Christmas Chocolate Selection from Thorntons

There’s an early bird offer on Christmas chocolates over at Thorntons. The old favourite of chocolate fans is offering a box of classics for £5 instead of £10 – meaning you can beat the rush for Christmas presents and deliveries.

Thorntons Classics: Christmas Chocolate Selection (442g) £5.00 was £10.00

A limited edition Christmas Collection that has something for everyone. Great value for money and big enough to share with guests this Christmas – contains 36 Thorntons chocolates. This product is alcohol free.
£1.13 per 100g Product Code: 0068 Gift Wrap this item for £3.50

International delivery is available through Thorntons, so your relatives, friends and even clients abroad can taste the quality of Thornton’s master chocolatiers. Standard delivery through Thorntons online costs £3.95, but takes the hassle out of gift giving in the festive season.

Jamie Oliver has just launched his Christmas mini-site, with a delectable choice of four different Christmas menus. There’s the straight-forward parsnip soup and turkey main combination or a helpful vegetarian plan for those unused to catering for non-meat eaters. For those of us struggling in the current financial climate, Jamie also does a “credit-crunch” menu which follows a fairly traditional pattern that will be familiar to many home cooks. It’s also easier and cheaper than his first foray into budget food in “Jamie’s School Dinners”.

Check out Jamie’s countdown to Christmas – it’s a culinary advent calendar which starts on 10th December (click here).

On his Christmas site, you can also buy gifts and food including flapjack and various chutneys (the chutney page has a full-on video with the makers waxing lyrical about chutney jars). There’s also the Jamie Oliver ham with jerk seasoning (£60) and his Christmas pudding (£15) – which both have free delivery before 31st December. You have to allow 5-7 working days so get your kit ordered before 16th December to be certain of receiving it in time for Christmas.

Jamie is going to be on TV at the following times over Christmas to help you turn out the perfect Christmas recipes:

• Jamie Cooks Christmas 18th Dec 2008 21:00 Channel 4
• Jamie at Home Christmas Special 19th Dec 2008 20:00 Channel 4
• Jamie Cooks Christmas 24th Dec 2008 20:30 Channel 4
• Jamie at Home Christmas Special 7th Dec 2008 20:00 More4
• Jamie Cooks Christmas 21st Dec 2008 20:00 More4
• Jamie at Home Christmas Special 24th Dec 2008 16:40 More4

Bond Girl 007 EDP £16

1. Bond Girl 007 EDP £16

Avon are giving away a Bond Girl 007 beauty bag with each Bond Girl EDP. The face of Bond Girl 007 is Gemma Arterton, who plays Agent Fields in this autumn’s Quantum of Solace. “The Bond Girl 007 fragrance embodies everything a Bond Girl represents – intelligence, sexiness and confidence”, said Arterton. Avon are especially proud of this fragrance:

The fragrance, created by Firmenich, evokes the glamour, confidence and sensuality of the famous femmes fatale of the Bond franchise. The scent is a sexy cocktail of velvety florals, cool freshness and warm woods. It features top notes of velvety white peach and orange blossom followed by mid-notes of jasmine, calypso orchid and freesia. The drydown consists of amber, cashmere wood and patchouli.

The cap is shaped like that of a grenade, while the bottle aims to capture some of the curvaciousness of Bond’s conquests.

2. Mamma Mia on DVD

Mamma Mia has been a massive hit in 2008. Despite Pierce Brosnan’s ropey singing, women flocked in their thousands to specially extended cinema runs and hear the music of ABBA once more. Meryl Streep is now a hero for Mums all over the country. Give Mum a copy of the Mamma Mia DVD so that she can watch it all the way through Christmas as well. The film DVD will be available from 24 November 2008 but you can pre-order it at the following places:

• Play.com: Mamma Mia DVD £12.99, sountrack £8.95 (free delivery)
• CD Wow! Mamma Mia in different DVD regions, various prices.

You can even get tickets to see the West End musical of Mamma Mia! live, if you want to make a weekend of it. Just click here for details.

