Region’s best
One of the many delights in the Appetite kitchen at this time of year is the arrival of hampers chocked full of seasonal, and regional, delights – such as those in the fab Angel of the North collection from Northumberland Cheese Company. Lots of hampers, at various price points, are available this festive season and this one includes five award-winning cheeses, crackers and bruschette crisps, relish and chutney from Northumbrian Pantry, meringue pops, and fudge from Canny Candy Gadgies. £55 at www.northumberlandcheese.co.uk
Coffee (and more) for Christmas
Baristocracy Coffee has teamed up with fellow producers to create a range of gift boxes. The range includes gifts such as four 60g packs of single origin coffees, snazzy Baristocracy-branded glass jars paired with resin coasters by Urban Pour, chocolate slabs by The Good Tempered Chocolate Company, and soaps by Zenote. From £12 at Baristocracy Coffee, Unit 2 Larch Court, North Shields, NE29 8SG, www.baristocracycoffee.com
Cheers!
We love to see small-batch unfiltered, naturally carbonated beers from Muckle on the Appetite kitchen counter. Owners Tom and Nicola Smith now brew 12 beers – plus a new crisp Kolsch-style lager – at their garden brewery in Hadrian’s Wall country and offer a range of options to purchase packs of three bottles (from £12) as well as larger selections and individual bottles at various stockists and markets across the region, and at www.mucklebrewing.co.uk
Honey, honey
Harvested from bees which enjoy the wild flowers of Tyne & Wear and the wilds of Northumberland, Travelling Bee’s Wildflower Honey is the recipient of a two-star Great Taste Award and is a wonderful addition to breakfasts, bakes and desserts.
£6.50 at www.travellingbee.co.uk
Hic!
Made using the fine Arneis wines of the Langhe and combining them with typical Langhe herbs and precious spices with extracts of artemisia, cherries, orange, elderberry, this Levi Serafino Vermouth Con Arneis is simply divine. £31.99 (normally £35.99) at Carruthers & Kent, 3A Elmfield Road, Gosforth, NE3 4AY, tel 0191 213 1818, www.carruthersandkent.com
Christmas cuppa
These festive bone china mugs from Sophie Allport are exactly what we’d like our hot chocolate served in when we settle down beside the fire. From £15 at Bradley Gardens, Sled Lane, Wylam, NE41 8JH, tel 01661 852 176, www.bradley-gardens.co.uk
