Edible Secret Santa gift ideas from the UK's best chefs

Dried persimmons add a concentrated sweetness, a chewy texture and a deep, caramel-like aroma to traditional Korean sujeonggwa punch, pairing beautifully with the warm spices of ginger and cinnamon. 

To make enough for a couple of 500ml bottles and a half bottle, combine 1.5l of water, 150g of fresh sliced ginger and 2-3 cinnamon sticks in a pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 40–50 minutes until the flavour is deep and aromatic. Strain out the ginger and cinnamon. Add 120-150g of sugar to taste (and 1-2 tbsp of honey too, if you like) and simmer for another 5 minutes until dissolved. Add a handful of dried jujubes and 3-4 dried persimmons, then simmer for an additional 5–10 minutes. Cool completely, then refrigerate. 

To serve warm, gently reheat over a low heat, but do not boil. Serve in a mug with a slice of dried persimmon or a few pine nuts. You can add a shot of dark rum, too. 

Jerk honey is one of those simple things that makes people think you’ve done madness and pairs perfectly with cheese boards, roast vegetables, chicken wings and more. 

To make enough for two 150ml jars, gently warm 300g of honey in a small saucepan on low heat (40–50°C max). Don’t let it simmer. Add 1-1.5 teaspoons of jerk seasoning (or more to taste), a sprig of fresh thyme, one strip of orange peel (no pith), ½ teaspoon of lime zest, an optional small and lightly crushed clove of garlic, 1 teaspoon of fresh ginger, sliced and ½ a Scotch bonnet chilli, whole and pierced once. Let it infuse on the lowest heat for 15–20 minutes, swirling occasionally. Then add 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar and a pinch of salt; taste and adjust. You can strain for a clean look, or leave the aromatics in (but remove the Scotch bonnet). Allow the honey to cool completely, then pour into small sterilised jars. Seal and refrigerate for up to 4 weeks.

_{Photo by Danika Magdelena}

This recipe makes 18-20 chewy little hazelnut and jam biscuits [pictured top]. 

Roast 275g of hazelnuts (ideally blanched) at 160°C fan for around 15 minutes, until turning a light fudge colour. Then, blitz with 200g of icing sugar, the zest of ½ a lemon (save the juice), ¼ teaspoon of baking powder, and salt to a fine mix. Whisk 2 egg whites (approximately 60g) with the lemon juice until shiny and stiff. Fold the dry ingredients into the egg whites until evenly combined. Refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight. 

When ready, shape into roughly 25-30g balls (a heaped teaspoon). Roll the dough balls in a bowl of icing sugar until covered. Place on 2 greaseproof paper-lined baking trays. They will spread to at least double their size, so leave plenty of room. Use the end of a teaspoon to push an indent into each ball, then fill with a little jam. Don’t fill above the hole, as it will spill out while baking. Bake for 14 minutes at 160°C fan – they will be very soft to touch, but will set while cooling; you want them to stay chewy in the middle. The edges should be a little coloured, and they will have cracked and look like they have split open. They will keep for well over a week in a sealed container.

_{Recipe taken from Kitchen Table: Simple Things Made Well by Emily Cuddeford and Rachel Morgan.}

Ponzu is a Japanese citrus sauce that goes well with a whole variety of foods, from sashimi and gyoza to grilled fish and salad. You can make it at home easily. 

To make 250ml, combine roughly 80ml of soy sauce with 1 tablespoon of mirin, 2 tablespoons of rice vinegar and 3 tablespoons of water. The key ingredient is citrus – yuzu is ideal, but you can substitute with lemons if you can’t access it. 3 tablespoons should be about right, but adjust based on the citrus. Add a piece of kombu and some bonito flakes (or a shiitake mushroom for vegetarians) and steep for of minimum of 30 mins and up to a week. Strain and bottle. 

My family and I like to make fruit jellies for cheese and roast meats at Christmas time – it’s a tradition. My dad’s speciality is crab apple and mine is damson jelly. There are a whole bunch of variations that can be made with any spare fruit you might have from Christmas Day cooking, as long as you have some pectin at home. 

To fill 5-6 standard jam jars (340-380ml), I use about a kilo of damsons, one litre of good Scottish water, 800g of granulated sugar, 18g of yellow pectin and an equal amount of citric acid. Occasionally, I add a bit of spice of some kind. It’s a two-day process to get together, but very low effort. 

Roughly chop all the damsons (skins, stones, everything), put them in a pan and simmer for 30 minutes in the water before leaving for a few hours and then straining through muslin. Tie the cloth with the fruit inside and hang somewhere cool, collecting the juice at the bottom. On day 2, measure out 1 litre of the juice and bring to a boil in a pan, before adding 700g of sugar. Once added, bring to the boil again with the pectin, citric acid and any toasted, ground-up spices. Mix well and bring to 105°C, then pour carefully into sterilised jars. Don’t touch the jars for 30 minutes as they will be very hot. Once cooled slightly, seal and store in a cool, dark place.

This clotted cream and miso fudge is a refined take on a festive classic – rich, buttery and laced with sea salt for a clean mineral edge. The gentle savouriness of white miso brings depth and balance to the sweetness. 

For around 25 pieces, cook 370g of caster sugar, 140g of golden syrup, 300g of clotted cream, 2 vanilla pods (split and scraped) and 8g of sea salt in a heavy-based pan over a medium heat until the mixture reaches 121°C. Transfer to a mixer and beat for around 5 minutes, until thick and creamy. Fold in 50g of white miso while still warm, ensuring it is evenly incorporated. Pour into a lined tray and allow to set at room temperature before cutting into squares. Wrap in edible rice paper.