3. Thorntons Chocolate

Thornton’s have a great range of gift sets available on delivery. You can even leave special instructions in case your mother is out. Standard delivery is £5.95. If your Mum is diabetic, Thorntons also do a lovely bouquet and chocolates selection for diabetics:

Christmas Eve Bouquet & Diabetic Assortment (205g) £45.00

A fusion of fresh lime green anastasia chrysanthemum blooms and vibrant red roses, germini and winter berries, combined with delicious Diabetic Assortment

Brighten up your Mother’s Christmas with a bunch of flowers and not-so-naughty chocolates.

Lovely box (350g) £12.00

A gorgeous limited edition Christmas gift including a keepsake box tied with a lavish bow and full of sparkly chocolates. Box contains 36 individually wrapped praline, chocolate truffles and caramels.

This lovely box is a present to keep – the keepsake box can be used for other things in the future.

4. Spa Day

Treat your mum to a proper day-off at a spa. With beauty treatments, steam rooms and a leisurely swim, she’ll be ready to face the music again in no time.

• Gifts vouchers at Spa Finder start at £25
• Pamper days through Red Letter Days start at £49. Using their vouchers, you don’t even have to reveal how much you spent on the present.
• Pampering through Virgin Experiences starts at £49. The Marriot Pamper Day is £89

5. Pashmina

Pashminas are fine chasmere wool made into large scarves. These are very thin, but also warm, ladylike and versatile. You can use pashminas as headscarves, wraps, sarongs and can even be tied in such a way that they form a skimpy top!

• Marks & Spencer £39.50 in eleven different colours.
• From Forzieri €62.50 in five different colours.
• John Lewis do Radley scarves, occasion scarves (with satin borders or diamante detailing from £30) and a great range of pashminas from £80

6. A pair of earrings

The nice thing with earrings is that you can spend as little or as much as you like and you can either go for a safe classic, such as pearl studs, or flambuoyant Beyonce style dazzlers that will reflect your mother’s personality. That’s why we’ve done a short guide to help you find what you’re after:

• 

  Bobijou – Pearls – straight forward pearl studs and dangly pearl earrings from £18.

• Ancestral Collections – traditional English designs, real gems and stones, from £25 – £499.
• Ernest Jones – highstreet jewellery retailer with massive range from £10 – £2000 in many different styles.
• H. Samuel – another giant in the jewels industry, you can get anything here at any price.
• Goldsmiths – slightly more expensive than Ernest Jones and H Samuel but with a super smooth website and a special offer code: OHP50 which gives you a buy one get one free on selected items
• Forzieri, the luxury retailer, have a really good range of clip-on earrings – in case you mum hasn’t had her ears pierced yet.
  
• Quiz have some of the cheapest jewellery you will find online and it’s not half bad. Prices start at £2.
• Manjoh have by far the most beautiful earrings we have seen yet – and they are a true break away from the norm. Creative and very innovative earring designs.

7. Smellies

It’s very straigforward for this one – Boots have put together a helpful top ten of Women’s bath & body products. Some of them are on a three for two offer and they all come well presented in a beauty case. The cheapest is £10 and the most expensive is £35. They have big names like Ted Baker and FCUK and most of them include a bath foam, shower gel and shampoo selection. Our favourite is the “Soap & Glory” Pink Pamper which includes a bath pillow and twisty hair towel so that your gift won’t run out.

8. Candles

Candles are great for giving a home a welcoming glow and heavenly scent. A nice candle holder or oil burner that takes cheap tealights is a gift to keep. Here are some good options:

• 

  Kiarie: Christmas-themed spicy scented candles in tins and heart shaped candle gift sets. From £5.95.

• John Lewis do a massive range of gift candles, but their nicest is a snow scene in gel at only £10.
• Heal’s do a nice gift candle range including Botannical Scented gift packs and monogrammed candles for a personalised present.

9. Lingerie & Nightwear

Get your Mum a nice pair of slippers or a dressing gown. Treat your wife or girlfriend to a new bra or some sexy holdups.

• 

  Derek Rose Dressing Gown from Idlewild London

  Be Cheeky: a great range of sexy lingerie perfect for girlfriends and wives. They do a special Christmas gifts section including lingerie sets and stocking fillers, which makes it easier to buy for your other half.

