Before we get to todays post, a quick plug and a fabulously festive recipe. If you want an easy, but incredibly delicious, recipe for the christmas season, I wrote the cover recipe for this months Issue of Waitrose Food Magazine, which is in stores from today. The recipe is a decadant chocolate and hazelnut buche de noel. You can get a physical copy in store or you can read it online for free.
2023 Gift Guide
It is time for my annual gift guide, a list of gifts for the baker and food lover in your life, or maybe just a treat for yourself. The list includes a range of price points so that hopefully there is something for everyone.
My Merch
Starting the list with a bit of self promotion (sorry to be gauche) but my Butter range of merch would make a FABULOUS gift. You can order these items anywhere in the world and becuase my manufacturer has locations around the world you wont have to pay crazy delivery fees if youre not in the UK.
LAST DATES FOR CHRISTMAS DELIVERY
USA ORDERS: 10TH DEC
UK ORDERS: 13TH DEC
Books
Books are always a great choice for gifts and this year has seen some brilliant baking books published so choosing a short list for this guide was tough.
Bred - from the Whistler based bakery, great bread baking and plant based baking
Small Batch Bakes - my latest book, recipes that serve 6 or less people
A New Way To Bake - An excellent plant based baking book
Snacking Bakes - a follow up to the brilliant Snacking Cakes
Bake Smart - Dispels myths, teaches you and helps make you a better baker with great recipes
The Boy Who Bakes Substack - did you know you can gift a years subscription to my newsletter? When you sign up for the paid newsletter you can choose a recipient to receive the newsletter as a gift.
Bakeware and Cookware
Nordicware Bundt Pan - These pans will last a lifetime and they make the most beautiful looking cakes.
Thermapen - a good kitchen thermometer is an incredibly useful piece of kit and these are the rolls royce of thermometers.
Saucier Pan - This is a great pan to have in your pastry arsenal, it is a saucepan made with curved edges which means making things like pastry crean, or anything that needs constant stirring is much easier. If youre in the US I love this one from Misen (which is the one I own) and if your in the UK Samuel Groves make an excellent one too.
Still Life Bench Scraper - I bought one of these colourful bench scrapers a couple years ago and everytime it appears in a video I get questions asking where it is from. If you want to make this a set for a bread baker, Still Life also make a bread knife in their colourful style, definitely something on this list I have my eye on! (edit - looks like the knife has sold out)
Stone Aprons - Stone, who are best known for their chef notebooks have recently started selling apparel and their aprons are brilliant, very affordable and great quality. Not too heavy, and they look great.
Stocking Stuffers
Butter Ornament - I am OBSESSED with this butter ornament and it will have pride of place on my 2023 Christmas tree.
Bundt Ornament - another brilliant baking themed ornament
Pump St Winter Collection Chocolate Bars - I love Pump St and everything they make but this collection of chocolate bars would make a particularly great gift
Islands Chocolate Tin - Islands Chocolate recently revamped their packaging and the chocolate now comes in these beautiful tins, a perfect thing to find in your stocking
Bakery Gifts
Papos Bagels - this brilliant east london bakery delivers their bagels nationwide and what a perfect thing to get in the freezer in time for Christmas, for an epic leftovers sandwich come Boxing Day.
Pump St Goodies - Yes Pump St is featured twice on this list, they have a whole host of things that would be great as gifts but also great for treats in the run up to the big day, think mince pies, eccles cakes, hot chocolate and Panettone
Lakrids - I know licorice can bee divisive but if you love the stuff, like I do, this Danish produceer makes some of the best. My favourite is their Original product which is licorice coated in milk chocolate and rolled in licorice powder.
Nova Bakehouse Biscuit Selection - Nova Bakehouse has been producing these annual biscuit boxes for a few years now and they are a family favourite. They can be delivered nationwide and make excellent gifts, especially when gifted to yourself.
Quince Bakery at Neals Yard - Quince bakery, from incredibly talented pastry chef Anna Higham, hasnt quite opened it doors yet but they have been busy behind the scenes whilst they work to open the bricks and mortar location. You can buy their christmas cake along with some delicious wensleydale cheese from the brilliant Neals Yard Dairy. If you keep an eye out on Quince’s instagram account they are also due to annouce a webshop in time for festive purchases with christmas puddings, tote bags and copies of Anna’s amazing book all available for purchase.
Burlap and Barrel Cardamom Extract - This is strictly one for those in North America, but if anyone wants to send me a gift you know what to get me (this is the one thing on the list I have not tried or experienced in some way, but I love the spices from this company and really want to get my hands on this). Burlap and Barrel, excellent spice sellers, have collaborated with a distillery, who specialise in making bitters, to make this cardamom extract, which David Lebovitz recently raved about.
Le Choux Cookies and Rochers - West Londons Le Choux have recently started nationwide delivery of there excellent cookies and their chocolate rochers (a fancy french name for chocolate coated nut clusters - theyre quite addictive). As someone who thinks london needs to be much better at its cookie game, these rise well above others!
Pollen Bakery Croissant Butter - the name says it all really, a delicious spread made from caramelised white chocolate and caramelised croissants. Keep an eye on their webshop as this stuff sells out constantly.
My Dream Gift
Now something for me, if dream Santa is reading this. What would be my dream gift? Something I might never get for myself but would absolutely love? A La Marzocco Linea Micra espresso machine. Fingers crossed, next year we will move into our new house, a wreck of a renovation project, which means I get to design a kitchen from the ground up and what better, than this gorgeous coffee machine, as part of that design. A man can dream.