Christmas officially arrived chez H is for Home on the day this John Lewis hamper was delivered. It was full of the wonderful food & drink goodies that you buy yourself & loved ones as a festive treat! It seemed a bit naughty trying things out in November, but it was all in the interest of research you’ll understand!

We love dipping crusty fresh bread into good quality olive oil & balsamic vinegar. It makes a perfect relaxed pre-dinner snack or starter. These Italian virgin olive oils by Il Boschetto are infused with basil or chilli which will add an exciting twist to the dipping experience. They’re perfect for salad dressings and pasta sauces too.

One of the little joys of Christmas is that you often have a table of goodies that you can grab something from each time you pass! The cheeseboard is probably our favourite – and these tangy Paxton & Whitefield chutneys give the flavours an extra lift. Really good with cold meats & pork pies as well.

A Christmas hamper wouldn’t be complete without a mince pie. These cute little pies from Cottage Delight have a crunchy almond topping and are really scrummy.

There are lots of options with which to wash down the mince pies and a nice cup of tea is certainly one. It’s a mug of strong Yorkshire Tea throughout most of the year, but something a little more unusual or delicate for the festive period maybe. These teas from The Lawn fit the bill. One each of a classic English Breakfast Tea and a Rose Garden Fruit Tea with hibiscus, lemon grass, rosebuds & orange flowers.

Moving onto the strong stuff! This Spiced Orange Edinburgh Gin produced by the Spencerfield Spirit Co is quite exciting. We’re looking forward to trying this – the orange, cinnamon & spice flavours are perfect for Christmas. We think it’s going to be very drinkable on its own – served over ice, sipped & savoured. It will also be perfect mixed with soda for a longer, more refreshing drink. A splash with Champagne or Cava is also going to be delicious.

The classic mulled wine provides another chance to savour those festive season spices. These mulled wine pouches – again from Cottage Delight Speciality Foods – contain cassia, orange peel, allspice berries and cloves. You just heat a bottle of red wine with one of the pouches for delicious warming mulled wine – and another perfect drink to accompany those mince pies!

We always treat ourselves to a bottle of port at Christmas – it’s one of our much-anticipated little indulgences. Snow outside, a winter walk, real fire, glass of port. Life doesn’t get much better than that! We gave it a taste test whilst photographing. It has passed quality control and has been put away until signs of the first snow.

There were sweets & chocolate too of course. We love the chocolate hippo packaging by Baro – and these cute little penguin cookies by Image are charming as well.

Some slightly more grown up confectionery too – chocolate covered pretzels by Hope & greenwood & Holdsworth’s Turkish Delight. Perfect, indulgent Christmas treats.

Items can be bought individually so perfect choose your own selection of goodies – or hampers can be ordered ready made up. You can always rely on John Lewis for a bit of quality – and there’s lovely packaging throughout the range of hamper items – important when it comes to treats or gifts. So it’s an early Merry Christmas wish from John Lewis and the folks here at H is for Home.

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