• La Femme Fatale do a helpful gent’s guide to buying lingerie. This will help those buying for their girlfriend to decode sizes and choose colours.
• Lingerie Express do an extra naughty selection for those looking to hot up their Christmas. Beware – don’t put these presents under the tree unless you want the whole family to know what you’ve bought her!
• CX London Boutique do a kookie range of underwear which is perfect for non-conformist or creative types. Choose from the frilly 50’s style knickers or the gothic skull pants.
• Idlewild London are classy and cover everything from nightgowns to lingerie to maternity wear and produce top quality clothing which will suit your mum as well as your girlfriend. You can even get 10% off Derek Rose branded clothing by entering “rose10” at the checkout. Offer valid until 30th November.
• Blooming Marvellous are the top brand for maternity lingerie.
• BHS have a large range of dressing gowns – a safe present for any female.
• Check out the pink santa thong from Peacocks £3.
• David Nieper do dressing gowns perfect for Grandmas.
• Dorothy Perkins have the best range of slippers – including; slipper boots, ballerina slippers, leopard print slippers and slippers with bows on.
• John Lewis do the best range across the board with the big name brands in everything; lingerie, nightwear and gift sets. They also do mastectomy bras – very useful if you’ve been searching for them for a while. They only £25 and very pretty.

10. Daniel Craig Poster

Daniel Craig, Pierce Brosnan and Barack Obama are this year’s poster hits. If you would like something a little less obtrusive, get the calendar.We found a calendar with Troy from High School Musical - which is very popular amongst Mums.

• EasyArt Quantum of Solace poster (featuring Daniel Craig) £5.95.
• World Gallery Daniel Craig posters from £5.99.
• One Poster Daniel Craig posters from £3.99.

You can only get a nodding buster from ITV through the Paul O’ Grady show as they are specially commissioned toys. However, people who get hold of them are putting them on ebay for around £20 – see the Ebay Nodding Busters below:

<a href="http://www.24hourtrading.co.uk/buster.html" mce_href="http://www.24hourtrading.co.uk/buster.html">Click here for nodding busters</a>

Gavin & Stacey Book

Ruth Jones came on the show to talk about working on the Gavin & Stacey Christmas special, whether there will be another series (they’re not sure yet) and what it was like working on the latest costume drama “Tess of the D’Urbevilles”. The Gavin & Stacey book is out for Christmas featuring:

• 

  Gavin and Stacey’s family trees

• Character profiles
• Maps of Barry and Billericay with key sights and landmarks
• Pam’s favourite vegetarian recipes (incl. cheese omelette)
• Nessa’s secret diary (Includes how she really met John Prescott) and a Welsh Dragon knitting pattern.
• Gavin and Stacey’s emails – before they met
• Smithy’s top night outs in Billericay
• Script extracts and jokes
• Quizzes and crosswords and much more…

It was written by Ruth Jones and James Cordon – the shows creators. £17.99 from Blackwell, £15.29 from Foyles.

Benidorm Series 2 DVD (Steve Pemberton, Johnny Vegas & Hannah Hobley)

Johnny Vegas went on Paul O’ Grady to promote the new DVD of “Benidorm”, talking about how he had met some characters just like Geoff Maltby. When asked by Paul whether he had calmed down at all, Johnny responded that he was about to say “yes” until he thought about his last time in Benidorm, running down the street with a homeless lady’s trolley at 3am in the morning. They also talked about the character “Geoff” who gets to go on a date with a teenage mother while his Mum/PA babysits “Coolio” – his date’s son.

Released 17/11/2008: Pre-order from Play.com £17.99 with free delivery.

Known as ‘The Oracle’ because of his computer-like knowledge of trivial facts and figures, Geoff Maltby is on holiday with his mother, or PA as he calls her, but keen to hide the fact.

Paul O’Grady often features the latest and greatest products, but we’d love to get hold of a Nodding Buster for ourselves! It would make a great Christmas present for someone you know is a big fan of the show – a really unique gift too.

Play Winemaker for a Day - €149.00 per person

If you think you know your wine, then this little adventure will either validate you knowldege, or completely obliterate it. Château Haut Garriguein in the South West France is where you’ll hone your skills and be involved in the winemaking process from harvesting to blending, all under the expert guidance of a real life winemaker.

