Let’s make Christmas - The Food Blogger Gift Swap

It occurred to me just the other day that we food bloggers don’t often get the chance to meet up and yet we love nothing more than a cup of tea, something delicious to eat and a good natter about a recipe.  So I decided to organize just that. 

So I spoke to the lovely people in one of my absolute favorite shops in the world, Fortnum & Mason and they thought it was a wonderful idea for a get together and the swap has been arranged on Friday 18^th November 3 – 6pm.  I love their gifts and if ever I haven’t got he time to make something then I know many of their goods are hand made and, as you can see from my pictures they make fabulous gifts.

I am so excited not least because we’ll all get to sample Fortnum & Mason’s delicious world famous tea and eat cakes and mince pies but we’ll get the chance to meet world class baker Dan Lepard, who’s recent book Short and Sweet is looking to be one of 2011 Christmas best selling baking books.

There are now just 3 spaces left 

If you'd like to come please add your comment below and tell me what you favourite thing to make at Christmas is and what your blog is called. 

On the day 

You will need to bring along your gift to Fortnum & Mason's 4th floor at 3pm (with your name and the recipe must be attached in an envelope.)  Your gift needs to be entered into the swap by 3.45pm. Your gift get’s a number and a category.  At the end of the event you get to pick out the tickets (According to how many gifts you brought with you ) out of the hat and leave with the gifts correlating to the number that you have picked from the hat it's like a raffle and you will leave with someone else’s gifts.  I wanted to add a bit of gentle competition to it all ... so Dan Lepard has very kindly offered to judge the gifts and the timetable is as follows: 

4 -5pm Dan Lepard will judge the entries and pick the winning gifts.

5 .45pm you pick a ticket out of all the entries and you leave with a gift.  

The gift categories are:

1 Pickles and preserves

2 Sweets

3 Alcohols / Drinks

4 Cakes, biscuits and baked goods

The Prizes are as follows

1 Overall best gift.  –  Fortnum & Mason Hamper

2 Best preserve / pickle is Aga Preserving Pan & Maslin Pan

3 Best sweets – Rococo Chocolates course with Laurent Couchaux -  the Principle Chocolatier at Rococo Chocolates and winner of Chocolatier of the year 2011

4 Best drink - Champagne tasting class with Leiths Cookery school resident wine expert, Richard Bampfield this fun, informative tasting of the world’s most desirable tipple is the prize for the best drink

5 Best baked goods Signed book Short and Sweet by Dan Lepard & a Kenwood kMix KMX58 Stand Mixer, Citrus Yellow
mixer by a leading brand of Kitchen appliances Kenwood.  ( Hurrah for British design!) 

The Rules

You must share your recipe and blog about your gift using the Fortnum & Mason Let's make Christmas Logo in the blog post. 

You may enter up to 3 categories. Minimum entry is 1 category. 

You must provide an envelope with the recipe inside and your name and email address. Ingredients must be clearly marked to accommodate andy food allergies. 

All gifts must be packaged in a way that is appropriate for someone else to transport home. 

Prizes will be sent directly to the winners.  If you win you will need to leave your address with me at the end of the day. 

All decisions by the judge are final  and there are no cash or product alternatives. 

All gifts must tbe hand made, and credit the recipe to the author if appropriate.

You must be over 18 to participate.