I have even toyed with the idea of maybe sending out some italian gourmet gift baskets to a few nurses poured into the disaster scene

I was an excitable child in the throes of adolescence and had begged my own mother for a leather jacket. n
A black biker one with limitless zips and cool badges. n
I'm no fan of the surprise provide, but food-related swag is a totally prospect, things you can actually consume using a smile on your face
Which is why I am no fan of the surprise existing, especially when it comes to clothes. And so, arrive Christmas Day, I had to feign delight and gratitude, gobbling my own turkey with this beige, sports-casual beast attached to my back. n
With a good faux-tartan lining and outsized epaulettes. Food-related swag, on the other hand, is a completely prospect, things you can actually consume with a smile on your face, or use day in, day out, for many a few months to come. n
With caviar, a pan of the best Belgian farmed stuff coming from Kings Fine Foods (kingsfinefood. co. uk). Perched atop blinis for critical canap豬 slathered on a baked spud or, best of all, eaten naked and unadorned, these sturgeon eggs usually are ruinously expensive but make a found that will be remembered long after the container is licked clean.
As a fresh time to celebrate, let’s start at the very best. As Christmas presents go, this is a stinker. nBut back to real life... Coming in at about £6 a g, they transform the ordinary into the decadently and muskily scented sublime. Some sort of saggy, soft brown leather coat from Marks & Spencer, circa 1987. n More from Mary Parker Bowles... n
A whole knee of Iberico ham, too, is really a present guaranteed to get any carnivore weeping into the wrapping paper. a good restaurant to worship and appreciate 26/12/13
TOM PARKER BOWLES: Yum Brum! TOM PARKER BOWLES: The Empire bites back: Pukka colonial surroundings, food fit with an Indian prince... Tis the season associated with ham, goose, Stilton and huge ribs of beef 05/12/13
TOM PARKER BOWLES: Bravo, Otto! Among the best are one-and two-day lessons at the School of Artisan Foods (schoolofartisanfood. org), taking in everything from Artisan Cider Making to ‘Pig In A Day. ’

And if bread’s your deal, there’s no better teacher in comparison with Richard Bertinet in Bath (thebertinetkitchen. com). The sort of blouson-style monstrosity that even Lovejoy would refuse to sling over his shoulder. n
Last but by no means least is a white-colored truffle (from Harrods or Selfridges), shaved over risotto, pasta or maybe scrambled eggs. n TOM PARKER BOWLES: Harvester for the world (just not me, thanks) 14/11/13
TOM PARKER BOWLES: Still gift ideas for men the top chops? Revisiting one my very best feasts (no, not Findus Crispy Pancakes) 07/11/13
TOM PARKER BOWLES: Crabsolutely fabulous: I am passionate about the mitten crab in this classic Cantonese restaurant 30/10/13
JEFF PARKER BOWLES: Mangez vous franglais? n TOM PARKER BOWLES: Cote of many flavours: Yes, it's a company. Not the dull baskets filled with inedible flotsam and jetsam, but presents to thrill and inspire. Special, nutty and wonderfully rich, you can choose between the Senorio Iberico Bellota by Brindisa (brindisa. com) or the Sierra Mayor Jabugo from Iberica (ibericalondon. com). Like the Adventure Hamper coming from Bompas & Parr (pictured, in Selfridges from December 15). The very best lunch in the West (Midlands) 19/12/13
TOM PARKER BOWLES: And let the feasting begin! It's a classique: Nouvelle cuisine-free French cooking from the ancien regime... nAs for the other presents, the best teas come from the Rare Tea Company (raretea-company. com); there’s a limited-edition Damien Hirst 20-Year-Old Cider Eau-de-vie from ciderbrandy. co. uk; basically anything, especially children’s cup-cake sets, from the ever-brilliant Lakeland (lakeland. corp. uk), where you’ll also come across magnetic toast tongs, my favourite tool of the year. A decent cooking study course is a joy to give and get. n
There’s cucumber and quinine jam to combat malaria, Taste regarding Victory napalm gum, a Street Bernard keg of oak-aged wacholderschnaps, snuff, an ice axe and also a flare. n
At £2, they’re less expensive than caviar and unlike a good dodgy leather jacket, they’re one particular present you’ll delight in showing off. The french language brasserie classics with a nursery foodstuff twist... But the food at its comptoir in Tunbridge Wells left me faraway from disgusted 17/10/13
VIEW WHOLE ARCHIVE
Then there are the baskets.
For something a little more traditional, you can’t go wrong with the Daylesford Cheeseboard Hinder (daylesfordorganic. com) or the Breakfast between the sheets Hamper from Foreman & Industry (foremanandfield. com).