Lily Vanili Christmas Hampers

 This year I bought my entire in-law family boxes of Lily's truffles or fudge. One of my overriding gift buying principles is that if you don't know people well enough to get them exactly what they want, it's best to opt for the little luxuries that everyone will love.I ADORE being bought chocolates or flowers,simply because they're things I'd never normally splurge on myself. So don't think of them as cop-out presents, rather gifts that will guarantee happy recipients.As long as the flowers aren't from the local garage and the food is one of these delights-not just a tin of Quality Street.

Jamsmith gift- homemade jam delivered to your door for one month or three- DREAM GIFT.Anyone who wouldn't appreciate this is a moron.

Lucky enough to be by a fireside this Christmas?A kit with all you need for marshmallow toasting delights.

ReFound objects stock the most beautiful green milk-glass cake-stands-how gorgeous would they look with pastel coloured cakes and jellies?

Animal egg-cups-forget chickens, these beautifully crafted cups come in hedgehog,wolf,guinea-pig and a whole menagerie of animal characters.

A-Z of Great British food print available through Culture Label

Set of 6 hot chocolate spoons from NotontheHighStreet.

If it all gets a bit too much, Lydia Leith ho brought us the Royal Wedding sickbags has created a festive version,available here.

Ms Marmitelover's Poached Pears in Wine

If you want to create a real delicacy at home, Underground Supperclub host and cookbook author Ms Marmitelover has shared one of her festive recipes with us-get cooking!

Winter recipe:

Ms Marmitelover: I have to admit I'm not a fan of pears which is a shame, as I have two large pear trees overhanging my garden. An exception to this rule however is poached pears. It means you don't, like Eddy Izzard complains, have to wait for that perfect fleeting moment when they are ripe, in fact it's better to use unripe pears which hold their form. Variations: I tend to poach fruit in any leftover booze I have. Recently I got lumbered with a load of perry (pear cider) so I used that instead. But my favourite remains the following recipe. it doesn't require much skill, is easy to prepare the day before a big dinner and can just be reheated for serving.

Pears poached in red wine

Serves four

1 bottle of red wine

1 star anise

1 cinnamon stick

1 clove

200g of sugar

4 pears, ripe but not too soft, peeled, kept whole with stem intact

Put all of the ingredients into a small pan, the pears should be covered more or less by the wine. Poach the pears, with the lid on, on a medium heat for around 30 minutes or until the pears are soft enough to eat. Then carefully remove the pears, set aside and reduce the liquid by half to a rich syrup. Pour the syrup over the pears, accompany with a spoonful or even, if you want to get 'cheffy', a quenelle of creme fraiche.

If you have syrup left over, try it as a cocktail base with cava for a seasonal aperitif!

Sample Ms Marmitelover's delights in her own home- buy tickets here. Or re-create her recipes at home and read about her experience running a supperclub in her brilliant book.