The Ghillie and Glen range is smoked in Scotland by expert salmon smokers who have spent years perfecting the art. Established over 30 years ago, Ghillie & Glen has a rich heritage and is named after one of Scotland’s oldest type of smokehouses. Thoroughly embedded in Scotland’s history, smoking was once used as a food preservation method. Traditionally Scottish estates had their own smokehouse, smoking a wide range of food from both land and sea and the Ghillie looked after the estate and its lochs.

Charbrew teas contain some interesting ingredients including, among other things, lemongrass, coconut rasps, fruits, cardamom, beetroot and carrot, as well as whole leaves and flowers, in bringing together their range. These little bags of promise deliver some very bold vibrant flavours, that lingered on the palate after drinking.

The Chilli Chutney Man and Perfect Sweet (a natural sugar alternative) have come up with a range of chutneys which aim to ease the guilt, all year round. It was time to road test a mango chutney and a marinade from the range.’Bolivian Rainbow Chilli’.

Made in small batches by working mum and Master Preserver Clippy, Clippy’s Apple products capture British seasonal and indulgent ingredients in bringing together a range of luxury preserves.

Giorgio Locatelli has a new range of Italian foods coming out under the name Locadeli. Isn’t that great? I mean call me a silly old copywriter, and I most certainly am, but that makes me smile and wish I’d thought of it. Seems obvious now, but I bet they went through a lot of rubbish names before someone had that Eureka moment.

For the second year running, Sweet Freedom was awarded Gold stars in the 2010 Great Taste Awards, both in the Sweet Ingredients and Diabetic categories. Both versions of Sweet Freedom are healthier natural alternative to sugar made entirely from fruit – apple, grape and carob.

Pudding Lane puds are hand made in Australia then flown over to us. Forget Heston’s hype these are puds you can put your faith in.

Coffee specialist Cherizena has launched a range of coffee-based gifts for the festive season. Costing between £2.50 and £20, their gift range is very reasonably priced, will suit most budgets and would appeal to coffee lovers anywhere. You might just want to stock up your own store cupboard for the festive season and beyond, as well as finding that perfect gift.

I sampled several of Asda’s Extra Special range, following the instructions on the packaging to cook or reheat. These were all excellent quality dishes – I would hesitate to just call them ‘ready meals’ – for you to cook at home. They are competitively priced, quite substantial, easily big enough for two normal appetites.

O come all ye serious foodies, if you’re planning to be the host with the most this Christmas you need to be ordering your favourite feathered friend right now.