Christmas Foodie Round-Up

Christmas Lunch Popcorn

What happens when the quintessential health snack of 2014 meets the most calorific meal of the year?  You get a complete Christmas lunch flavoured box of popcorn apparently!  The box comprises of popcorn flavoured with all of the individual dishes found at Christmas, including Turkey, Lemon & Thyme; Pigs in Blanket; and a Vegetable Medley consisting of Brussels sprout style popcorn! Available for £8 from www.Selfridges.com and instore.

Reindeer Pie at The Parlour, Kensal Rise

No Christmas is complete without the sight of reindeer, but this year you can have a bite of Bambi's cousin from Lapland too with this Reindeer Pie.  Head down to The Parlour in Kensal Rise where chef Jesse Dunford has created this seasonal (and perhaps somewhat traumatising to vegetarians and children) pie, complete with antlers! www.parlourkensal.com

Cocktail Confectionary from Smith & Sinclair

The very clever duo at Smith & Sinclair have managed to combine two of our biggest Christmas indulgences – booze and sweet stuff – into one handy bite with their cocktail pastilles.  That's right, they might look like posh wine gums but they are actually wonderfully moist, chewy and incredibly boozy sweets that have literally been made using a base of some of our favourite alcoholic drinks.  Flavours include Gin & Tonic (violet infused gin and a lemon sherbet coating), Mixed Berry Daiquiri (with summer berries, dark rum and a pink peppercorn infused coating) and Whisky Sour (with a sour grapefruit coating).   To give you an idea of how potent they are, eating a box of six will take you over the drink-drive limit!  £8.95/box from Harvey Nicholls and good independent food shops. www.smithandsinclair.co.uk

Bûche de Noel from La Patisserie des Reves

If mince pies and Christmas cakes are far too common for you then posh up your festive treats with these ultra-indulgent Bûche de Noel (yule-logs to us regular folk) from La Patisserie des Reves.  Available in a variety of flavours including Pistachio, Vanilla & Chocolate, and Sour cherry & Chestnut, they are guaranteed to keep your sweet tooth satisfied this Christmas. £5.50 from www.lapatisseriedesreves.com/uk

Hot Sauce Hamper from World of Zing

Forget cranberry sauce and boring mustard at the table this year - spice up your Christmas with sauces and condiments by some of London's most exciting artisans and street foodies with a World of Zing Hot Sauce Hamper!  Featuring everything from The Ribmans infamous Bacon Holy Fuck sauce and the incredible Prairie Fire BBQ Sauce to Tonkotsu's renowned Japanese Eat The Bits Chilli Oil, the hampers are guaranteed to get the tastebuds tingling! Starts at £20 from www.worldofzing.com/product/world-of-zing-hot-sauce-hamper/

M Signature Jewelled Fruit Christmas Pudding from Morrisons

Fans of Christmas puddings need look no further than their nearest brand of Morrisons for this year's finest version. The tough-tasting panel at Which? gave it both the overall ‘Best' and the ‘Value'award, beating the likes of Fortnum & Mason, Harrods, Waitrose and Marks and Spencer along the way.  Their expert tasters described it as “simply majestic, commending its pleasing nutty texture, light citrus notes and great depth of flavour.”  £3.99 from www.morrisons.com