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The food gifter’s workshop

The food gifter’s workshop is essentially the kitchen, although if you don’t have a table in your kitchen, at some point you will have to move to an area of the house where there is one.

One of the most important things is to clear your space ready for working. Most professional kitchens churn out food like a well oiled machine, and I am sure this is down to having a well organized space. Clearing space, having everything ready and prepping your ingredients beforehand will make all the difference to how smoothly the projects run. You don’t want to boil your sugar to the right temperature and pour it into your moulds only to discover that you can’t find your string, otherwise before you know it, you’ll have sugar mice without tails. So remember, clear the decks and all will run smoothly.

Kitchen tools are worth investing in and need to be looked after. There is no end of kitchen gadgetry available these days and, let’s face it, if you love cooking you probably enjoy browsing around kitchen shops. Some of these items will make your life easier, others won’t, so think carefully before splashing out on some high-tech piece of equipment. Here are my essential pieces of equipment.

Kitchen equipment

SUGAR THERMOMETER For making jams, toffee, fudge or any other heated sugary treats.

KNIVES You can’t beat a good sharp knife when preparing food. For most of these recipes the most useful ones are a paring knife, a chef’s knife, and a pallet knife.

CUTTER SHAPES A set of circular biscuit cutters is a mainstay for any cook intent on baking and biscuit making. My advice would be to collect any shapes that take your fancy.

ICING BAG AND PIPING NOZZLES Acquire a good quality icing bag as they are really worth investing in; the cheaper ones tend to allow melted butter and cream to seep through the cloth.

ROLLING PIN The normal wooden rolling pins are great although you can also get marble ones. I have just discovered the silicone ones for rolling sugar fondants and think it’s really worth having one, as the texture of the fondant after rolling is beautifully smooth.

COOLING TRAY Cooling trays are very important for drying out fondant cream, crystallized flowers and cooling hot biscuits, shortbreads etc.

STORAGE JARS Make sure you have a good selection of different-sized storage jars that can be tightly sealed.

MOULDS Pretty moulds are a joy to collect. Get a good selection together as they are fun to use and add endless possibilities to making fondants and chocolates.

HAND BLENDER Hand blenders have a very sharp little blade that whizzes around and so purées food in half the time that it would take by hand.

FOOD PROCESSOR Food processors are useful for making a whole range of goodies. They cut down the amount of time you need to spend on the project, and you can make in bulk. Ideal for cakes, mixing pâtés and pesto.

PESTLE AND MORTAR This is a beautiful gadget if you have the time because it really is worth pounding your own herbs and spices. The heavier the base the better as it then stays still while you pound away at your mixture.

Craft equipment

Once you have made your delicious gifts, you will want to present them in your own unique packaging. Below are some of the tools that will help you to make beautiful boxes, labels and decorations.

SCISSORS You need one pair of scissors for cutting cloth and one pair for cutting paper. If you try to use the paper ones for cloth you will find the experience hard work. It is also worth investing in a range of interesting scissors. You can get really funky sets with loads of different cutting edges for paper from good craft shops.

CRAFT KNIFE AND SELF-HEALING CUTTING MAT Make sure your craft knife is as sharp and straight as possible to give you a great, crisply edged result. Cutting mats are usually marked out with a grid for accurate cutting.

BRUSHES You can buy cheap brushes but I do recommend that you invest in some good quality ones. Painting is made much easier if you have a range of heads that are either sable or synthetic sable.

PENCILS Do not fall into the idea that any old pencil will do. A pencil with a good lead will help with the finished result. In my opinion the best pencils to use are either a 2B or3B soft lead, as when sharp you get a good, fine line but if left to a round edge you can draw a nice, soft line.

RUBBER STAMPS AND INK PADS Rubber stamps can be bought at most high street craft suppliers or you can make your own. Ink pads come in a variety of colours.

SEWING KIT You don’t need a huge sewing kit but a few pins and needles, a tape measure and a pair of good sharp cloth scissors will all come in handy.