HTSI gift guide: Ajesh Patalay’s foodie finds

From bespoke iced biscuits to a ravishing-looking carbonator

1 If someone were to gift me this “kitchen in a suitcase”, I would find ways to use it; cooking crêpes Suzette in far-flung locations, perhaps. FPM Milano leather-trimmed aluminium and wood cookstation, £9,995, mrporter.com

2 Can you ever have too many tablecloths? In my case, yes. But I’ll make room for this one from Cabana. Cabana rectangular Persia table linen, £430

3 These bespoke iced biscuits from London baker Poppy Cosyns are my kind of stocking fillers. I’d love some that look like BoJo. Papava iced biscuits, papava.sugarcraft@gmail.com

4 Chefs such as Mark Hix and Gordon Ramsay rave about these Japanese-style knives from Blenheim Forge in south London, and for good reason. They look as good as they cut. Blenheim Forge Classic set in knife roll, £1,120

5 I’m always on the hunt for good stationery. A friend put me on to Cambridge Imprint, which creates handsome notebooks and labels to make spice jars look extra-special. Cambridge Imprint hardback notebook in Charleston Scumble, £12.95; pack of labels in red, £4.50

6 There are few things I like better than tinned sardines on toasted sourdough. I recently came across a company based in Salford that delivers boxes of tinned fish sourced from family producers across Europe. And such handsome tins. The Tinned Fish Market subscription, from £45 for three months

7 A handmade leather apron as well suited for chopping wood as chopping onions. What more could a bearded metrosexual like me want? Witloft Classic apron, €139.95

8 Eating out as much as I do requires a gym membership and formidable gut health. So many people have been raving about these supplements to steady the stomach and clear the complexion. The Nue Co Prebiotic + Probiotic capsules, £55, and Skin Filter capsules, £40

9 This hamper from River Café has everything to make your heart sing, from Tuscan honey and La Molina pralines to Cipriani tagliolini and Petrilli tomatoes from Puglia. I’m not sharing. River Café large gift box, from £600

10 Ever since I saw Chez Panisse’s Alice Waters using a Japanese pestle and mortar to pulverise garlic and make vinaigrettes, I have wanted one. I love everything from the homeware store Native & Co in Notting Hill. Japanese pestle and mortar, £85, nativeandco.com

11 I can’t think of any book I’d rather cosy up with on Boxing Day than this collection of food writing edited by Miranda York. Deborah Levy on lemons, Marina O’Loughlin on toast and Raymond Blanc on crabapples are among the treats. The Food Almanac (Pavilion), £16.99

12 My interior designer friend Gavin Houghton recently got a kiln and started making ceramics. Some of his saucers are quite saucy. This blue bird platter is my favourite, and would look great on a wall or the table. Gavin Houghton Blue Bird platter, £190

13This gadget looks ravishing and will help me save the planet in weaning me off bottled sparkling water. It also makes staying hydrated at home more exciting. AARKE Carbonator II in Copper, £199.99