Price includes a casual lunch and your three bottles of unique blend. February, March and April only. Reservation required. Book early to be sure of a place.

Buy a Vineyard Share – prices start at €99

For those who love wine, but want to delve a little further into their passion, why not buy a share in one of Château Haut Garriguein vineyards. You will be entitle to own an entire row of vines for a year or more.

What will you receive:

Chateau Haut Garrigue vineyard share includes:
1. Rent of a row of vines in Chateau Haut Garrigue’s vineyards for a year and a case of wine from the parcel to be collected at the Chateau (they can shipped to members in Ireland/ UK at extra cost)
2. A ‘Vineyard Share’ certificate and photo of your named row
3. Your name on the ‘Vineyard Share’ members list in Chateau Haut Garrigue’s Tasting room
4. Your name on an oak sign on your row of vines in the vineyard for your year of membership
5. Invitations to member’s events – including the opportunity to try your hand at picking and participate in a ‘vendange’ (harvest) celebration
6. Visits to Chateau Haut Garrigue to inspect your row of vines at any time
7. A newsletter about what’s happening in the vineyard

Book now for the coming harvest season.

1. The Vegetarian

£60 through Flowers UK:

• Louis Bonard Cotes du Rhone 2005 AC 75cl
• Walkers Shortbread Rounds 100g
• Biona Organic Italian Fusilli Pasta 500g
• Italia in Tavola Garlic Bruschetta 150g
• Dormens Spiced Sesame Peanuts 30g
• Vergers De Gascogne Cherries in Kirsch 210ml
• Chilliqueen Coriander & Shallot Chelly 200g
• Le Bonta Tomato & Basil Pasta Sauce 304g
• Boaters Amaretto Flavoured Ground Coffee Cube 57g
• Dormens Milk & White Chocolate Raisins 100g
• Cupido Dark Chocolate Sticks Filled with Mint Fondant 125g

Not suitable for those with nut allergies, this hamper has all of the essential ingredients for a luxurious vegetarian snack, picnic, or evening in. A three course meal and a bottle of wine in one small wicker basket is a sure fire way to make someone’s day.

2. Alcohol Free

The Chocoholics Christmas Hamper from the Chocolate Trading Company is only £32.99. Contents may vary so you may wish to check for liqueur chocolates before you buy. Next day delivery available. Enter code “Xmas6” for 6% off all products at Chocolate Trading Co. Offer end 31st December.

• Milk chocolate toffee lips
• Fine drinking chocolate flakes
• Organic truffles
• Milk chocolate caramels
• Fine milk chocolate bar

3. Ethical

The Fairtrade Christmas Hamper is £39.00 and ensures that producers around the world get fair prices for their goods. If you were going to to buy a hamper anyway, get into the Christmas spirit and ensure that farmers everywhere get a fair deal with this chocolate and cake hamper:

• Traidcraft Christmas Pudding 450g
• Traidcraft Christmas Cake 1050g
• Traidcraft Finest Belgian Chocolate Selection 230g
• Divine Chocolate Coins 80g
• Divine Chocolate Christmas Puddings 90g
• Traidcraft Christmas Tree Biscuits 200g
• Christmas Glow Christmas Card
• Fair trade woven basket from Traidcraft.

4. Budget Hamper

Our best budgets hampers are £20 plus delivery (from £4.95). They include a range of sweet hampers from Thorntons. You can choose from; Terrific Toffee, Magnificently Milk, Deliciously Dark, Fabulous Fudge and Wickedly White. There’s also a Christmas Eve Hamper for £25 which includes Christmas decorations, however it is currently out of stock. This is what’s inside the Terrific Toffee Gift Box

• Assorted Special Toffee (650g)
• Chocolate Smothered Special Toffee (215g)
• Brazil Nut Special Toffee (125g)
• Treacle Special (125g)
• Fruit & Nut Special Toffee (125g)
• Original Special Toffee (250g)
• Banana Special Toffee (125g)
• Mint Special Toffee (125g)
• Liquorice Special Toffee (125g)
• Toffee Choccies (115g)

5. Organic Hamper

This organic hamper includes cookies, tea, jam and wine. For £85, you can rest easy in the knowledge that your hamper was produced through certified organic farming methods.

