(bowl clangs) (egg cracks)
(pan sizzling)
(festive music)
- Hello, and welcome back to Sorted Food.
- Now it's officially time
to start getting excited about Christmas.
- Yes!
- So to celebrate,
we're reviewing a bunch of foodie advent calendars.
- Ebbers is a chef, and he is up first.
- I am.
And I am.
(festive music)
- Now we've each been given a category.
Mine is the Classic category.
Ben, lift the cloche.
- So I have got Montezuma's
Extraordinary Chocolate Advent Calendar.
- So the reason this is in the classic category,
is because it's a simple chocolate calendar.
Montezuma are well known
for their ethically sourced chocolate,
organic chocolate as well.
And let's face it, delicious.
- Yeah. Big fan of them.
- So the guys who started this, used to be lawyers.
They camped one night on a cocoa plantation,
fell in love with chocolate and then started this.
And what is amazing about their, kind of,
their attitude towards chocolate,
and running the business,
is they wanted it to be as ethical
and as organic as possible.
They've got an amazing review they do, every quarter,
within their business, called their "MAD Review".
And this is to see how they've made a difference,
in the world of chocolate, every quarter.
- Does MAD stand for something,
is it an acronym? - Made A Difference.
- Ebbers. - Oh.
- [Barry] Make a difference.
- Come on. We got that before you did.
You need some chocolate!
- I was busy looking at all the stamps on this.
Organic.
Soil association. - First class.
- Carton, a hundred percent recycling,
as is the tray.
No Palm oil,
GM, preservative, colouring,
gluten free, all of those.
So I'm going to start with my favourite day of the month.
(record scratch)
- That's not how advent calendars work.
- Start. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
- The 16th.
- No! No.
No. No.
- Pass It On live day.
Very important day in December.
- (fumes) I can't do this.
- Very important day.
- Ooh. That looks weighty. - I can't forgive that.
Oh, you gotta start at the beginning.
- Everything you want from milk chocolate.
- Barry. I've got a question. - Yep?
- Behind each door,
is it the same chocolate? - Yes.
- Okay. Fine.
- You get the only the best. Every single day.
- Oh nice.
- That is classic. - I like that.
- [Barry] Is the pattern the same every time?
- It's always the Montezuma "M",
but a different picture behind each door.
- That's delicious.
- Yeah. It's lovely.
It's milk chocolate.
You know, it's that sweet,
delicious start.
Just single mouthful. Boom. Every time.
- I like it.
- Do you wanna have a pop at the price?
- Just under 10 quid, like nine, £8.50.
- [Barry] £9 99. (register rings)
- Oh, I think that's fair.
I think essentially,
you're not buying a 250 gramme bar of chocolate.
10 pounds for that would be expensive.
What you're buying is 25 opportunities to open a door,
and as a kid,
that is always the dream you want for Christmas.
Apparently adults too.
(festive music continues)
- Baz, you're up, in the hot seat,
I was given the Alternative category,
and this was my choice for you.
- Nice. Okay.
I guess, yeah,
alternative in terms of, it's not chocolate.
- Yes.
See, I looked at this from a people with,
perhaps, dairy intolerances,
or who can't have chocolate,
so these are vegan gummies.
- Ooh, interesting.
It's not only alternative because it's not chocolate.
It looks like a DIY calendar.
- It absolutely is.
It's a DIY Christmas tree.
So yeah, this is the Candy Kittens advent calendar tree.
Their product tagline says,
"They all say good things come in trees. Right?
Well, they do now.
Packed with a selection
of our damn irresistible, vegan, gourmet sweets,
including flavours from our brand new gourmies range.
This build your own advent calendar
treats you to at least two sweets a day,
because let's face it. One just isn't enough."
So Candy Kittens, started by a reality TV, celebrity,
Jamie Laing from Made in Chelsea.
But their company mission is,
that they believe "Better is possible.
We strive to create the very best sweets,
taking on the big guys,
and delivering more for our people and planet."
- If you were actually buying this for me as a gift,
would you have not gone to the effort,
to build a tree yourself, for me?
- No. Because it's good to give the kids something to do.
(record scratch)
- Am I your kid, is that what you're saying?
- Plus, they're all numbered,
so it's a little bit of a counting game.
(Jamie laughs and snorts)
- Listen, it's a nice activity, isn't it?
Isn't it.
- (laughs) It is.
- Something cool about this specific advent calendar,
was that Candy Kittens
have teamed up with their friends, Tree Sisters,
who are a charity on a mission
to accelerate global reforestation.
