From our archive: from festive pickles and homemade sweets to luxury biscuits and exotic oils, a a gift you’ve made yourself can make someone’s Christmas Guardian Feast team Thu 25 Nov 2021 12.00 GMT 15 Cheese biscuits, brittle and fig jam: Yotam Ottolenghi’s Christmas gifts for food lovers Yotam Ottolenghi’s ‘everything’ cheesers. Yotam Ottolenghi’s ‘everything’ cheesers. Photograph: Louise Hagger/The Guardian. Food styling: Emily Kydd, Prop styling: Jennifer Kay. A trio of presents that you’ll want for Christmas dinner: a ginger nut brittle to serve as is or to blitz into a toast-topping paste, crumbly cheese biscuits and an enticingly easy fig jam Spice up your life: Thomasina Miers’ chilli jar gift set Thomasina Miers’ chilli gift set - chilli oil, chilli relish, chiltatis-style nutty sprinkles. Thomasina Miers’ chilli gift set - chilli oil, chilli relish, chiltatis-style nutty sprinkles. Photograph: Yuki Sugiura/The Guardian. Food styling: Jenny White. Prop styling: Aya Nishimura. Food assistant: Toni Musgrave. Three jars that will delight any chilli lovers: a Chinese chilli oil, an ancho pickle and a Mexican spice blend Nut clusters and herby oat cookies: Honey & Co’s food gift ideas Honey & Co’s cashew clusters and rosemary biscuits. Honey & Co’s cashew clusters and rosemary biscuits. Photograph: Laura Edwards/The Guardian. Food styling: Esther Clark,. Prop styling: Louie Waller. Buttery, crisp cashew clusters with a mustardy kick, and a cheeseboard showstopper of rosemary-scented oat biscuits Meera Sodha’s vegan jewelled florentines Meera Sodha’s jewelled florentines. Meera Sodha’s jewelled florentines. Photograph: Louise Hagger/The Guardian. Food styling: Emily Kydd, Prop styling: Jennifer Kay. A fruit-and-nut Christmas treat to wrap up and gift – assuming you can keep your hands off in the meantime David Atherton’s pickles and chutney gift jars David Atherton Pickled beets – allspice and cloves. David Atherton Pickled beets – allspice and cloves. Photograph: Laura Edwards/The Guardian. Food styling: Esther Clark,. Prop styling: Louie Waller. A festive ketchup, pickled beets, carrot chutney and marinated feta – all surprisingly easy to make Bottle it: drinks gifts for Christmas A selection of gift bottles. You can’t go wrong with a drinks gift, as long as you don’t plump for the obvious. Photograph: Laura Edwards/The Guardian. Food styling: Esther Clark,. Prop styling: Louie Waller. A bottle of a favourite tipple is bound to be a surefire hit Benjamina Ebuehi’s ginger and treacle crinkle cookies Benjamina Ebuehi’s ginger and treacle cookies. Benjamina Ebuehi’s ginger and treacle cookies. Photograph: Ola O Smit/The Guardian. Food styling: Benjamina Ebuehi. Prop styling: Aya Nishimura. Crackly, Christmassy, sugar-coated ginger nut biscuits to give to family and friends (or, more likely, to devour in one sitting) Felicity Cloake’s festive shortbread selection Felicity Cloake’s festive shortbreads. Felicity Cloake’s festive shortbreads. Photograph: Dan Matthews/The Guardian. Food styling: Loïc Parisot. As made by the Guardian’s resident recipe perfectionist, with a few choices of festive flavourings Rachel Roddy’s Christmas dried figs stuffed with almonds dipped in chocolate Rachel Roddy’s dried figs stuffed with almonds dipped in chocolate. Rachel Roddy’s dried figs stuffed with almonds dipped in chocolate. Photograph: Laura Edwards/The Guardian. Food styling: Esther Clark,. Prop styling: Louie Waller. A centuries-old Roman treat of dried fig halves, stuffed with almonds and candied orange, and dipped in dark chocolate From chilli oil to tahini thins: Yotam Ottolenghi’s edible gifts Yotam Ottolenghi’s edible Christmas gifts – festive chilli oil. Yotam Ottolenghi’s edible