• Almond & Lemon Cookies
• Double Chocolate & Nut Cookies
• Traditional French Galettes
• Ethical Addictions Coffee
• Biodynamic Sparkling Fruit Juice
• Fairtrade English Breakfast Tea
• Fairtrade Mint Green Tea
• Seville Orange Marmalade
• Magic Strawberry Jam
• DeMartino Cabernet Sauvignon Malbec Reserva 75cl
• DeMartino Sauvignon Blanc Malbec Reserva 75cl

The Organic Deluxe is available from First 4 Hampers here.

6. Corporate Hamper

With corporate ordering you need to make a big impression and keep those essential clients for next year. That’s why Marks & Spencer have a special range of business gifts for you to peruse on behalf of your company. The last date for corporate hamper orders is Friday 12th December and you can get special bulk order discounts:

• 2.5% on orders over £1,500
• 5% on orders over £5,000
• 7.5% on orders over £10,000

You can order for up to 50 addresses online, or ring the customer services team for more complicated shipments. The best hamper out of the selection is the super-cool, James Bond-esque, “Touch of Class“. It’s only good for one person, so you may want another option if you’re gifting to a whole company, or looking for something especially festive. Click here to go to corporate ordering.

However, there’s nothing more special than this satin lined box of bubbly with a pull-out tray of chocolates to show that your company is really top dog. At only £40, it’s also a bargain:

7. Works Hamper

This hamper is perfect to take to work for your colleagues – it has no booze, includes oatcakes for those with gluten allergies, pistachios for the vegans and a Christmas pudding with brandy butter just to remind us what it’s all about:

• Droste Dark Pastilles 100g
• Fudge Tree Clotted Cream Toffee 125g
• Walkers Highland Oatcakes 75g
• Walkers Pure Butter Shortbread Fingers 100g
• New English Teas 10 English Breakfast Teabags
• Stephan Mousse de Canard 130g
• Thursday Cottage Christmas Pudding Boxed 112g
• 160g Dormens Jumbo Pistachios
• Duerrs Strawberry Conserve 113g
• Thursday Cottage Brandy Butter 110g
• LIDDED PRESENTATION BOX WITH BOW

£28 plus delivery through Clearwater Hampers. CW Hampers deliver around the world, making it easier to send presents abroad this Christmas.

8. Romantic Hamper

The Champagne, Chocolate and Rose hamper is a simple, yet powerful way to make someone feel really special at Christmas time. At £49.50 it’s also cheaper than many presents and there’s no need to wrap. The classy dark willow basket can be kept and the flowers planted.

• 12cm gift-wrapped vanilla rose plant
• Belgian chocolates (310g)
• Oudinot Champagne (75cl, 12% alc vol)
• Presented in a dark satin willow basket with hinged lid
• Order now for delivery from 1st October to 31st December 2008
• Price includes delivery

9. Bathroom Hamper

The Marks & Spencer Bath and Body Hamper is £49.50 and makes a perfect gift for mum or grandma. Add to this gift by giving them an hour in the house alone to enjoy a luxurious bath with these great body treats. Home delivery only.

“Includes bath towel, Loofah, body polisher, round long handled brush and massage tool. Presented in a basket”:

• 

  500ml Pomegranate Bath Essence

• 500ml White Peach Bath Cream
• 7g Raspberry Lip Butter
• 200ml Papaya Body Polish
• 200ml Lemon Shower Cream
• 75g Mango Guest Soap
• 200ml Fig Shower Cream
• 200ml Coconut Body Polish
• 1 x Grape Bath Tablet
• 200ml Mango Body Butter
• 75ml Almond Hand Cream

10. Ultimate Hamper

Are you landing on the relatives this Christmas? Do you feel guilty that you haven’t contributed anything to the cooking or preparations? Strapped for time? Don’t worry, just get this delivered to their door on the day you arrive. That way, you won’t have to carry presents on the plane or train or go shopping for individual items. Your generosity will be beautifully displayed and brought to the door for you. There will be little else wanting after you’ve given them this:

