Q: I’m double-jabbed and I’ve had my booster jab but it doesn’t show on…

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Looking for Christmas gifts for foodies? You’ve come to the right place, because we’ve been trying out some of the top gadgets and edible treats for food lovers to bring you our complete roundup. With 25 options including foodie stocking-fillers and generously lavish gadgets, you’ll be able to find a Christmas gift for the food lover in your life with our guide.

Perhaps you want to buy your dad something a little boozy, or treat your chocolate-loving partner. Or, you could be stuck in a rut trying to find the perfect gift for the office secret Santa. Food-themed gifts are a great place to start, because not only are they suitable for everyone, but they come at the right time of year for guilt-free indulgence. Find our top 20 Christmas gifts for foodies below. 

Kitchen gadgets for foodies

Always Pan

Any foodie will be sure to recognise the Always Pan from Instagram, and this versatile and stylish frying pan has amassed a cult following since its launch in the UK this year. It comes in a range of delightful colours, from a bright and vibrant red to the newest colour, a muted blue called Blanch. The quality of the non-stick is outstanding, and it’s so pretty they’ll never want to put it in the cupboard. 

Always Pan, £125, Our Place

KitchenAid mixer

Image credit: KitchenAid

It wouldn’t be a foodie gift guide without mentioning the iconic KitchenAid Artisan. One of the best stand mixers on the market, it’s available in a range of colours, including this limited edition light and shadow combo exclusively at the KitchenAid side. This is the ultimate gift for serious home cooks and those who fancy themselves worthy of a spot in next year’s Bakeoff tent. 

Smeg citrus juicer

Elevating your brunch game just got easier thanks to the Smeg citrus juicer. It’s delightfully simple to use and a really stunning piece of kit that’s easy to clean, too. Just press down your citrus on the dishwasher-safe reamer to get every last piece of juice from your fresh oranges, perfect for baking or simply drinking a fresh glass of OJ for some morning indulgence. It’s one of the best juicers we’ve tried. 

Ooni Karu 12 Pizza Oven

The Ooni Karu 12 is a mid-price pizza oven from the sell-out brand that becomes impossible to get hold of each and every summer. That’s why it makes the perfect Christmas present for foodies, because while you won’t be able to break it out on Boxing Day, you’d be surprised at how easy it is to use in even early spring. This wood-fired pizza oven is currently our top picks of the best pizza ovens, and if your foodie friend fancies themselves a bit of a pizzaiolo, there is no better gift. 

Ooni Karu 12, £299, Ooni.com

Samuel Groves Cast Iron Double Handle Skillet

Sometimes the best gift is something they’d use every single day, making it worth a real investment. Samuel Groves is made in the UK and used by chefs such as Tom Kerridge. The quality is outstanding, and this cast iron skillet is certainly display-worthy. We love taking it from stovetop to the oven, perfect for charring. 

Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser

‘Tis the season for a hot glass of cocoa, and Hotel Chocolat’s Velvetiser is perfect for making luxurious drinks all year long. A far cry from powdered chocolate, you can use shavings of authentic quality chocolate in the Velvetiser. Simply add a milk of your choice. Choose between copper, white, and charcoal colours for a range of kitchen designs, you can also use it as one of the best milk frothers. 

Meater Plus

BBQ lovers and picky carnivores will enjoy the smart, app-compatible Meater thermometer. It can be used to monitor the internal temperature of any meat as it cooks, so whether they like their steak cooked to a very specific medium-rare, or they enjoy making elaborate feasts on the best BBQ, this gadget is guaranteed to get used all year round. 

Stocking fillers for foodies

Warner’s Christmas Cake Gin

Made with dried orange, nutmeg, and cherries, this gin has all the notes of a fruity Christmas pudding. It’s syrupy and sweet, perfect for drinking neat or topped up with your tonic of choice, but be warned, it’s deceptively strong! 

Warner’s Christmas Cake Gin, £38, Amazon

Lily O’Brien’s Desserts Collection

Those with a sweet tooth will love the variety of dessert-themed flavours in the Lily O’Brien’s Desserts Collection. It has everything from Banoffee Pie to Passionfruit Posset, but our favourite has to be the Hazlenut Torte, which has the perfect balance of sweetness and deep chocolatey flavours. 

