A Taste of Christmas

Thinking up Christmas gift ideas for everyone in your life can be stressful. But the love for food is universal. Why not consider some edible gifts this festive season?

1. Pick a Pie

What: Mince pies and pecan pies

Where: Cedele

Pies have long been traditional Christmas fare. Mince pies filled with dried fruit instead of meat are a British festive staple, having graced Christmas tables since the 13 ^th century. When the Knights returned from their Crusades with nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon, the spices were added to the recipe. It is believed that eating a mince pie on each of the 12 days of Christmas will bring good luck. Other pies associated with Christmas include pecan and pumpkin – traditions from the United States where the fruit and nut are harvested around the time of the holidays.

You can order both types of pies from Cedele which does them exceptionally well. The rum in the Classic Mince Pies adds a festive taste to the fruity filling while the Pecan Pie is a medley of sticky, chewy, crunchy textures and earthy aromas.

2. Have Your Christmas Cake and Eat It

What: Log cakes and fruit cakes

Where: O’Coffee Club and Café Noel

Cakes make another ideal Christmas gift. One of the most common cakes eaten during the season is the log cake. Burning the Yule Log was a Nordic tradition during the Winter Solstice, where an entire tree was placed in the fire hearth and burnt throughout the 12 days of Christmas. The log cake was created to symbolise that tradition. Originally made with chocolate and filled with raspberry jam, log cakes now run the gamut of flavours.

O’Coffee Club has two new flavours this year that is reminiscent of traditional log cakes: Merry Forrest Log Cake which is a velvety black forest cake layered with Grottine cherries and Chocolate Pleasure, a rich dark chocolate cake.

Fruit cakes enjoyed during Christmas were first made in Britain in the 13 ^th century where dried fruits from the Mediterranean first arrived. Café Noel at Fairmont Singapore has a Traditional Brandy Candied Fruit Cake that exemplifies the rich, dense and moist affairs that make for the perfect end to a Christmas meal.

3. Tiny Baked Treats

What: Cookies and macarons

Where: Café Noel and Bonheur Patisserie

Christmas cookies date back to Medieval Europe. These days, gingerbread men, sugar cookies and snickerdoodles are popular Christmas cookies. Thankfully, Café Noel’s Assorted Christmas Cookies ensure you will not have to limit yourself to just one type of cookie.

Macarons are not usually associated with Christmas but Bonheur Patisserie has such cute Christmas-inspired macarons that they just cannot be left out of your shopping list.

4. Choc-ful of Chocolates

What: Chocolates

Where: GODIVA

Chocolates are often the sweet treat of choice for special occasions – Valentine’s Day, Easter, Halloween, and, of course, Christmas. A box of chocolates makes for a fitting festive treat.

Belgian chocolatier, GODIVA, has a new 2015 Christmas Collection in the form of a 20-piece gift box. The chocolates are made extra special for the season because of their designs, which are inspired by images of Christmas such frolicking reindeer, the Christmas star, and snowflakes. Definitely a treat for the eyes and taste buds!

GODIVA’s Christmas Truffe Collection offer three limited edition Truffe (truffles) for a taste of Christmas, each wrapped in festive foil to resemble Christmas baubles: caramel corn truffe, gingerbread chocolate truffe, and raspberry Linzer torte chocolate truffe.

5. The Jam You Wouldn’t Mind Being Caught In

What: Jams

Where: The Marmalade Pantry

Jams often make their way into Christmas hampers for their versatility and neat packaging, and The Marmalade Pantry offers a fine selection, including Apple and Cinnamon Cider Jelly, Seville Orange Marmalade, Passionfruit and Meyer Lemon Curd, and Pear, Fig & Saffron Chutney. Long after the celebrations, your gift will still be appreciated.

6. Drink to the Festivities

What: Wine

Where: NTUC and Cold Storage

Wines are wonderful gifts and ever so festive. Red, white, sparkly - people are going to be drinking to the season anyway, so why not make a gift of it?

7. Bring on the Beverages

What: Teas

Where: TWG Tea

A nice hot cup of tea can be balm for the soul after a heavy Christmas meal. TWG Tea has some Christmas-flavoured teas that will make very apt gifts for the season. The Red Christmas Tea is a caffeine-free red tea with spices that evoke the scent and taste of the season. For a green tea option, there is the Christmas Lights Tea, while the White Christmas Tea is a Yin Zhen white tea infused with fruits and spices.

You can also get the Christmas Around the World Tea Set which has five types of teas: a decaffeinated green tea flavoured with candied Provencal lemon and French spices, Noel in Paris; a decaffeinated black tea with citrus, dark chocolate and spices, Noel in London; two black teas, Noel in Vienna which is spiced with notes of cream and wild strawberries and Noel in New York with hints of cinnamon and pine; and a black and green tea blend with spicy ginger and mandarin orange, Noel in Singapore.

8. Cool Christmas

What: Ice-cream cakes

Where: Swensen’s

We may not have wintry Christmases here in the tropics, but that does not mean we cannot enjoy a cold Christmas treat. Swensen’s A Frozen Dream will give you a wintry blast and make a welcomed gift for families with children. A new ice cream log cake this season is Honey Manukadamia. Manuka honey ice cream, macadamia nuts, berries, chocolate and a red truffle ball celebrate all the tastes of Christmas in one lovely, smooth block.

With these Yuletide treats as delightful and thoughtful gifts, we promise you that calories are not the only things you will gain this Christmas.

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