Christmas gifts – festive chilli oil. Photograph: Louise Hagger/The Guardian. Food styling: Emily Kydd. Prop styling: Jennifer Kay. Food styling assistant: Susanna Unsworth. Make room under the Christmas tree for these spiced biscuits, sweet treats and spicy infused oils Thomasina Miers’ dark chocolate, orange and cranberry granola Thomasina Miers’ Christmas granola. Thomasina Miers’ Christmas granola. Photograph: Yuki Sugiura/The Guardian. Food styling: Sunil Vijayakar. Prop styling: Louie Waller. Food assistant: Fernanda Milanezi Not just any granola, but a deeply chocolatey one laced with festively tangy orange and cranberry to pack into jars and give as presents Meera Sodha’s vegan spiced chocolate coins Meera Sodha’s edible Christmas gifts: spiced chocolate coins. Meera Sodha’s edible Christmas gifts: spiced chocolate coins. Photograph: Louise Hagger/The Guardian. Food styling: Emily Kydd. Prop styling: Jennifer Kay. Food styling assistant: Susanna Unsworth. A low-effort treat that will make a high-impact gift to send to friends The four spirits of Christmas Claire Strickett and Bert Blaize’s drinkable homemade gifts. Claire Strickett and Bert Blaize’s drinkable homemade gifts. Photograph: Laura Edwards/The Guardian. Food styling: Kitty Coles. Prop styling: Louie Waller. A clementine cordial, a chestnut brandy syrup, a red-wine punch and a Christmas-pudding-infused vodka, from Claire Strickett and Bert Blaize Kylee Newton’s Christmas spreads and jams Kylee Newton’s pear and ground coffee jam. Kylee Newton’s pear and ground coffee jam. Photograph: Laura Edwards/The Guardian. Food styling: Kylee Newton. Prop styling: Louie Waller. A chocolate and chestnut spread, an apple and date chutney, a pear and ground coffee jam, and a quince and rosemary jelly Ravneet Gill’s pecan, orange and milk chocolate cookies Ravneet Gill’s pecan, orange and milk chocolate cookies Ravneet Gill’s pecan, orange and milk chocolate cookies Photograph: Laura Edwards/The Guardian. Food styling: Benjamina Ebuehi. Prop styling: Anna Wilkins. Food assistant: Kristine Jakobsson. Freshly baked cookies are an ideal gift. Freeze the dough and cook from frozen when required Felicity Cloake’s stollen Felicity Cloake’s masterclass: Stollen 12 Felicity Cloake’s masterclass: Stollen. Photograph: Dan Matthews/The Guardian The festive German fruit bread is a satisfying and delicious bake and a (ahem) perfect homemade Christmas gift Chocolate thins and nut brittle: Rachel Roddy’s sweet Christmas gifts Rachel Roddy’s chocolate, hazelnut and currant thins. Rachel Roddy’s chocolate, hazelnut and currant thins. Photograph: Laura Edwards/The Guardian. Food styling: Kitty Coles. Prop styling: Louie Waller. Food assistant: Sarah Vassallo. Easy walnut, honey and bay leaf sweets (nociata) and little chocolate, nut and currant sweets Helen Goh of Ottolenghi’s Christmas sweets Helen Goh’s dried lime truffles with honey and salt. Helen Goh’s dried lime truffles with honey and salt. Photograph: Lizzie Mayson/The Guardian An assortment of sweet treats to box up for loved ones: hazelnut brittle, marmalade rugelach, lime chocolate truffles and treacle gingerbread stars Chiristmas jams and chutneys, from Pam Corbin Pam Corbin’s smoky beetroot ketchup. Pam Corbin’s smoky beetroot ketchup. Photograph: The Guardian Smoky beetroot ketchup, Sauternes jelly, chutney and a sumptuous sticky jalapeno jam Ideal Christmas sweet bottles to gift (rather than glug) Friends toasting wine glasses at dining tableHappy male and female friends toasting wine glasses at dining table during Christmas It’s safe to say your hosts will have selected booze to go with the main courses, so why not plump for a sweet or fortified wine to round things off with a bang?