But for many, the number one reason to look forward to the festivities is the food – the chance to indulge in a way that you may not allow yourself to throughout the rest of the year. And a big part of that is the Christmas hamper. A gift that cannot fail to put a smile on the faces of those receiving it.
Everyone will have heard of places like Fortnum and Mason and M&S offering hampers, but when I found out Ottolenghi also does my interest was piqued in a big way. Since chef Yotam Ottolenghi opened his first shop alongside Sami Tamimi in Notting Hill in 2002, the Ottolenghi brand of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean food has grown to become synonymous with London. There are now eight Ottolenghi restaurants and delis across the capital, so I couldn’t wait to see what an Ottolenghi Christmas hamper looked like.
The good news for present-buyers is there are a range of options, from the essentials hamper at £55, right up to the extravagant ultimate hamper at £370, which is filled with enough goodies to keep the whole family going for the entire holiday period. For the purpose of the review I tried the festive favourites hamper, which you can buy for £120. The Ottolenghi festive favourites hamper (Image: Ottolenghi) This comes with a mixture of savoury and sweet items.
On the sweet side there is a bar of nougat, a classic panettone and a Christmas cake. Now I’m not a huge fan of dried fruit, however the subtle flavours of the cake took it to another level to your average .