Kocktail The Christmas Collection

Bringing bespoke and interesting drinks to your door (or more specifically, your letterbox) is Kocktail’s drink subscription. You can buy one-offs as gifts, and we think this Christmas Collection is the perfect tipple for a Christmas evening drink. The four flavours include Orange and Cranberry Spritz, Mulled Wine Hi-Ball, Gingerbread Espresso Martini, and a Winter Spiced Negroni. A brilliant boozy stocking filler for those who take cocktails seriously. 

Kocktail Christmas Collection, £29, Kocktail

Foodie gifts for home chefs

Robert Welch Signature Cookbook/Tablet Stand

Every foodie will recognise the iconic Robert Welch logo as soon as they open the box, and the Robert Welch Signature Cookbook/Tablet Stand is a perfect choice for those who love to cook and have an ever-growing pile of cookbooks in the kitchen. It slots together effortlessly and is sturdy enough to support even the heftiest books. For under £30, we also think it’s a deceptively affordable gift from a brand that’s known for quality. 

Tala Mixing Bowl

Many baking lovers will already have a Tala mixing bowl in their kitchen, but if they don’t, it’s an essential that’s guaranteed to get years of use. Newly available in fun pastel colours, and with an iconic patterned exterior that’s recognisable across celebrity chef kitchens, don’t be surprised if it’s used to bake next year’s Christmas pudding! 

Tastesmiths Personalised Fresh Curry Kit Gift Box

With recipe cards for easy cooking and all the spice blends and fresh spices you need to make the perfect curry, the Tastesmiths box offers everything you need to make six curries and will keep you going into the new year. Perfect for leftovers! Our favourite was the goan fish curry, which was perfectly balanced. 

Little Cooks Co Baking Subscription

You can be a foodie at any age, and the Little Cooks Co Baking Subscription is designed to cater to the budding baker in your family. The recipes are designed to be tasty but use high-quality, organic and natural ingredients. The recipes are kid-friendly and every ingredient is pre-packaged in the perfect quantity to save measuring and focus on the fun stuff. Mum and Dad will love snacking on the end result, too.

Baking Subscription, starting at £12.99 per month, Little Cooks Co

Cookbook and Ingredients Set from Sous Chef

Sous Chef is the home of restaurant-quality ingredients for serious foodies. They sell everything from high-quality flour to cookware, but their top gift for the festive season is their selection of cookbook sets. We tried out the Nigella Cook, Eat, Repeat set, which included the cookbook, a drawstring bag, and a range of high-quality ingredients that feature in the cookbook itself. This makes it really easy to get stuck into the recipes, and whether you opt for the Pizza Pilgrims set or Ottolenghi’s new Test Kitchen option, there’s bound to be a cookbook set your foodie friend doesn’t already have. 

Sous Chef Cookbook Sets, £39.99-£59.99 at Sous Chef

Christmas hampers for foodies

Hampers.com Luxury Family Christmas Hamper

There’s something for everyone in the Hampers.com Luxury Family Christmas Hamper. We loved the mince pies and the gingerbread caramel spread, and those with less of a sweet tooth will get through the delicious pork rillette in no time. With prosecco, port, red wine, and ale, this is also a brilliant boozy option for unwinding after Christmas dinner.

Luxury Family Christmas Hamper, £185, Hampers.com

Classic Wensleydale Hamper

Cheese-lovers will adore the Classic Wensleydale Hamper. Each cheese brings a different and interesting flavour to the perfect cheeseboard, and the pickle pairs perfectly. Lovers of a strong cheese will get through the Wensleydale Blue in no time at all, and when you’re finish with the cheese you should dig in to the rich Cockett’s Bakery Wensleydale Fruit Cake, which is absolutely packed with delicious dried fruit. It’s also amazing value for such high-quality cheese.

