Rainbow sprinkles
The best looking (and tasting) party cake toppings from irreverent bakery Get Baked.
£15 for 1kg, getbaked supplies.com
Abstract enamel mussel pot
Makes cooking a moules feast as joyous as eating it.
£49.99, souschef.co.uk
Stepney City Farm potters and friends
Beautiful to look at and hold: mugs, mixing bowls and more, from veteran and early-career ceramicists.
From left, mug £25, jessjos.com; mug £20, @richardfuest_ceramics, large pouring bowl £40, tonyjoslinceramics.com; all will have works at Stepney City Farm studio open day, 9 December
Squiggly vegetable napkins
Upcycled vintage linen embroidered with Megan Forbes Adam’s wiggly fruit and vegetable illustrations, each one unique.
From £15 each, studio-mink.co.uk
Secondhand glassware
We love all of RE-Found’s carefully curated vintage kitchen and serveware, but especially this niche-use celery vase. Would also suit fresh herbs.
From £26, re-foundobjects.com
I Wanna Be Yours tea towel
You wash the pots, you call the shots … Dry up with the nation’s favourite punk poet.
£11, johncooperclarke.com
Little by Little jewellery
Collections themed around olives, oranges and watermelon, from a food stylist turned jeweller, with donations going to charity Luminary Bakery.
From £55, littlebylittlejewellery.com
John Broadley prints
Secret ortolan, giant langoustines, abundant profiteroles and a Waldorf shortage – amusing food scenarios from the Quo Vadis menu illustrator.
£19, johnbroadley.bigcartel.com
Black Lines Oatnog
Smooth and spiced, creamy and boozy; serve hot or over ice. A modish take on guilty boozy pleasure. Every bottle sold funds three meals for The Felix Project.
£18, blacklinesdrinks.com
Waitrose x Lulu Guinness bag
For fashionable friends who shop with style.
£12, waitrose.com
Pickled brussels sprouts
How to make sprouts more divisive? Aficionados will welcome these on a cheeseboard.
£9.95, fortnumandmason.com
Chocolate alfajores
Perfectly stocking sized – a biscuity cake in a tin, filled with ganache or caramel, in flavours from coffee to lemon.
£4.80, surchocolates.co.uk
Christmas spirits
We love a novelty bottle – but they have to taste good, too. The gin has been infused with Christmas pudding, then redistilled; while no cake has been near the whisky – rather, the name refers to tasting notes.
Christmas pudding gin £35.85, sacredgin.com; Christmas cake whisky £41.95, masterofmalt.com
Pasta and citrus notebooks
For recipe notes and thoughts on food.
£25 (A5) and £35 (A4), choosingkeeping.com
Food candles
Almost too pretty to light.
From £20, choosingkeeping.com
Refugee Community Kitchen apron
Sturdy cotton to stand against spills; giant pocket for kitchen implements; funds 28 hot meals for displaced people. We love the RCK apron.
£30, refugeecommunitykitchen.org
Fruit and vegetable soaps
Beautiful packaging and heady fragrances by Italian brand Nesti Dante.
From £4.75, amazon.co.uk
Four in a Row chocolate game
Part treat, part game – winner takes all?
£10, Marks & Spencer
Pasta-water candle
Starchy, slightly warm – carb lovers will find comfort in this scent from offbeat scent masters DS & Durga, joining forces here with NYC restaurant Jupiter, helmed by ex-River Cafe’s Jess Shadbolt.
£60, e-scents.co.uk
Allday Goods knives
The fun rainbow-swirl handles are made with recycled plastic; the blades cut like a dream.
Table knives £75; everyday santoku £140; forged santoku £220; alldaygoods.co.uk
Bobo wine boxes
Three bottles’ worth of organic French wine: good for a party; stays fresh longer; looks cool; tastes great.
From £39 for 2.25l, bobowines.co.uk
Inver hand lotion
Organic balm made in collaboration with chef Pam Brunton, inspired by flavours from her kitchen.
£27.50 for 200ml, celinelouise.co.uk
La vache qui rit apron
Prepare lunch dressed up as your favourite retro lunchbox snack.
£33.99, souschef.co.uk
Electric hand mixers
A home-baker’s best friend. Smeg’s retro-look version comes with three whisks (including dough hooks), nine speeds and seven colours.
£149.95, smeguk.com
Festive and spiced chocolates
Warming chai spice bars, and a box with (including a strong vegan selection and gingerbread truffle that’s worth the price alone) from the Dorset chocolate makers.
Bars £4, boxes from £13, chococo.co.uk
Nesting glasses
Clever, stackable crystal glasses – four different shapes, all 290ml volume.
£40, uk.aarke.com
Christmas coal chocolates
Honeycomb covered in chocolate and glittery black sherbet, for bad kids and good goths.
£13.95, fortnumandmason.com
Piedmont gianduja spread
On toast or by the spoon, the ultimate breakfast for lovers of chocolate-hazelnut spread.
£26, daylesford.com
Whisky tasting set
If they don’t know their Islay from their Highland, get them up to speed with Drinks by the Dram.
£29.95, masterofmalt.com
Chocolate clementine
Traditional stocking filler facsimile, no need to peel.
£15, daylesford.com
Emergency dan dan noodles
Fight festive food fatigue with fire.
£15, baolondon.com
Mulled wine spice set
There’s always one friend who wants to mull everything … skip the dusty sachets and give them proper spices for maximum mulling flavour.
£45, honeyandco.co.uk
White T-shirts
Chef-core fave from The Bear, the Merz B Schwanen T-shirt has a perma-waiting list (keep checking). Observer menswear editor Helen Seamons recommends Uniqlo and Arket as reliable alternatives.
£19.90, uniqlo.com; £17, arket.com
Lavoratti parmesan chocolate
For the friend who has tasted it all … bizarre, divisive, a talking point.
£15, souschef.co.uk
Ukraine recipe calendar
Mark the year with vegetarian regional Ukrainian recipes from Olia Hercules, illustrated with etchings by artist Frances Whitfield. Part of the profits goes to the Legacy of War Foundation.
£18, franceswhitfield.co.uk
Summer harvest honey, Midwinter jam
Terrific toast toppers, for lazy breakfasts or cosy teas.
Exmoor honey £7.50, @the_broad_bean; spiced berry jam £4.95, rosebudpreserves.co.uk
