Christmas isn’t Christmas without delving into a hamper of festive treats. That’s why we’ve put together a collection of the best hampers to gift (or put on your own wish list) this year. From indulgent treats, to tempting drinks, to luxurious self-care goodies, we have everything you need for a truly special Christmas!

Food
Cutter & Squidge’s Afternoon Tea Hamper 

The Afternoon Tea Hamper is the must-have hamper for 2020. Packed with the most delicious collection of irresistible treats from gingerbread to mince pies to scones and more. Not forgetting the bottle of bubbly you get to enjoy with your treats. Plus, you get a showstopper Christmas cake that arrives in its very own beautifully embossed reusable tin, making this a gift that just keeps on giving! 

£85 https://cutterandsquidge.com/products/ultimate-festive-squidge-hamper

Perzola’s Classic Wine, Cheese and Pate Hamper 

If you enjoy nibbling on after-dinner bites, then the Perzola Classic Wine, Cheese and Pate Hamper is the one for you. Filled with deluxe snacks that will have you going back for more… and more! Including Verduijns black pepper wafers, Snowdonia black bomber and a choice of Rendles pork or chicken liver pate. What more could you want to nibble on after your Christmas dinner?

£49 https://prezola.com/c/p/5716908/ 

Self-Care

Cowshed’s Ultimate Hamper 

Treat your friend, family or loved one to the Cowshed’s Ultimate Hamper this Christmas. Beautifully packed with nine of their most loved face and body products for happier and healthier skin including gentle face wash, refreshing toner, antioxidant facial oil, hydrating hand cream and so much more! All products are made in Somerset using natural ingredients and are all suitable for vegetarians. This is a gift that can be enjoyed all year round! 

£100 https://www.cowshed.com/products/ultimate-hamper/30721251 

 

Neom Time For Real Luxury Gift Box

If 2020 taught us anything, it would be the importance of taking time out and being kind to ourselves. With Neom’s new de-stressing range, you can do exactly that. The Time for Real Luxury is a beautifully wrapped gift box full of calming goodies such as hand balm, bath oil and a delicious smelling candle that is expertly blended with lavender, jasmine and Brazilian rosewood. Whether you’re gifting this to a loved one or yourself, this is a gift box that will be enjoyed from start to finish. 

£32 https://www.neomorganics.com/products/time-for-real-luxury-2#fo_c=3027&fo_k=084e4752a758de00ede9a297a7ebf31b&fo_s=gplauk?gclid=Cj0KCQiAhs79BRD0ARIsAC6XpaUnW4FjTcIeWi5gBj_sw6-Mry2W9BFI2Xuwy7ieI6sHmwSfvI2bUdsaAlTdEALw_wcB

 

Drinks

Not Another Bill The Finest Gin Gift Set

Got a gin lover in your life? Then we’ve got you sorted with their present. The Finest Gin Gift Set has everything a gin lover wants from the beautifully botanical Sipsmith gin to the hammered mugs to enjoy your cocktail in. Plus, you even get sent a cocktail recipe card, so you can start shaking and get the party started straight away!

£40 https://www.notanotherbill.com/product/gin-gift-set?gclid=CjwKCAiAiML-BRAAEiwAuWVggp_wj2mJulc2k3jJlGibT_JQ4cJ1M49OhQZRa-H-tTNQMu25givgARoCgJgQAvD_BwE

 

BookBlock’s Mulled Wine Gift Box 

With the cold nights, warming drinks are essential, meaning this Mulled Wine Gift Box is definitely essential this Christmas! Beautifully packed with Forty Liquor’s infusion jars containing organic mulled wine herbs and spices along with Wildcard Shiraz Cabernet, for an extra fruity mug of deliciously spiced mulled wine. Not forgetting the additional sweet treats of Choco Chiquito’s white chocolate coated almonds and citrus crisps. 

£57.50 https://www.bookblock.com/product/mulled-wine-gift-box 

 

Gardening

Petersham Nurseries Luxury Green Hamper 

Gardening became a big thing this year. So, treating someone to the Petersham Nurseries Luxury Green Hamper could be the perfect gift this year. Wrapped in the Petersham Nurseries branded box and filled to the brim with gardening goodies including a heart-shaped trowel, gardening gloves, an embroidered apron and many more items that will make any garden flourish!  

£195 https://petershamnurseries.com/petersham-nurseries-luxury-green-hamper/ 

 

Not On The High Street The Lover’s Flower Garden

Maybe you’ve got someone special in your life and you want to help their garden bloom. So, why not treat them to the wonderfully romantic growing gift of The Lover’s Flower Garden Box. Filled with a collection of flower seeds that exudes beauty, along with a personalised slate to hang inside their flourishing garden. A beautiful gift that can be enjoyed all year round.

£30 https://www.notonthehighstreet.com/thegluttonousgardener/product/the-lovers-flower-garden?referredBy=search

 

Chocoholic?

Pump Street Chocolate 

It’s December. So chocolate is a must, but not just any chocolate – Pump Street Chocolate. They have the most irresistible collection of festive chocolates, which are perfect for gifting. Their Christmas Chocolate Gift Box is curated with the most festive flavours from, Eccles, Grenada Milk and Nutmeg, Panettone and Gingerbread. Perfectly indulgent for a cold winter's night! 

