Lovely seasonal food and wine

Papadeli really comes into its own at Christmas - this is when all the delicious treats arrive. Yesterday we received a shipment of freshly made panettone - this year we have imported them direct and have decided to have a bit of fun packaging them ourselves. Daisy and Aimee, who are sisters, are fabulously talented in the visuals department (and most other departments if I am to be truthful..) and have welcomed the opportunity to flex some artistic muscle.

So, we're going to experiment with felt flowers (thanks to another great artist, Judy of Ambadesign), dried out orange slices (which are in the oven at this very minute), lots of sparkly bits and pom poms. Can't wait to see the finished article!

The next challenge is what to write in the shop window - am currently leaning towards:
"Put the Quality back into Christmas". I think people this year are going to be buying carefully and considering what they are getting - the feeling is that if we are going to buy something, it needs to look good, taste good and not be mass produced. That's what we offer at Papadeli. I think food will once again be one of the most popular gifts - our sign in the window last year said "Give gifts that get eaten" and I think people love this idea. No wasted trinkets ending up in junk shops, but a gift that can actually be enjoyed.

What would be my choice of gift? I am seriously enamoured by the Bodrato red box of pralines - stunningly iconic in its design. The pralines inside are divine the flavours are so true - the mint is fresh and the coffee like a mini shot of espresso. Or a box of Prestat Champagne truffles would never fail to delight me. For those with less of a sweet tooth, I think a small of selection of cheeses with Fine Cheese Company biscuits and fruit paste or chutney would work wonders - and what a lovely thought that you will be mentioned as they tuck into their Christmas cheeses.

We also do a selection of bespoke hampers which always impress. Many people choose to pick their own items and then we wrap it up and make it look beautiful. Hampers can be so uninteresting - and this way the contents are truly personal. What better gift than a hand selected range of quality foods that can delight over Christmas and beyond.