Food Advent Calendar

In the last few Christmases, advent calendars become more and more fancy and now virtually any store has got its own advent calendar. I remember that when I was a kid the fanciest were the ones with a chocolate behind each window, but now you can find advent calendars to please everyone. I picked a few that in my opinion are just so delicious. Also with some of them you might start a challenge and make a new recipe using as an ingredient the find of the day.

*In Store* It is new for this year the Food Advent Calendar at Fortnum & Mason. Its 25 windows hide coffee blend, lemon curd, strawberry and champagne preserve, fruit cake, London Dry Gin and much more. It costs £ 200.00 and it will be available for delivery from the 1st of November. www.fortnumandmason.com

*In Store* A very sweet Advent Calendar (pun intended) the Limited Edition Bonne Maman. It is filled with 24 jars of fruit spreads or honey. Among the new flavours you will love the Sweet Orange & Mandarin, or Raspberry & Lychee, or Mango, Peach & Lime. Grab one quickly before it goes at £ 23.99. It is almost sold out. www.bonnemaman.co.uk

*In Store* I love marshmallows and when I saw this delicious Gourmet Marshmallow Advent Calendar by Belinda Clark I was won over. The box is beautiful with a magnetic closure so that once it is empty you can use it to store your things like costume jewellery, stationery or else. There are 25 colourful boxes with a selection of gourmet flavoured marshmallows like Chocolate & Orange, Salted Caramel, Elderflower and more and on the 25th box there is a premium stir in hot chocolate. It cost £ 28.00 and you can pre order from the website for delivery on the third week of November. www.belindaclark.co.uk

*In Store* The Wine Advent Calendar will be a nice pre gift for all the wine lovers and aspiring sommeliers. A nice idea would be to give on Christmas, after the last bottle has been opened, the gift of a Sommelier Course.  But back to the Calendar. This one can be found at First 4 Hampers where there is a huge selection of gifts. There are 24 187ml bottles of white, red and rose wine with Chardonnay, Shiraz, Merlot, Pinot Grigio and more. It cost £ 69.99 and the delivery is very quick. www.first4hampers.com

*In Store* If you like hot and spicy food and or you have some foodie among your circle of friends, this Debenhams Chilli Sauce Advent calendar will be the perfect gift. Among the chilli sauces in its 24 windows you can find Fuego Habanero Extra Hot Chilli sauce, Fuego Jalapeno, Cajun Hot Sauce, Fuego Chipotle Hot sauce and more. Challenge yourself or the receiver to cook a new recipe every day using the ingredient of the day. www.debenhams.com

*Not Yet* Keep an eye at Asda's shelves to know when this delicious Luxury Cheese Lovers French Cheese Advent calendar will land in store from November. It contains four quality of the Pave' d'Affinois, a delicate French cheese similar to brie in Original, Extra Creamy, Washed Rind and Chilli. All the 24 individually wrapped cubes cost £ 13.00. It could be a good idea to match the Cheese calendar with the wine calendar and end each day with a cheer while tasting the cheese on a cracker. www.groceries.asda.com

*In Store* The classic Dark Chocolate 70% Advent Calendar by Divine Chocolate is suitable for vegan. Also choosing products from Divine Chocolate support this Fairtrade  brand where the Ghana cocoa farmers are the actual owners. You can find its delicious chocolate bars in many Oxfam shops and supermarkets. The advent calendar is available also in Milk Chocolate. The Dark Chocolate in the picture costs £ 5.00 while the Milk Chocolate one £ 3.99. www.ukshop.divinechocolate.com

*In Store* it reminds me of those Japanese chest of drawers this gorgeous Tea Advent calendar by Newby. Inside its 24 drawers there 24 different blends selected by the Newby tea experts, from black tea, oolong tea, tisane or green tea. The cost is £ 59.00 and once empty it will be lovely to use it as a storage for bits and bobs. www.newbyteas.co.uk

*In Store* Pop Corn lovers will rush to have one of the Gourmet Pop Corn Advent Calendar by Joe & Seph's. There are 12 flavours like Raspberry Cheesecake, Salted Caramel, Toffee Apple & Cinnamon, Banoffee Pie and more. Every day, until the 24th of December you can have a little treat to start the day. Its price is £ 25.00, it is gluten free and suitable for vegetarians. www.joeandsephs.co.uk

*In Store* Gin is so popular right now that a Gin Advent calendar is just the perfect gift for the connoisseur and First 4 Hampers has this fantastic Gin & Tonic advent calendar with a 70cl bottle of The Lakes explorer gin and 24 different tonics from Fentimans, Marlish, Lixir and more, so that every day you or the receiver can enjoy a different G&T. It costs £ 99.00 and delivery is usual within the 24 hours from the order. www.first4hampers.com

*In Store* As a Country where tea is much loved, Fortnum & Mason has brought another new addition to its range: the Rare Tea Wooden Advent Calendar. Behind the 24 windows there are 24 tin boxes with loose teas ranging from Jasmine Dragon Pearls, Captured Heart Flowering Tea, Gyokuro, May Zest Ruby Black and more, all qualities are present 2 of each so you have 12 different teas. The cost is £ 145.00 but it can be refilled next year by just buying the loose teas. www.fortnumandmason.com

*In Store* Reminding to always be responsible when drinking, this Bailey's Advent calendar at Debenhams has got behind its 24 windows a chocolate truffle for the first 21 days and for the 22nd, 23rd and 24th there are a miniature Original Bailey's Irish Cream, Coffee flavoured Irish Cream and Orange Truffle Flavoured Irish Cream to put you in the mood for Christmas. The cost is £ 18.00 and it comes in a gift box. www.debenhams.com

*In Store* It will be a lovely thought giving this chocolate advent calendar by Vanilla Reindeer. You get to choose the design, then you upload a picture of the receiver, maybe with you, the name and a small message and pronto. The calendar will be ready and delivered at the receiver door. Behind its 24 windows there are 24 milk chocolate treats to take the receiver to Christmas Eve. It cost £ 11.99 and if you spend more than £ 30.00 delivery is free. www.vanillareindeer.com