“On the twelfth day of Christmas Natoora sent to meeeeee, a hamper full of yummy goodieeees…” - Get rid of that post-Christmas anti climax with this wonderful box of delights from culinary experts, Natoora.
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Packed full of the finest European delicacies, and delicious morsels, this is an excellent way to welcome in the New Year with the greatest of cheer. The Twelfth Night Hamper contains:

• De Chanceny Crémant De Loire Alfred Gratien Champagne Brut
  
• Castellucio Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  
• Rosemary Crackers
  
• Olive Oil and Sea Salt Crackers
  
• Plateau 7 Fromages - Valencay, Livarot, Comte, Brie, Bleu D'Auvergne,
• Chistera, Saint Marcellin
  
• Lenticchie Di Spello- Green Lentils
  
• Cotechino Pork Sausage
  
• Balsamic Vinegar from Modena
  
• Goose Confit - preserved in rendered Goose fat
  
• Panarello Panettone
  
• Sable De Nancay Biscuits

The contents are carefully swaddled in swathes of red tissue paper and packed into a festive red hamper, which is delivered to your door, packed with ice packs to keep all the contents fresh and chilled, ready to consume immediately. Here are my thoughts on some of the wonderful goodies the Twelfth Night Hamper has on offer…

The Alfred Gratien Champagne is truly delicious. As soon as it is opened it exhales a crisp, apply scent that tantalises and strengthens as it is poured. It is a beautiful autumnal-gold colour and effervesces constantly, even after being nursed lengthily in a glass during a social occasion. On drinking, the Champagne is surprisingly savoury given its sweet aroma, with subtle undertones of peach and butter, and is dry without being bitter or tart. With an alcohol content of 12.5%, it has a lovely, almost sherry-like warmth that slowly creeps down the gullet and warms you through; achieving a cheerful merriness without being too heady or dehydrating. Despite its strength and depth of flavour, the Champagne is highly refreshing and even though it emits continuous ribbons of minute bubbles, it doesn’t leave you feeling gassy or bloated.

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If you fancy a little morsel to go with the Champagne, the cheese-board with seven different varieties definitely spoils you for choice. Whether you’re a connoisseur or a novice, there’s something for everyone, mild to strong -There’s even Goat and Ewes cheeses for those with lactose issues. My favourite is definitely the Valencay, an ash-mould wrapped Goats cheese, which is delightfully mild and creamy, with a lemony backtaste that lingers deliciously in the mouth. My second favourite is definitely the Saint Marcellin, which as a soft, white-rind cheese is similar to Brie, but has a far more sophisticated yet subtle flavour and is delicious with gammon or bacon.
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I found the Castellucio Extra Virgin Olive Oil to truly be the best olive oil I have ever tasted. The strength and depth of flavour is outstanding, with a strong, slightly bitter odour similar to Granny Smith apple skins. I drizzled it generously over al-dente pasta with a splash of lemon juice, and the result was delicious albeit simplistic. After I added nuggets of the different cheeses and fried slices of Cotechino Pork Sausage, I was literally speechless with glee. Despite being oil, it is far from greasy or heavy and will make an excellent salad dressing once combined with the Balsamic Vinegar, or as a Mediterranean style dip for crusty bread or crackers.

The Panettone and the Sable de Nancay Biscuits are a delicious sweet treat that can be enjoyed easily on their own or as ingredients in a luxury Trifle or Tiramisu. Whatever you do, you and your guests (if you choose to share) will not be disappointed. Personally, I enjoyed dunking the Sable Biscuits in a deep mug of creamy hot chocolate, and I loved tearing off great rough chunks of Panettone to hand round to guests with a short glass of Amaretto.

The greatest thing about the Twelfth Night hamper is that it is choc-full of wonderful and unusual culinary delights to tantalise, broaden or simply just spoil your taste-buds, and even if you open it all in one go, the delights go on and on for days and weeks to come- a perfect segue in to 2010.

The wonderful Twelfth Night Hamper is ideal as a Christmas gift to have delivered to friends, family, or colleagues or as a lovely, indulgent New-Year’s treat for yourself after festive visitors have eaten you out of house and home, and is available for just £125 from www.natoora.co.uk