Where can you get a mail order turkey? How many cheeses should you buy? The answers are here in our delicious. Christmas food stockists and equipment directory.
Turkey
Copas Turkeys sells around 40,000 free-range turkeys every Christmas and has stockists across the UK. To find one near you, go to the Copas Turkeys website or call 01628 499980 to place an order or to arrange a farm gate collection. Online orders must be placed by 18 December. Delivered prices start at £40 for a turkey breast roast and £65 for a whole turkey.
KellyBronze high-quality turkeys have been bred by the Kelly family for more than 25 years. The family now also uses certified farms UK-wide. Order via the KellyBronze website or call 01245 223581. There’s also an option to collect from the farm. Last order date is 18 December for guaranteed Christmas delivery. A 5kg KellyBronze costs around £60.
Ham and other Christmas meats
The Well Hung Meat Company, based in Devon, has been winning accolades for its meat since it started in 2001. Over the Christmas period, it offers a range of meat boxes, including the Deluxe Christmas Box with ham, goose or turkey and a rib of beef. Order online at the Well Hung Meat website (0845 230 3131). Last orders for Christmas on 11 December.
HG Walter is a family butcher based in London that delivers nationwide. It also offers a huge range of deli goods, cheese and vegetables – a great one-stop shop for Christmas. To place an order, go to the H G Walter website (020 7385 6466).
Smoked salmon
Bleikers won the heart of Rick Stein in his Food Heroes series for its dedicated passion to smoked fish. It’s a family-run smokehouse in Yorkshire that offers only the best quality fish, including wild and Freedom Food-approved farmed salmon. Order online at Bleikers (01423 711411).
Vegetables
Get a bespoke box of fruit and veg delivered to your door. Abel & Cole are well-respected and deliver around the UK; visit the website or call 08452 626364. Alternatively, visit our farmers' markets directory for a list of markets and farm shops around the UK.
Christmas cakes and puddings
Carved Angel is famous for its hand-made luxury Christmas cakes and puddings, which use the finest ingredients.Order online at the Carved Angel website (01822 835020).
Bettys & Taylors of Harrogate bakes delicious Christmas cakes. They are so good that guests really will think you’ve made them yourself. Order online (01423 814008).
Cake decorating suppliers
For sugar pastes, edible food colourings, icings, glitters and other decorations, go to the Squires Shop website (0845 225 5671) or Jane Asher (020 7584 6177).
For cake cutters of all shapes and sizes, as well as all kinds of cake cases, glitters and sparkles, visit Splat Cooking (0870 766 8290).
Chocolate
See our online chocolate shop directory for a wide range of exquisite chocolate and confectionery options.
Cheese
With so much food around, you don’t need to go overboard. If you want to buy cheeses online, try Paxton & Whitfield's website (01451 823460). Remember, cheese must be served at room temperature and doesn’t enjoy being in the fridge. But leave it out and you run the risk of it running away! Store in greaseproof paper in a cool, dark place or a not-too-cold fridge. Bring up to room temperature for at least an hour before serving. These four fab cheeses will make a great combination:
When it comes to blue cheese, Stilton is a must, whether it’s a whole baby Stilton or a nice wedge. Go for a classic from Colston Bassett or Cropwell Bishop and you can’t go wrong. For a real treat, try a Stichelton (unpasteurised,Stilton-style cheese). To find out more, go to Stichelton.co.uk.
Goat’s cheese is a lovely addition to any cheese board, though whether you prefer hard or creamy is up to you.
As for hard cheese, you can’t beat a good, strong, Cheddar-style cheese. Try a nice chunk of Montgomery’s Cheddar for that real roof-of-the-mouth feel, or a Lincolnshire Poacher for something a bit smoother.
A soft cheese will complete your cheeseboard. A good, runny Brie or Camembert is a great crowd-pleaser: choose an unpasteurised one. If you’re feeling daring, try Vacherin Mont d'Or, which is superbly oozy and smelly.
Wine & beer
If you'd rather have a case of wine tailored to your needs, and one that's not heavy on air miles either, try Chapel Down Winery in Kent; visit this website or call 01580 763033. For beer, we recommend the Hogs Back Brewery.
Food allergies?
Christmas can be a miserable time if you suffer from a food intolerance or allergy; our specialist producer directory will help.
The right equipment (that will last forever)
When looking for a turkey tin, go for a hard, anodised roasting tin that’s the right size for your bird, otherwise the lovely juices will burn rather than caramelising on the bottom. For a really big turkey, we love the Mermaid roaster (46cm x 34.5cm x 5cm). Although it’s designed to fit snugly in an Aga, it will fit in most conventional ovens. Order at the Salamander Cookshop or call 0845 680 0258.
It’s worth spending a bit on a carving knife as it should last forever. Look for a 20-26cm flexible blade with a sharply pointed tip to free meat from the bone, and opt for a smooth blade, as a serrated one can tear the meat. Sabatier, Wüsthof or Henckels are all excellent brands.
Go for a large, good-quality chopping board that you can prepare large quantities of Christmas veg on, and which also has a channel around the edge to catch the turkey juices as you carve. We love the FSC end grain chopping board in sustainable beech from John Lewis (0845 604 9049).
Eliminate the risk of your turkey plummeting to the floor as you take it out of its roasting tin by investing in a pair of large meat forks. From John Lewis and all good cookware shops.