Last minute Christmas food and drink guide!
We’re only 10 days away from Christmas now, so it’s time to get our thinking caps on if we want to get all of those gifts sorted on time! Luckily for you, Lussorian have rounded up 3 great ideas for last minute food and drink gifts.
G’Vine Gins
G’Vine Gin is an unusual spirit inspired by modern day France. Created in southwestern France, it blends French wine traditions with spirits to bring the gin to life.
There is clearly a lot of care put into creating the gin, and this is apparent even from looking at the bottles. Both the Floraison and Nouasion bottles of G’Vine Gin share similar designs, utilising narrow colour palettes and soft gradients to highlight the sophisticated typography.
In terms of flavour, the Floraison and Nouasion variants are both distilled from grapes which instantly gives them a smooth, sweet taste. The sweetness is accompanied by a full-bodied texture and is delicious straight or as a mixer.
Although both gins have their similarities, there are certain cues that make them unique to one another. The Floraison, on one hand, is described as ‘fresh and floral’. Although the floral elements are subtle, they do add a certain freshness to the gin; I could imagine enjoying it on a hot summer’s day, so perhaps it’s worth saving until the warmer months! The Nouaison, on the other hand, has a bit more of a kick to it. This spicy gin is 43.9% ABV, giving it a much stronger flavour and making it a perfect base for any cocktail. Unfortunately, due to its strength, the Nouasion is a little harder to drink straight, but the flavour of grapes still comes through.
You can find out more information about both the Floraison and Nouasion gins on the G’Vine website. You can also pick up a bottle of either for Christmas for £38.00 or £39.50, respectively.
The Cheese Shed
Cheese is (arguably) an essential food when it comes to Christmas, so it’s no surprise that cheese hampers are becoming one of the most popular gift choices. The Cheese Shed is a company that sells some of the best cheese in the UK. As well as selling individual cheeses, they also offer a selection of cheese hampers and selection boxes.
We were lucky enough to sample one of the 2016 Christmas cheese hampers, the Christmas Four. These hampers range from £27.99 all the way up to £134.99, depending on how much you need. Interestingly, because they use several different dairies, the cheese selection you get will be different with each order; don’t worry though, as the balance of cheese types is the same throughout. You will get a hard, a blue, a brie, and a special flavoured cheese.
We started with the Curworthy hard cheese from North Devon. This cheese had a subtle, yet pleasant sweetness to it which was not too dissimilar to Edam. Out of all the cheeses, I felt that this would work the best in a Christmas sandwich!
Moving on we get to the Devon Blue, with an overwhelmingly delicious flavour. It’s safe to say that you won’t need a lot of this cheese at once to get that flavour coming through.
The third cheese was a Sharpham mould-ripened cheese, which is a Coulommiers style cheese. We felt that this was the least exciting of the four cheeses, but the creamy texture and subtle after-taste would certainly keep me coming back for more.
The final cheese was the Sharpham Rustic with Garlic and Chives, and it proved to be the clear favourite of everybody who tried it. This semi-hard cheese has a savoury complexity of flavour which combines chive and garlic. This was our first time trying a chive and garlic cheese, and we were blown away by how pleasant it was.
Overall the selection of cheeses we received are very difficult to fault, and it’s great to support local dairies across the UK. We would strongly suggest that you have a glance over the Christmas selections that The Cheese Shed have to offer, as they would make a perfect gift to anybody this Christmas. You can find out more and pick one up for yourself on The Cheese Shed website.
Tia Maria
Tia Maria is a very well-known dark liqueur, enjoyed across many years by different people. We have included the latest bottle of Tia Maria on this list as we feel it can be the perfect ingredient for some truly incredible cocktails. With so many options for coffee-based cocktails out there, Tia Maria opens the gateway to creating these yourself.
Made from coffee beans, Tia Maria provides a rich, creamy and sweet flavour with hints of natural vanilla. Whereas a lot of cocktails primarily focus on clear spirits, there’s also a vast range of coffee-based cocktails to pick from out there. They are perfect for getting the night started in style, or keeping it going into the early hours of the morning.
If you’re looking for something interesting to spice up Christmas day, then why not try making a Tia Maria mint frappe? This simple cocktail combines espresso, Tia Maria, milk and mint leaves to create a strong, refreshing taste that’s hard to dislike. You can see the full recipe here:
Ingredients:
· 25ml Tia Maria
· Double shot of espresso
· 6 fresh mint leaves
· 50ml fresh milk
Method:
· Shake all ingredients
· Pour over cubed ice
· Stir and serve
· Garnish with a sprig of mint
To find out more about Tia Maria, head on over to their Facebook page where you can keep up-to-date with the latest news! You can also pick up a bottle for yourself nationwide for £15-£16.
