20 gifts for cooks and feast-givers
Also known as: my dream Christmas list to my family.
As the chief meal-cooker in our household, the kitchen is my playground and I have some fab ideas for gifts that your beloved home-chef will appreciate. Most of these are things I own already: tried and tested winners that I love deeply and use almost daily. I’m writing this so that my family doesn’t buy me these, but instead can they please skip straight to the end bit of this gift-list featuring things I’d very much like to own!
Each item explained and linked beneath the image, going from left to right. Enjoy!
Bamix DeLuxe Hand Blender/Mixer
My sister-in-law Phoebe got me onto Bamix because I trust everything she suggests (she’s one of those people who generally makes very excellent life/decor/style/moral/ethical decisions, and thus her kitchen tips are always solid gold). This is the single most helpful gadget I’ve ever used because it does so much without huge faff. It replaces an electric whisk, a food processor and a blender in one nifty hand-held item, and doesn’t take up much space either. These are some of the things I make with mine most often:
Mayonnaise
Hollandaise
Whipped egg whites for cakes
Pancake and Yorkie batter
Chopped garlic or ginger for sauces or marinades
Freshly-blitzed peanuts or almonds for baking or sauces
A quick vinaigrette for salads when I’ve run out of my big-batch bottle
Warm milk whizzed up for hot chocolates (in lieu of a Velvetiser)
I upgraded to this black and bronze 6.2L Ninja whopper from my first air-fryer (this very decent, basic Tefal one). I needed more space in the basket, something a bit quieter, still compact and not the size of a motorcycle, and a touch sexier too. You can get a whole chicken in here very easily, and the rack can be placed higher up to create two cooking surfaces (excellent for M&S Party Food!)
Stanley Tucci’s Greenpan Collection
Brilliant, clever Sali Hughes lured me into the Greenpan universe through this excellent post. They’re indestructible, a doddle to clean and they cook everything better than any other pan I’ve bought in the past, so now I’m completely hooked. Then along comes Stanley Tucci with his dreamboat Greenpan collab and I WANT IT ALL. In particular, this enormous 33cm Stanley Pan with lid from the Venetian Teal collection, with elegant brass fixtures. PHWOAR. I can see a huge perfumed heap of bolognese sauce in this, or a slow-cooked shoulder of lamb nestled in a bed of sticky-soft onions, or even a massive vat of my French Onion Soup for at least 10 people.
PS: a huge Fortnum’s box arrived last week so I’m pretty sure it contains this pan, because like all efficient better halves I sent JdP the link ages ago and requested this under the tree!
Skye McAlpine’s A Table Full Of Love cookbook
This is one of my most-read and most adored cookbooks, and it’s so much more than that. Skye expresses perfectly how home-cooks feel about feeding their loved ones, and every time I flick through her recipes and stories I feel lifted, inspired and newly invigorated to spend hours in the kitchen.