Christmas gift guides 2013: Over £50

Cheese:

There's no need to reserve cheeseboards for the festive season - ensure a bulging supply all year round by signing up to a monthly cheese delivery. Some companies allow you to select regular favourites, while others pick particular cheeses a few weeks before delivery depending on what's seasonal.

Top picks:

• Monthly subscription to Neal’s Yard's monthly boxes for £26.50 per month.
• Three boxes of cheese from The Cheese Shed for £99.

Coffee:

Ensure there’s always a fresh hit of caffeine waiting in the fridge with a monthly delivery of independently-produced coffee. Most companies offer whole beans or pre-ground, and usually a different blend each month.

Top picks:

• 250g of Pact coffee for £6.95 per month
• Six month gift plan from Kopi coffee for £54.
• Two bags of Union Coffee every month for a year for £16.50 a month

Charcuterie

Have a loved one with a penchant for the meatier things in life? Sign up to a subscription to the best British charcuterie. A three-month membership to Cannon and Cannon’s ‘Meat Club’ buys you a monthly box featuring, among other cured delights, Trealy Farm salami and Dorset coppa.

Three month subscription £70.

Pies

If you’re buying for someone who prefers a present wrapped in pastry, try British Fine Foods’ ‘Pie Lovers’s Club’. For £30 a month, expect a selection of British pies, including chicken and tarragon and traditional pork.

Garlic

Ever wondered what £143 worth of garlic looks like? Find out with a one-year membership to the Garlic Lovers’ Club. Expect gourmet bulbs, condiments and recipe inspiration from The Garlic Farm on the Isle of Wight.

Cake

You can now enjoy a fresh, handmade cake without having to go anywhere near an oven by signing up to a monthly package of sweet treats. Companies offer either a choice of your favourite sponges or a seasonal selection . Lemon drizzle lovers behold...

Top picks:

• Three month Sponge subscription, from £50.
• Cake Slice Club, 12-month subscription £69.99
• Meg Rivers Cake Club, three month membership £55

Kitchen kit

Magimix have spruced up their rather clever Vision Toaster and it’s now available in a spectrum of bright colours, including pink, yellow and orange. The see-through panel will ensure those sad-looking blackened bread pucks will be left in 2013.
Vision Toaster, from £140, Magimix

Based on a 1940s design, Wesco’s Grandy bread bin is a style classic. Available in a dazzling spectrum of colours (we like the turquoise and lime green versions) a functional product is made much more special.
Wesco Grandy bread bins, from £54.60, Ambiente Direct

Speaking of aesthetic prowess, Italian company Alessi create unique products using designers from around Europe. Their 'Coffee.It' stove-top percolator has a strong minimalist shape and shiny steel finish.
Coffee.It espresso maker, £132, Alessi

Labour and Wait specialise in timeless, functional products in original designs. Make the most of your budget by putting together a crockery set from their beautiful marbled enamel range. Four dinner plates and four cereal bowls will set you back £64.
Marble enamel crockery, various prices, Labour and Wait

Edible gifts

Save plenty of wrapping paper for a full leg of 24-month matured Jamon Iberico. This Spanish ham comes from ‘pata negra’ black-footed pigs and has a unique dark colour and strong flavour. Once opened it lasts for a year- if it makes it to the start of 2014…
Full leg of Iberico Cebo ham, £145, The Tapas Lunch Company

Finally, keep it simple with a bottle of premium spirit. Our choices for this year are Balblair Single Malt Whisky (£86.99 for 1991 vintage), Jose Cuervo Reserva tequila (£99.99), Enmascarado 45 mezcal (£79.99), Cambridge gin (£79.99) and, for a leftfield choice, Double Happiness baijui (£90)- otherwise known as China’s national spirit.

All available online from Selfridges.

Are you splashing out on a gourmet gift this Christmas? Let us know you ideas below...