So for every tree calendar that is bought,
they will plant an actual tree.
And I thought that was quite a cool thing.
- Nice. - That is cool.
- To be fair.
At the start of December, you put up the tree,
You put up the decorations,
you might make a gingerbread house.
You might make an advent calendar.
It's things you can do together on a day.
And it's kind of fun.
- I give him two sweets, in each one.
Oh, he's such a lazy (bleep)
Why don't you put it into a thing with some key limes,
and blend it all together.
- Go random, bom-bom-bom-bom-bom.
- The best thing is,
he's got to build it, put them all in,
and then he's got to start taking them out. (laughs)
- There you go, mate.
You're welcome.
- Now I've made it, shall I open it?
(jazzy festive music ends)
(rocky festive music)
Lovely.
I've had their sweets, loads, in the past.
They are really nice little treats,
can't deny that,
and a really nice alternative to chocolate.
- Well, let me cut in on all that fun that you're having.
(they laugh)
What are your overall thoughts?
- Really cool idea.
It's just if I was doing it as a gift,
I would make it myself,
for them-
- And then present it. - And then present it.
- I think that's fair.
Let's talk price.
How much do you think that this advent calendar,
without the labour costs, was?
- I'm going to say £15.
- £12 (register chimes)
- That's probably fair,
it's a lot of money for a bunch of sweets.
But at the same time,
you're paying for the experience of somebody opening it,
- And it literally kept you entertained for hours.
- It did. It did.
Thank you. And Merry Christmas!
- Okay, Jay, number three, from me to you,
my category was the Super Foodie Explorer.
- Ooh. How could I be better defined?
(they laugh)
Terre Exotique Calendrier de l'Avent.
Is this because we explored France together?
- We did go to France together.
So I thought this might be ideal.
But beyond that, I think the context would be great.
- (laughs) He ate some steak for breakfast in another country,
and he thinks he's an explorer.
(they laugh)
- Jay, what you have there,
is the spice discovery advent calendar,
24 sachets of a mixture of sweet and savoury spice blends,
from around the globe,
that mean every day you can travel from your very own home.
- I've just realised.
This is an amazing gift,
because he keeps on losing his spice blend challenges.
And this is Ebber's way of going,
"Here's some homework".
- So passive aggressive.
- You don't have to use them all in December.
They've got shelf life right through the whole of next year.
So you don't have to use them immediately,
but each one has got sort of recipe ideas or concepts,
that you could use the spice blends in.
-Fleur de sel with grilled spices.
It gives me a list of ingredients.
And then inside I get the little baggy,
but it also has recipe ideas.
So tip one,
a pinch on poultry served with cream and mushroom sauce,
or tip two,
very simply, a pinch on fresh pasta plate.
- [Mike] That is cool.
Actually, you'd genuinely do that.
- So it is really quite inspiring, I think,
as a collection of ingredients.
And it's partly because the founder who set it up,
he basically first found this amazing pepper,
in Cameroon and was like,
"This is amazing.
It's almost undiscovered.
I wonder what other amazing spice blends,
or ingredients from around the world I can also source.
And he works very closely with the farmers,
and the spice plantations,
so that all of the quality,
the sustainability,
they packaged them all up in metal tins.
So they're not exposed to lights,
they don't deteriorate in the process
of getting them to where they then package them
into the advent calendar.
- It's accessible.
But I also think it's inspiring, as well.
Like if you just pick one out,
and you go,
"Right, what could we do with white Penja pepper?"
We could make Pan Fried Pineapple or a Fillet of Saithe.
Now I don't know what Saithe is,
so Pan Fried Pineapple sounds amazing,
but that's not something
that I would generally think of doing.
- Would you like to use a cup of them and try something out,
something quick and simple?
- Yes.
- It's really funny,
Ebbers is making you work for your advent calender.
- I had to build a tree.
- I've already learned something,
because, found out what Saithe is, didn't I boys?
Saithe is a Pollock.
We have some Whitefish that isn't quite Pollock,
but is close to Pollock.
So we're going to use the white Penja pepper PGI.
Read you the descrip,
"This white Penja pepper, with its animal notes
and menthol aromas,
has truly outstanding character and flavour".
I'm going to do popcorn.
- Yep. - So I've got some corn.
- You've got boiling hot pan. - Multi task.
What you doing with that pan?
- Now your pan's smoking.
Don't stop it, get your fish in.
- How are you burning things?
You haven't started cooking yet.
- I'm panicking.
- What's happening.
- Scatter it over the fish.
- [Mike] What's in this spice blend, Spaff?
