The mercury in our thermometers is plummeting, the air is growing crisper and Noddy Holder is already bellowing his annual reminder of what time of year it is again in every shop I happen to wander past – yes, there’s no getting away from it. Yes, Christmas is here once more.

*Fabbri Panettone. If you know, you know.*

The closer I veer to forty, the more weary I become of the whole festive period. This isn’t because I’m in dire need of visitation by a trio of Victorian ghosts, or because I have a particular problem with midwinter festivities; it’s because I’m already a little tired of being asked by friends, family and other loved ones what I wish to see beneath the tree when the morning of the 25th arises.

I don’t think I’m alone in this, nor can I be the only man of a certain age who neither wants more stuff in his home or has any desire for the increasingly stereotypical array of ‘man gifts’ that seem to emerge, en masse and with increasing grim predictability each year. I don’t have a particular passion for barbecuing. I shudder at the very thought of any item of clothing that could be deemed ‘comical’. I don’t have a beard, and nor do I plan to grow one. I am, it seems, beyond the realm of ‘for him’ gifts in 2025, simply by having what I don’t consider particularly outlandish standards or especially challenging tastes.

Ah, and yet it is within this dilemma that The Last Concierge truly shines – seeking out the hidden gems, the locally-produced wonders and the truly desirable amid the drab and dross and uninspired. As such, I decided that this year I’d piece together a wish list of all the gastronomic delights I’ve come across in 2025, showcasing producers worthy of attention and adoration that extends far beyond the festive period.

After all, what is Christmas for if not for indulging the senses?

Two Fields Olive Oil

A bottle of good extra virgin olive oil is the new Champagne, as far as I’m concerned. Two Fields is a small-batch EVOO exclusively produced from cold-pressed Koreneiki olives grown according to regenerative farming methods in Zakros, Crete. Light, fruity and deliciously peppery, it’s a stunning example of craftsmanship, made with a deep respect for quality and distinction. Who wouldn’t want to see that in their stocking?

Sea Sisters Christmas Gift Box

The UK – bizarrely, given our island status and long-standing heritage of fishing – has never had much of a tinned fish culture. Sea Sisters, a lockdown project that’s rightfully become a must-know foodie business in 2025, is changing that particular tide. Committed to producing spectacular preserved fish bursting with flavour and offering massive amounts of versatility, this Christmas Gift Box (featuring smoked trout, Cornish sardines, Norfolk whelks and hake with rosemary) is the ideal present for those who simply can’t get enough of what they do best.

Psychopomp Absinthe

I’ve long been a fan of Bristol’s most iconic microdistillery, and their Absinthe – crafted from a complex array of traditional botanicals, including the wrongly-maligned wormwood – is up there with the best of them. An icon of the fin de siecle and the spirit of choice for those (yes, like me) who reckon they’d get along great with Baudelaire, Verlaine and Van Gogh on a night out.

*The gift that keeps on giving, Good Pair Days*

Good Pair Days Wine Subscription

There’s no shortage of wine subscription boxes on the market nowadays, but it’s fair to say that they’re not all created equal. Good Pair Days has been a flyaway success in their native Australia – and 21st century Aussies don’t mess about when it comes to quality wine — and they’re now providing their stellar subscription service in the UK.

GPD stands apart not just for their brilliant customer service and versatility, nor just for the fabulous array of wines for all tastes and budgets. They also provide food pairing suggestions for every bottle, and include a recipe that’s pitch-perfect for cooking up alongside a glass of something utterly delicious. That’s the kind of attention to detail I just can’t get enough of (and they also do monthly beer boxes,too)!

Nouko Deba Knife

If you’re serious about home cooking, you’ll already know the value of a good kitchen knife. Spectacularly well-crafted, perfectly balanced and providing the kind of lifelong assurance and satisfaction that we should all expect from our kitchenware (but sadly, so rarely get with the majority of products), the classic Japanese Deba knife from UK knifesmith par excellence Nouko is both a statement piece and an everyday essential… and it’s an absolute joy to use.

Ham Street Wines Field Blend

I’ll admit it: it took me some time to get around to enjoying English wine, or at least discover a winery producing bottles which lived up to my somewhat lofty expectations. A recent visit to Kentish organic, biodynamic and utterly brilliant small-batch Ham Street Wine was nothing short of a revelation, and I suspect my life may never be the same again. If you possess my penchant for proslytising and inability to keep good things to yourself, you’ll understand exactly why this bottle is on my list of must-try items this year.

Fabbri Family Amarena Cherry Panettone

I’m not one for tradition, as my meandering intro to this gift list surely suggested. However, I can’t truly enjoy Christmas without a doorstep-sized wedge of panettone for breakfast – this Italian enriched bread immediately sets off the sleigh bells in my head. I must have tried hundreds in my time, but this Amarena Cherry Panettone from the esteemed Fabri company knocks all others right out of the park. Golden, buttery, pillowy soft and popping with rich fruit flavours… You can thank me later.

Ardfern Christmas Beef and Ox Tongue Pie

I cannot stress this enough: if somebody bought me a lovingly-crafted pie for Christmas, they’d be in my good books forever more. The Ardfern Christmas pie takes quality and depth of intensely savoury flavour to a whole new level, unsurprisingly perhaps, seeing as it’s a winter creation of Roberta Hall-McCarron of The Little Chartroom, Eleanore and Ardfern – all big-hitting Scottish restaurants that never fail to impress when it comes to bold taste sensations. Designed to serve 4-6 guests (or be eaten slowly by one over that indulgent stretch between Christmas and New Year’s Eve), it comes with a phenomenally rich gravy and a bottle of Ribera del Duero Tempranillo on the side.

Pilgrims Coffee Holy Grail Blend

I’m always, always happy to see a bag or three of excellent coffee in my Christmas stocking, for no reason other than the fact that I get through the stuff with a voracious and possibly quite dangerous appetite. Hailing from the Holy Island of Lindisfarne way up on the blustery North East coast of England (where a hot cup of freshly-brewed coffee is surely never unwelcome) Pilgrims Coffee Holy Grail blend is one of my all-time favourites, packing in balanced sweetness, juicy acidity and lasting satisfaction.

Christmas Gifts For The Man Who Wants Nothing