A Pudding for All Seasons (and tastebuds)
Perhaps some of the best betting plum puddings around are made by local business, Pud For All Seasons. They are a stalwart business from Castlemaine and are known for their award-winning quality puddings – so much so, that they make their beautiful puddings all year round. We have again teamed up with them this Christmas and offer a good range of their puddings in different sizes alongside their incredibly indulgent sauces. Their puddings are all handmade and their range includes traditional Christmas puddings as well as more contemporary recipes for those who don’t like “squishy fruit”.
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Champagne Pudding
When you make your puddings with a healthy dash of real French Champagne you want to let everyone know. And that is why Puddings on the Ritz from Melbourne call their superbly packaged plum puddings Champagne Puddings. Dense, lightly spiced, fruity and made with top quality dried vine fruit and real plums this is a superb pudding that ideal for a gift, hamper or to steam up on the big day to serve 4 generously.
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Four Paws Christmas
We are dog people at Blakes. We love our pets. We love spending time with them and looking after them. When it comes to spoiling them, it usually is with a bone. But we reckon that once a year, you can splurge on specially-made dog treats. Made from dog-friendly chocolate-free ingredients, our range of dog Christmas gifts from Pooch Treats are perfect for spoiling your dog and getting them into the party spirit when everyone comes together to celebrate the festive season. Available in ‘ice cream cone’ and ‘lolly pop’ shapes.
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Duncan’s of Deeside Shortbread
Up in the Highlands of Scotland, in Cairn O’Mount in Royal Deeside, Duncan’s of Deeside baked their first shortbread three generations ago. The family continue that tradition of baking beautifully short biscuits that crumble when broken but are as smooth as silk when eaten. In many households, shortbreads are a Christmas tradition and these raspberry and white chocolate Scottish shortbread are as good with a good cup of tea as they are with a neat dram of whisky.
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Christmas Panforte
In Sienna, Italy, they celebrate Christmas by sharing a rich flat cake of nuts and fruit. Importer Simon Johnson has sourced a beautiful little 100g panforte to celebrate the season made with with almonds, hazelnuts, candied fruits, wafer, sweetened with natural honey and slathered in dark chocolate. Perfect as a gift, for a hamper or to share with visitors during the festive season this Sienese panforte is perfect with coffee or a glass of Victorian fortified wine such as a muscat or tokay.
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A Very Hot Christmas
Do you like it hot? Do you like it smooth? Do you like it French or good old English style? You can’t have a Christmas table without good mustard. And we have loads.
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Fiasconaro Panettone Tradizionale
Be like the Italians and start Christmas morning with a little glass of Moscato or Prosecco and a slice of real Italian panettone. Made with real preserved vine fruit, fresh candied orange and citrus rind and then hand wrapped in Italy, our Fiasconaro Panettone Tradizionale is just one of the several authentic panettone we bring in every year for Christmas.
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Blue Pyrenees Cuvée Riche. Celebrate with Sweet Decadence.
Blue Pyrenees Cuvee Riche is a fine salmon pink sparkling with fine bead and an aromas of red apples, cherry and brioche. In the mouth it is delicate and mousse-like with strawberries and cream flavours. It is sweeter than the bone dry Champagnes and can be served as a dessert wine.
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Oakwood Smokehouse Pate
God, we love pâté! This is some of the best we’ve had. Made with loads of brandy and the aromatic rind of orange this is just sensational. Spread on crusty bread or crackers and enjoy with pinot noir, aged Riesling, or even some shiraz from Passing Clouds.
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Perhaps the World’s Finest Maple Syrup
If you have never had single variety, single estate organic Canadian maple syrup then spoil yourself with what we consider to be extraordinary syrup from a single farm in Quebec called Escuminac, named after the Canadian region, where syrup maker Martin Malenfant founded the business in 1987.
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Peddling Christmas
These are light but somehow rich, delicious little two bite mince tarts from one of our favourite pastry chefs, Chris Edwards from Peddling Pastries in Castlemaine. He supplies us daily with fresh pastries that many enjoy with a cup of coffee.
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Perfect Panettone
Perfect with prosecco on Christmas morning or gently grilled over the following days, we have a range of panettone to celebrate. We also have a great recipe to use leftover panettone to create the most delicious bread and butter pudding.
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Have a Very Chocolate Christmas
A drinking chocolate for every day of the week, plus some more for later on. This box of nine drinking chocolates, and one chai, come from Ballarat’s own Grounded Pleasures (made one of the nicest gentlemen we know) is a great gift for choc lovers.
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Designer Pasta
The pasta is so bloody good – slowly dried bronze die extruded fine spaghetti made from Italian wheat - that it makes unwrapping these beautiful packs worth it. They make brilliant gifts and even better pasta!
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Beautiful Nougat
Bramble and Hedge Nougat are works of art as well as being exquisitely made nougat.
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Start Me Up Bloody Mary
There are some good people we know who swear by a good Bloody Mary to start the big days during the festive season. It’s basically a cold spicy tomato soup with a good slug of vodka. Our fave is Frankie’s Classic Bloody Mary Cocktail Mixer.
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A Central Victorian Wine Christmas
Barfold Estate, Passing Clouds and Sutton Grange are all superb local Central Victorian wines that are always on our tables at Christmas.
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