Christmas is just around the corner and it is the season of year-end parties and gatherings. Cue the perennial question of “What gift should I bring?” Do you worry about attending empty-handed? We highlight some stand-out food gifts that will impress gourmand friends.
The rich and spicy flavours of the Christmas fruitcake are reimagined into a gin by Shangri-La Group’s head sommelier Britt Ng. The gin is infused with cinnamon, cloves, almond, vanilla and candied orange, and blended with English fruit cake, before undergoing another round of distillation. Concoct a Christmas-centric cocktail by adding a splash of tonic water to this festive gin.
Find out more: Shangri-La Singapore
Inspired by childhood memories of riding on a carousel, Fullerton Hotel Singapore’s Executive Pastry Chef Siddharth Prabhu has crafted the Christmas Carousel cake, a show-stopping rendition of the classic rum fruitcake. Perched on top of the cake are a red and white canopy and reindeer gallopers made from ivory and dark chocolate. The fruitcake is studded with candied lemon, candied orange, candied cherry, and raisins that are soaked in Myers’s Rum for more than six months, before being frosted with brandy buttercream and almond marzipan, and wrapped in fondant.
Find out more: Fullerton Hotel Singapore
Afternoon tea gets a Christmas makeover with this three-tiered takeaway set that is dressed up like a Christmas tree crowned with a gigantic star. Decked around the tiers are 16 bite-sized sweet and savoury items. Sweet treats include gianduja chocolate tart, chestnut Profiterole and lemon meringue tart. On the savoury side, nibble on mini turkey pot pies, jamón serrano, fig jam and honey feta crumble on crispy brioche, and herb cheese tartlet with lingonberry compote. The festive packaging makes an attractive centrepiece on dining tables and the gold star also doubles up as an ornament that can be hung on Christmas trees.
Find out more: Goodwood Park Hotel
Borrowing the Mexican culture of smashing a pinata at celebratory events, the Igloo Pinata comes in the form of a ‘snow’-speckled white chocolate dome embellished with desiccated coconut. Amp up the party mood by breaking the shell with a wooden mallet to reveal bite-sized treats such as apricot and brandy fruit Cake, gingerbread and stollen. Perfect for the young and the young at heart.
Making its debut in the Italian gourmet chain’s Christmas food selection is a trio of Italian and Christmas-inspired cookies. The Christmas Fruit Crunchies are studded with cornflakes and dried fruit in Italian-style butter cookies. The Tuscan-style Cocoa Almond Biscotti, which are made with almonds and cocoa, are great for dipping in tea, while the Italian Pistachio Cookies are flecked with pistachios from Bronte in Sicily.
The cookies are housed in tins adorned with quaint wintry illustrations that reimagine the Gastromonia’s storefront with classic Christmas scenes of skiing and a snowball fight in action.
Find out more: Da Paolo Gastronomia
This Christmas, storied Moroccan brand Bacha Coffee presents the Winter Spice Coffee Hamper ($360), a perfect gift for the coffee aficionados. The hamper features two holiday-themed coffee bean flavours. The Marocchissimo! Signature Nomad Collection roast is a medium roast that embodies notes of spices, dried fruit and nuts, while the November Moon Coffee roast evokes the warm, cosy atmosphere of Christmas with its blend of seasonal spices and flavours.
Coffee brewing tools such as a Buffalo Horn Scoop and Vanilla Bean Grinder are included. Nibble on delectable treats to pair with the coffee, such as the Cinnamon Stick Biscuits, Traditional Bread Sticks, Salted Butter Caramel Spread.
Finally, set the mood with the vanilla-scented Song of Saba Coffee Candle for a jolly Christmas celebration.
Find out more: Bacha
The limited edition Holiday Chocolate Luxury Box by the Belgian chocolate-maker make a perfect gift for those with a sweet tooth. The opulent red fabric box, which is adorned with Swarovski embellishments, houses 42 pieces of iconic Godiva chocolates. Savour newly released holiday edition chocolates, such as the Caramel & Almond Dark Chocolate, Cherry & Almond Dark Chocolate, and Dark Chocolate Carré with Raspberry. Well-loved pieces make a return this year such as the Christmas Cookie Flavoured Chocolate Truffle and Sujet Noël au Chocolate Blanc.
Find out more: Godiva
For a boozy Christmas, the Baubles Collection Set ($49) by online spirits retailer Drinks by the Dram makes for a cool Christmas gift those who appreciate their tipples. The collection set consists of three baubles, each housing a different mini spirit bottle. They are the Aerolite Lyndsay Single Bauble, Bathtub Gin Single Bauble and Single Bauble Bulliet Bourbon. The bauble also doubles as a great decoration on your Christmas tree.
Find out more: Drinks by the Dram
Text: Kenneth SZ Goh & Medina Razali/The Peak