- [Jamie] This isn't a blend.
This is just white Penja pepper.
- [Mike] Oh cool.
- Yeah.
(pan sizzles) S(bleeps)
(rock version of "Deck The Halls" plays)
In this pan, I've got popcorn,
and that popcorn is going to be stirred through butter,
and my breige curry spice blend.
- So Saithe is either part of the Pollock or Coley family.
This happens to be Dover Sole,
so all still from UK shores,
but right now, lovely fish to use.
Jay, I gave you this,
'cause I thought you'd be most in control.
- [Barry] It's a delicate fish.
- Oh.
("Deck the Halls" continues)
Right. There's some yummy toasty bits in there.
- [Ben] Explored two new things.
- Right boys. I've made a very simple fish taco.
I've got my Saithe,
which has been coated in my white pepper,
some sour cream, a bit of coriander.
- [Mike] Cheers.
- And we've got the Breton Curry popcorn.
It's great.
- [Mike] Must be the Tumeric.
- The popcorn's a bit charred.
But the spice blend's lovely.
- I wasn't talking about those things.
- White pepper is always one of those things I never have.
I never buy, but when I have it, it's quite distinctive.
I really like it,
compared to black pepper,
it does serve a different purpose.
- There you go Jay, all the way through advent,
24 different sachets from around the world.
How much do you reckon?
- I don't think it's unreasonable
to predict a pound per sachet.
So £24.
- Plus a pound for the box.
You can have it for 25. (register chimes)
- Look at that.
I don't see this as being for advent.
This is a present that you would give someone,
and they'd unbox it, each day,
and then go, "Oh, we'll do that one,
in a few weeks time,
or come back to that one",
I really like the opportunities that, that opens up.
(bright festive music)
- Right, Mike.
My category for you was the enthusiast.
Now I had to think long and hard,
about things that you were enthusiastic about.
So I decided upon this.
- Coffee Lover Advent Calendar.
- So Mike, this is the Brew Company's
Advent Calendar for 2021, for coffee lovers.
They say to "Treat yourself and your loved ones,
with real coffee indulgence,
in the most unique and innovative advent calendar there is.
Every day, leading up to Christmas,
you'll embark on a journey to discover
one of the 25 single estate specialty coffees,
taste new flavours,
and learn the story and craft
behind each distinct coffee's origin.
(box tearing)
- Well, I like the sound of that.
- Pull through the bottom- - Yeah it's like a.
Postbox. - Like a little letterbox.
- Number one, Honduras.
- Oh, they're in order.
- And they're in Capri-Sun package.
(they laugh)
Don't you have to inflate it first?
- This is actually a really innovative system of packaging,
because not only is this recyclable, sustainable packaging,
and all of the good stuff from that perspective,
but also you make the coffee in the bag.
So you pour hot water into the bag.
It brews the coffee,
in a kind of mix between French press and v60,
and then you just pour it out after it's brewed,
for four to eight minutes.
So what your initial thoughts?
- I really like it.
What I do like about it,
is that I will probably have a coffee, every morning.
- This is kind of what I thought,
because when you look at things
that people are enthusiastic about,
like, I don't know, gin and wine, other things,
they're not necessarily the kind of things
that you should do every day,
or would do every day,
if you didn't have that gift given to you.
Whereas I thought actually having a gift
that fits into your routine,
you will have a coffee every day,
so why not make it a really good coffee every day?
- Fantastic.
- More importantly, a different coffee every day.
- Different coffee,
all single estate,
I think it's on the box, actually.
It tells you where each coffee in the calendar comes from.
- I've never seen coffee in a pouch like this before.
I'm kind, so I'll make sure
that we all have something to sip,
'cause each one does two cups.
- The Brew Company have some really great ethics,
and they source their coffee properly.
They want to get to know the farmers.
They want to get to know
the provenance of each of the coffees.
So they select the best quality specialty coffee beans,
and hand roast them in small batches,
in their artisan micro roastery in Denmark,
refining each distinct flavour.
- It's really cool.
- [Ben] I've never seen anything like it.
- No. Same.
- I love it already. We haven't tasted the coffee.
- Ooh.
Now it does say reusable bag.
So I literally would have to clean them out,
and then just put my own ground coffee in them.
- Yeah. I think you can scoop out the old grounds,
put new grounds in them.
- I think it's cool. Cheers.
- Cheers. - Cheers.
- Cheers.
- That's great.
That is a tasty cup of coffee.
I mean I'm no coffee expert,
but that is exactly what I look for in a cup of coffee,
especially in the morning.