£24.95 https://pumpstreetchocolate.com/collections/gifts/products/copy-of-chocolate-gift-box-our-bestsellers  

 

Island Chocolates

Not only are these chocolates totally delicious, but they are also 100% sustainable, ethical and traceable – so this truly is a feel-good gift! Plus, they have a brilliant gift with their Christmas bundle, which has something for everyone. Including, drinking chocolate drops which make the most indulgent hot chocolate, chocolate buttons which are perfect for decorating your gingerbread house and milk and dark chocolate bars, because you can never have too much chocolate over Christmas! 

£35 https://islandschocolate.com/collections/shop/products/merry-christmas-to-me 

 

Feeling Nutty?

Pip & Nut 

Whether you’re crunchy or smooth, Pip & Nut is a gift worth giving! With special bundles including their delicious Nut Butter Cups, Squeeze Packs and Jars you’ll be spoilt for choice. Plus, their very appropriate limited edition Christmas flavour of Gingerbread Almond Butter makes the perfect gift – the only problem is you won’t be able to stop yourself from spreading, dipping and stirring it into every meal. 

From £3.95 https://www.pipandnut.com/collections/jars 

 

Sous Chef

Gifting someone with the deliciously unique Fiasconaro Pistachio Cream is always going to be a good idea. Perfect to dollop on top of panettone and croissants – because let’s be honest, December is all about indulgent treats! 

From £8.79 https://www.souschef.co.uk/products/fiasconaro-pistachio-cream

 Need a Drink?

Campfire Gin

A Christmas tipple here and a Christmas tipple there. For all the gin lovers, you’ve got to get your hands on PUD PUD Cask Gin – rated 1st place in The Telegraph’s Christmas Gins 2019. A perfectly wintery flavoured gin with Christmas pudding seasonings such as Macedonian juniper, Spanish orange peel and Hertfordshire-made Christmas puddings. This drink is a must this December! 

From £36 https://puddingstonedistillery.com/special-editions-gins/     

 

Niche Tea

Need an energising drink that is also warm and comforting? Niche Tea is the ideal gift. Made with delicious herbal infusions that promote a whole range of benefits, from feeling energised to aiding weight management and restful sleep to even promoting beautiful skin. This is definitely a drink everyone needs over the festive period. 

£10 https://www.thenicheco.com/ 

 

Savoury Bite?

The Fine Cheese Co

The cheese board is just as important as the Christmas Day meal itself, so we highly recommend you check out the deliciously, impressive Cheese Celebration cake. Yep, that’s right, it’s a four-tier cake made entirely from cheese. Plus, it’s beautifully gift-wrapped and includes sparklers, so it is the ideal gift to make sure you, your friends and your family indulge on the ultimate cheese board! 

From £50 https://www.finecheese.co.uk/cheese-gifts/gifts-by-occasion/eyeful-tower-the-medium-cheese-celebration-cake 

 

Pasta Evangelists

The year 2020 is the year we stayed in – date nights, movie nights, boozy nights – we were all in! So, gifting someone with this wonderful Pasta Making Kit can make the nights even more entertaining and delicious. Complete with Italian flour, Italian salt flakes and an eight-piece tool set, from a pasta cutter, ravioli stamps, tagliatelle rolling pin and so much more. You have everything you need to create your own Italian dishes in your very own home – bliss!

£35 https://pastaevangelists.com/collections/pasta-making-kits/products/raffaello-luxury-pasta-making-kit

 

Want a Showstopper?

John Lewis

This beautifully elegant porcelain cake stand finished with a simple gold band on the rim is the prettiest gift this winter. Whether it’s a mountain of mince pies or the showstopper Christmas Pudding, this cake stand will make everything shine! 

£18 https://www.johnlewis.com/john-lewis-partners-porcelain-gold-band-cake-stand-26-5cm-gold-white/p4909101 

 

Oliver Bonas

Christmas is all about cheering and celebrating together. So why not spoil someone with these beautiful Lina Champagne Saucers, with clear ribbed glass and chic purple stems. The much-need gift, so you and friends can celebrate in style.  

£34 https://www.oliverbonas.com/homeware/lina-purple-champagne-saucers-set-of-four-248263 

 

2. Cake Leveller

Put the serrated knife down! If you are looking for a quick and easy way to create that beautifully smooth, flat surface on your cake sponge to decorate and layer, you can’t go past this super neat piece of equipment, the cake leveller.

Levelling a cake is no mean feat, but with a cake leveller you can adjust the height of the cut and get a clean and even cut. If you plan on layering your cake or even stacking it, this is your baking essential.

 

3. Kitchen Scales

Where would we be without our trusty kitchen scales? Not somewhere with cake, that’s for sure. 

We don’t need to tell you how to use scales but let us stress: Accuracy is key in baking. It can be the difference between sponge supremacy or disaster! When it comes to precision and speed, both things that matter quite a lot to professional bakers, we don’t think you can beat digital Salter scales. They also look quite fetching in black.

