deliciousmagazine.co.uk 105
make life easier.
ILLUSTRATIONS: ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES
arguably the most direct way
to buy fresh fish – it’s delivered
within 48 hours of being caught.
Look out for... Day Boat Boxes
(warning: these sell out fast)
and clams – or order whole fish
such as bass and monkfish.
WRIGHT BROTHERS LTD
thewrightbrothers.co.uk
Look out for... oysters, sweetly
fabulous crab, and the Catch of the
Day box with a useful mix of sole,
crab, salmon and prawns.
GREAT BRITISH PRAWNS LTD
greatbritishprawns.com
Sustainable and environmentally
produced prawns delivered fresh
and fast from their tanks in Scotland.
H FORMAN & SON formanandfield.com
Top-notch smoked fish, including
the delicious. Produce Award-
winning PDO smoked salmon.
Look out for... the sashimi-like royal
fillet – a tradition in our house at
Christmas. We eke it out over as
many days as we can as it’s not
cheap (from £20.95) – but so good.BAKERY BRILLIANCE
My favourite Bertinet Bakery mince
pies are no longer available by mail
order (lucky you if you live near
Bath where they’re based), but here
are my other UK-wide-delivering
top picks for sweet treats:HOBBS HOUSE BAKERY
hobbshousebakery.co.uk
Look out for... outstanding bread
boxes and sourdough starters,
baking kit, brownies and mince pies.
New this year: choc orange brioche
and Christmas sourdough with
cranberry and sage. (Yes please!)
BETTYS bettys.co.uk
Look out for... mince pies (the ones
with frangipane topping are as good
cold as they are warm – not often
the case), epic chocolate cake and
beautifully boxed (gift alert) biscuits,
macaroons and fondant fancies – a
proper retro revival.
KONDITOR konditor.co.uk
Look out for... brownies (rich, dark,
moist), especially the Curly Whirly
brownie gift box, plus excellent
mince pies (proper pastry yet itstands up to transporting) and
special cakes made to order.STRONG ALL-ROUNDERS
ABEL & COLE abelandcole.co.uk
Bread, meat, fish, veg, cakes, wine,
cheese... and planet-friendly
household items. They even sell
plug-plant herbs in spring/summer.
Look out for... Hard to know where
to begin, but try the caramelised
onion and cheddar tart for starters.
DAYLESFORD daylesford.com
Look out for... Hampers, veg boxes,
baked goods, cheese and more.
They sell uber-chic linens and
tableware, too. All good for gifting.
DUKESHILL dukeshillham.co.uk
Dukeshill has turned the hamper into
an art form – its top-of-the-line Truly
Magnificent hamper is filled with
39 premium items. A luxury
Christmas grocery shop with (sleigh)
bells on. Look out for... Hams,
cheeses, chocolates and puddings,
and all sorts of treats for the pantry.
RIVERFORD riverford.co.uk
It started with all-organic veg
boxes. Now they sell dairy, eggs,
bread, fish and meat too.
MACKNADE macknade.com
Award-winning food hall in Kent
with 170 years of history. Boy, is it
worth a visit, but if you’re nowhere
nearby, this is the next best thing.
Look out for... hampers, wine boxes,
gin-tasting boxes, meat and more
by mail order (gift alert).SAY CHEESE...
COURTYARD DAIRY
thecourtyarddairy.co.uk
Award-winning cheese shop of
dreams in the Yorkshire Dales, with
a broad and impressive range. Well
worth a detour to if you’re in the
area, but (joy) they deliver, too.
PAXTON & WHITFIELD
paxtonandwhitfield.co.uk
The flagship store in London’s
Jermyn Street is like stepping back
in time – a treasure trove of cheese,
all of which can be delivered.
Look out for... cheese plates, knives
and camembert bakers, too.
NEAL’S YARD DAIRY nealsyarddairy.co.uk
Exclusively British and Irish cheeses,MORE RECOMMENDATIONS
- Advent calendars groaning with gifts
have become a THING. Check out our
round-up at deliciousmagazine.co.uk. - This year’s Great Taste Awards had
over 12,000 entries and awarded its
3-star ‘exquisite’ rating to over 200
products, any one of which would
be a treat. Find our top ten festive
winners on p113.
with the exception of parmesan –
and they do gift subscription boxes.DRINKS
THE WHISKY EXCHANGE
thewhiskyexchange.com
If you haven’t discovered The Whisky
Exchange, the lead-up to Christmas
is the time – both for home and
for gifts. Yes, of course the whisky
selection is outstanding, but they
also sell a broad range of other
spirits, as well as wine, champagne
and ready-mixed cocktails. Every
bottle has a star rating and reviews,
and prices are competitive.OLIVES & NIBBLES
BRINDISA brindisa.com
The purveyor of fine Spanish foods
has a new range of Perelló olives
and snacks, all spiced with guindilla
chillies. “My favourite are the gordal
pitted olives but there are also
pitted manzanilla olives (the
smaller ones) and a ‘cocktail mix’ of
olives and pickles,” says managing
editor and spice fan Les Dunn.
Look out for... Spanish cheeses, top
ingredients in jars and tins (oils, fine
tuna, artichokes...) and cured meats
(hello, jamón!) too.BRITISH CHARCUTERIE
There’s so much good stuff being
made right here in the UK – three
cheers for that. Here are my
favourite three, all award winning:
TREALY FARM CHARCUTERIE
trealyfarmcharcuterie.co.uk
GREAT GLEN CHARCUTERIE
greatglencharcuterie.com
TEMPUS FOODS tempusfoods.com