I really look forward
to trying a different variety of coffee,
every time I buy one,
but they come in big 400g bags,
and I'll go artisanal,
because I think,
"Oh yeah, it's going to make a huge difference",
but by the time I've got to the end of the bag,
and some of it's gone stale, you know?
I've lost all the appreciation for it.
This gives me a great opportunity
to explore different varieties of coffee.
Start getting familiar with the types of beans and locations
that I'm familiar with,
and I like,
and then go and explore those further.
Really cool. Love it.
- How much do you think
I bought your Coffee Lovers Advent Calendar for?
- 50 Quid feels a lot for that,
but £2 doesn't feel a lot for that.
- A pound of coffee seems fine,
but you're making 50 coffees.
- I'm going to say... £30.
- £38.95. (register chimes)
- I'm okay with it.
Taking into consideration, it's really fun.
You're learning something,
and actually flipping it around,
you're more likely to give it as a gift.
Would I give this as a gift
to a coffee fanatic for £40?
Yes. If I really liked them.
(jazzy music plays)
- Has Barry got one more
because he didn't like his first one?
- (bleeps) spoiled child.
- We felt like we couldn't end this video without going big.
So in the category of Go Big or Go Home,
Barry, we've got one more for you.
- Fortnum and Mason, a feasting advent calender.
- Quite deliberately,
we have gone for probably the oldest,
most well-known gourmet food store in London.
And this is their epic feasting advent calendar.
Every single day, you have one thing to enjoy.
And across the month, a veritable feast of sweet things,
savoury things, delicious things, condiments, drinks,
you name it,
that box has it.
- Right, Barry, open some stuff.
I need to know.
- One.
- Again, you can reuse this,
next year and fill it with your own DIY gifts,
but this year you've got?
- Oh, classic.
Bag of chocolate coins.
- Some exclusive chocolate bars.
You've also got things like cognac butter,
orange and champagne marmalade,
we've got salted caramel hot chocolate,
plus chocolate truffles.
You've got chocolate mice.
You've also got heather honey gin,
English Frambroise.
You've got Christmas tea.
It goes on and on and on.
Skip to day 25, it's the biggie.
- Yay!
A little champers for one, lovely.
That is spectacular,
but I'd expect nothing less from Fortnum and Mason,
and a box that size.
- You can either enjoy them on the day,
or there'll be a number of things here,
that if you gather,
if you are hosting at Christmas,
all of these wonderful treats will come together,
whether it's to add onto a cheese board,
or to put out with coffee in the afternoon,
while you're watching the Queen's speech.
It's so many points in Christmas,
where these veritable treats will come in handy.
- This is a pistachio and clotted cream biscuit.
- Cheers. - Cheers.
(biscuits crunching)
- [Barry] Mm. That is yummy.
This is very impressive.
And it's very bold,
especially as an advent calender and as a gift.
- I think it's fair to say.
And we've covered items from Fortnum and Mason's,
at Christmas and throughout the year, a lot.
It is a tiny, tiny, tiny percentage of people
who shop at Fortnum and Mason's.
It is one of the most exclusive
premium, high-end, gourmet food stores.
But if you go there,
that's what you can get for Christmas.
- That is an experience, isn't it?
- Okay then. We have to talk price.
- Yeah.
- How much?
- I don't think there's a single box here,
on its own,
that I would buy from Fortnum and Mason,
for probably less than five or six quid.
- Quarter bottle of champagne is one of them.
- Oh crap, I forgot about that.
It starts with a two, ends in a zero.
I reckon, is it five in the middle?
- It is not that much.
- Okay. Well I just don't know anymore.
- It still starts with a two,
£200, (register chimes)
for the Fortnum and Mason feasting advent calendar.
- £200, amazingly,
doesn't surprise me with what's in front of me.
But who has...
- It's not even a present, is it?
- It's not even Christmas.
Christmas present, for 200 quid, is a lot of money.
- I think they're just a different clientele to us.
- There were so many out there we could have chosen,
but over to you guys,
which of those tickled your frosted fancy,
and tell us why.
- And please share any great ideas
you've had for advent calendars
down in the comments as well.
- And to spread some Christmas cheer,
please share this video,
so that we can pay for that box.
- Merry Christmas Barry.
- Can we send it back?
Oh, no. I ate the biscuits.
(they laugh)
(production card beeps)
- Number three, and my category was for the Super Foodie.
The Explorer you might say.
- Oh, I've always defined myself as an Explorer,
within shops. Food-based shops.
(they laugh)
I've been to all of the aisles in my local supermarket.