy and complex aromas to your dishes. We add it to great effect in scrambled eggs, salad dressing, or chicken marinades. Something any truffle lover will truly enjoy.
- Gourmet Pasta Evangelists Subscription: This subscription box for quality fresh pasta is the gift that keeps on giving. Pre-proportioned, the pasta comes with delicious authentic sauces and Italian garnishes. A tasty gift I wish I had already!
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