That said, if it’s purely looks we are after for a bit of Sunday home baking, old fashioned cradle scales certainly win out on style. 

 

4. Eco-friendly baking mats

We are always on the lookout for ways to make our kitchen eco-friendlier and to reduce waste.  Silicone baking mats not only tick the eco-friendly box, but they are also so super-duper handy you will be asking yourself why you didn’t make the switch sooner.

Whether you are using them straight up as non-stick surface for baking or lining your pans with them (no greasing needed plus a quick clean up!), they can even help improve your baking results, create less waste, and save money and time.

We use Silpat in our Cutter & Squidge kitchen, but for a pop of colour or if you have any keen young bakers in your house, check out Silchef.

 

5. Offset Spatula 

The humble offset spatula, once you discover this magical item you can’t be without it. Always have it on your person in case disaster strikes, because 99% of the time, the offset can pull you out of it.

Perfect for spreading frosting onto a cake, smoothing brownie batter into an even layer, popping muffins and cakes out of their tin, and cradling gooey cookies from their sheet onto a wire rack.

These are some of the ways you can use it as a baking essential, but honestly, it comes in handy in all manner of dishes and cooking methods, and being lightweight, small and affordable, it deserves a spot in your kitchen drawer.  

 

6. Silicone Spatula

Such an underrated piece of kitchen equipment! You probably already have this in your drawer, but are you still using a spoon to scrape out batter from a bowl? Please! Time to put this bad habit to rest and fall back in love with your silicone spatula. 

Nothing comes close to scraping, whether its frosting from a bowl, or sauce from a pan. It keeps things quick and clean, and gets every last drop used. Also works beautifully for stirring and folding anything you put in front of it and will not cause any scratches on your other pieces of equipment.

It may not have the variety of uses as the offset spatula, but the amount you will use it in baking and beyond (scrambled eggs, hello?) and the fact that it saves every last bit of cake batter makes it essential to us.

With many of us finding more time on our hands whilst we stay at home, we can find the small pleasures in life that often get overlooked as well as enjoying hobbies that we may not have had time for.

We know so many of you are getting into home baking, so today we are sharing with you a super easy, no-knead bread recipe, that can be made in less than 3 hours! Honestly, other than cake, what is better than the smell of freshly baked bread?

You will need:

• 450g all purpose flour
• 400ml lukewarm water
• 1 3/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon honey or sugar

Method:

1. In a small bowl let the yeast, 100ml of the lukewarm water and honey sit for 5 minutes to let it foam.
2. In a big bowl add the flour and make a well in the middle.
3. Add the yeast mixture, remaining lukewarm water and salt.
4. Stir it all together, then cover the mixture with a tablespoon of flour.
5. Cover the bowl and let it rest for 2 hours.
6. Pre heat oven to 220 degrees C. Move the mixture to a parchment paper lined baking tray.
7. Bake for approximately 25-30 minutes.  Bread is done when tapped on the bottom and there is a hollow sound.
8. Enjoy!

We love to see your pics, so remember to tag us on Instagram @cutterandsquidge, and stay safe! Team C&S x

Valentine's Day Biskies - Box of 6 for £18.90

This Oreo Cheesecake is vegan, but you wouldn't know it...

 Let's not be picky... 

V is for Vegan Valentines

Baked every morning in our Soho store, inhale the gorgeous scent of fresh, warm, buttery cookies! And they're Vegan! Catch um every morning from 11am :)

We've got a new edition instore, BUNS! Baked fresh each morning, our Milk buns hold a sweet flavour and a soft feathery texture that melts in the mouth. Both savoury and sweet, enjoy them warm straight out of the oven exclusively in our Soho store every morning!

On the menu:

Sweet and Spicy K Twist: Best eaten warm, Our springy milk roll twists get coated with a perfectly balanced sweet and spicy Korean sauce and topped with roasted spring onion and sesame seeds. Oh, and it's accidentally vegan!

Mango and Tahitian Vanilla Milk Roll: Love at first bite, These colourful little milk rolls have a luscious mango filling, glazed with Tahitian vanilla syrup and dusted with strawberry powder and lime zest.

Brown Sugar Coconut custard Milk Bun: Fluffy Vegan Milk bread dough, stuffed with coconut and caramelly brown sugar custard, finished with matcha powder.

Cinnamon Milk Bread Swirl: Vegan cinnamon milk dough, rolled in layers of buttery brown cinnamon sugar and coated in a luscious citrus glaze.

Mushroom and cheese Milk Bun : Smoked melty vegan cheese with garlic mushrooms stuffed into a warm and pillowy soft milk roll.

Mature Cheddar and smoked ham: Melted Cheddar Cheese and smoked ham filled inside a wispy milk bun, topped with smoked paprika, best served warm.

The countdown to Christmas is here!

 Pistachio Cherry Shard

Spiced Gingerbread Ombre

The Spookiest Season has arrived!

Halloween is all about tucking into treats and sinking your fangs into all things sweet.

Lucky for you, all of our cakes are all natural and only use as much sugar as needed to make it is fangtastically delicious.