• 

  Moet & Chandon Champagne

• Hennessy Cognac
• Château Liversan
• Chablis La Marguerite
• Cantina Tollo Red Wine
• Cockburns Special Reserve Port
• Ditty’s Plum Pudding & Mince Pies
• Assorted Ditty’s Biscuits & Crackers
• Cranberry Sauce
• Brandy Butter
• Fruits in Liqueur
• Three Waxed Cheese truckles
• Dundee Cake
• Treacle Puddings
• Skellig’s Chocolate Truffles
• Chocca Mocca Chocolates
• Cocoa Bean Chocolates
• Ethical Addictions Coffee
• Spiced Apricot Chutney
• Red Onion Marmalade
• Smoky Chilli Nuts
• Marinating Olives
• Pheasant Pâté & Cumberland sauce
• English Breakfast Tea
• Raspberry Extra Jam
• Marmalade with Brandy
• and more!

£290 from First 4 Hampers. The best thing is, that with all this variety, there’s something for everyone. Coffee and tea for those who are driving, olives, cheese and nuts for the vegetarians and a plethora of food and drink to cater for every taste.

Other Hampers

If you haven’t found what you wanted, here is a list of retailers who sell hampers online:

• Clearwater Hampers: An excellent range including smoked good, international flavours and large selections in each box.
• First4Hampers: Choose from the wide range or build your own hamper.
• Littlewoods: Full Christmas dinner packs, including turkey, tinsel and puddings, sorted by price. Just go to Jewellery & Gifts – Food & Drink -  Hampers.
• Teleflorist: Well balanced, small, cheap hampers (£22.45 – £51.95).
• Thorntons: Good selections of chocolates and wine for every taste. They also do a selection of diabetic chocolate which you can get delivered along with a bouquet of flowers.
• First 4 Hampers: Luxury Christmas hampers containing the finest festive goods.
• The Chocolate Trading Company: Comparable to Thorntons, boxes not quite as decorative, but delivery is £1 cheaper.
• Flowers UK: Wide price range – from £17 up to £450, with an excellent cheese selection. Their most expensive hamper includes half a ham and half a roll of cheese!
• Marks and Spencer: decent range of Christmas hampers but an overwhelmingly useful corporate hamper section.
• Gifts2Drink: very limited range of 5 hampers including the “student hamper” and the “tea and coffee hamper”.
• John Lewis: Top range of quality hampers – including the most expensive hamper that the christmas.vg team have seen yet at £800!

The puzzle takes any standard bottle so it need not be alcoholic. You could use vinegar, oil or even a bottle full of money.

Some of you may have seen a Top Gear episode where Richard Hammond races a team of dogs to the North Pole against Jeremy Clarkson and James May in their Toyota Hilux convoy. He did lose out to the cars eventually, but the dogs did exceptionally well and there wasn’t as much concern about getting completely stuck or falling under the ice. The cars were quicker, but the dogs were far better suited to the terrain.

British sledding is not exclusively based on snow. On his travels, Santas Little Helper has even met an Australian Musher who competes in the desert! The dogs are usually Siberian Huskies or Alaskan Malamutes who love to run and run. They are hitched up to a cart in much the way as horses to a carriage or trap. There is a British Mushers Association and several mushing centres around the country.

Here are some basic commands for mushing:

• Gee - Go Right
• Haw - Go Left
• Hike / Pull – Go Forward
• Whooa - Gentle Stop
• Trail - Stay on the trail
• On By – Go past (e.g. past a distraction
• Easy - Go Slower

So why do we associate this sport with Christmas? Most of our Christmas legend comes from Germany and Scandinavia where dog and reindeer sledding used to be an essential means of transport. Along with the Saint Nicholas stories came the tales of sledding with animals much smaller than horses and we eventually came to see sledding as the most festive of sports.

Without any previous experience of dog sledding, you can go along Eynsford in Kent to learn the ropes of handling a team of dogs from an expert. You can even take the rest of the family round the bird of prey centre whilst the gift recipient tries their hand.

• Husky sledding for one and a family pass to the bird of prey centre.
• The adult and child pass is £149 for two hours and includes a family pass into the bird of prey centre.
• The double adult ticket includes; a family pass into the bird of prey centre and two hours husky instruction for two adults, for £199.