Homemade Gifts ~
Food & Drink

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Christmas is a time for feasting, so homemade edible or drinkable gifts go down well amongst even the most hardened competitive gift givers. 

One of the most suggested items in Christmas gift books is mincemeat.  I don't think this is such a great idea - most people would have their mince pies well & truly organised by Christmas day. But other jams, conserves, chutneys, relishes & pickles are all fantastic ideas. If you get organised back in late summer/autumn you can make the most of the abundance of fruit & veg available at that time of year which means that your presents will also be cheaper.

Drinks are also always appreciated at Christmas.  The key here is to go for something that is a little bit different from all the other boozy presents that people will  be getting. We have some fantastic drinks recipes & ideas that will give you all the  inspiration you need. The only difficulty is - they taste so great they are hard to give away!

If you need to come up with some quick, last minute gifts, then there is nothing better than getting baking. What's great about this is that you will also be drawing on the rich traditions of baking which have played such a central part in the western celebration of Christmas. So we have some traditional & different ideas for all kinds of biscuits & cakes that you can use to give your friends & family a well-deserved treat.

When one of the Christmas Matters team was small her godmother always made all her family a big box of home-made sweets at Christmas. They were wonderful - beautifully made & presented - they were a huge treat & now when we make Christmas sweets we remember her & this tradition which she passed on to us.  And our biggest piece of homemade Christmas wisdom - absolutely no one turns up their nose at chocolate fudge.