Classic Wensleydale Hamper, £35, Wensleydale Creamery

Dukeshill It’s A Wonderful life Hamper

Famous for holding the Royal Warrant to the Queen for their cured hams, it doesn’t get much more luxurious than a Dukeshill hamper. The ham is truly divine (after all, if it’s good enough for the Queen, it’s good enough for us!) and the cheese and Boxing Day chutney will be a brilliant addition to any cheeseboard. The Parmesan & Pistachio Sablés are particularly moreish.

It’s A Wonderful Life Hamper, £150, Dukeshill

Love Cocoa For Her Chocolate Gift Box

Wash down Christmas dinner with the Love Cocoa For Her Chocolate Gift Box. It comes with four fascinating chocolate bars (we particularly loved the sea salt dark chocolate) and the dipped roasted almonds are perfect for snacking. Made by James Cadbury, the great-great-grandson of John Cadbury, the chocolate is climate-positive and comes in sustainable packaging.

For Her Chocolate Gift Box, £37.50, Love Cocoa

Borough Market Vegan Christmas Hamper

Vegans will love the Borough Market Vegan Christmas Hamper. It comes in a reusable Borough Market bag and has animal-free favourites from some of the most popular stalls. We were blown away by the Sea Salt Brownies from Free From Bakehouse, and the Salsa Macha from Padre is perfect for dipping. You can also opt to add vegan wine from Bianca Mora.

Vegan Christmas Hamper, Borough market, £57.50 

The post Christmas gifts for foodies: 20 gifts to put a smile on any food-lover’s face appeared first on Ideal Home.

Colour experts have revealed the paint tones to steer clear of in the heart of the home. Getting a new kitchen – or even updating it – can feel overwhelming.

So it’s good to rule a few things out from the get-go when thinking of kitchen ideas. According to colour psychologist Lee Chambers, brown and dark grey paint has no place in the kitchen.

Image credit: Cult Furniture

Unless you’re lucky enough to have a huge open-plan space complete with kitchen island, your kitchen is bound to be more petite than you’d like. Often a relatively compact room, it’s still got to meet the demands of everyday life.

The colour to never paint your kitchen

Smart small kitchen ideas will make it a practical area to prepare food and have a debrief of the day. Because kitchens are often small, Lee says that dark greys and browns aren’t ideal. They could ‘make a space feel colder and less inviting,’ he says.

He says that while this may go against trends, they might make cooking and hanging out in the kitchen less appealing. Lee comments that the kitchen is a ‘space where cleanliness is paramount,’ and ‘these colours are synonymous with dirt and a lack of sterility.’

Image credit: Future PLC

Although brown and grey are both considered to have a grounding quality, they can also induce an element of sadness. The colour psychologist goes on to say that grey and brown could even ‘blunt the creativity of your cooking and socialising.’

‘It is also worth considering the opposite,’ he adds. If you do get stressed and on edge while preparing a big meal, the intensity of a bright and bold colour might be too much, leaving you irritated and overwhelmed, he says.

So, whether choosing the colour of your kitchen cabinets or walls, what should you go for? ‘My advice is to go for a lighter, warmer tone that opens up the space, feels welcoming and creates a social ambience that complements all the uses of the space,’ says Lee.

Image credit: Future Plc

Lick’s Head Colourist and Interiors Expert, Natasha Bradley advises clients to stay away from blue in their kitchens. ‘Blue is a known appetite suppressor, as there are very few foods that are naturally blue.

‘Even blueberries are purple, meaning it’s not a colour that your mind associates with eating,’ says Natasha. Like Lee, she also warns against using dark greys because they can be cold and unwelcoming.

A soft pink, or green – or even a warm white – would work brilliantly.

The post This is the colour to never paint your kitchen, according to colour psychologists appeared first on Ideal Home.

Today’s Photo Of The Day is “Morning in the Badlands” by Laura Schoenbauer. Location: Badlands National Park, South Dakota.

“This summer I decided to take the seven-hour drive from St. Paul, Minnesota, to Badlands National Park. It was a long drive but worth it. The park has gorgeous diverse landscapes and wildlife throughout the park.”

Want to get your images in the running for a Photo of the Day feature? Photo of the Day is chosen from various galleries, including Assignments, Galleries and Contests. Assignments have weekly winners that are featured on the website homepage, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. To get your photos in the running, all you have to do is submit them.

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