12 Cheshire Christmas foods to order now

Great British Life: Cheshire-made Wrights sticky toffee pudding, available at M&S Photo: Kris Kirkham PhotographyCheshire-made Wrights sticky toffee pudding, available at M&S Photo: Kris Kirkham Photography (Image: Kris Kirkham Photography)

1. The Cheshire butcher

Over in Mottram St Andrew, The Cheshire Butcher is a prime cut for your meat this Christmas, serving up turkey, beef, pork, lamb and organic chicken from its very own Cherry Tree Farm. The team has installed a Himalayan salt chamber with hand-cut salt bricks imported from the foot of the mountain range, which essentially tenderises the meats to silky perfection. You can order it all online or pop in to chat to the team who know everything there is to know about butchery.

cheshirebutcher.co.uk

Great British Life: Burt's Cheese Photo: Ali GrovesBurt's Cheese Photo: Ali Groves (Image: Archant)

2. Cheshire Fish

The crew from Cheshire Fish has forged tight links with reputable suppliers stalking our seas and beyond, to bring just-caught slabs of fish and shellfish to our plates from its HQ in Macc. Call in beforehand to find out what’s in store or check its social media channels, but bags of briny mussels, langoustines from Scotland and octopus are usually available and they even pull together luxury seafood platters.

facebook.com/cheshirefishmacc

Great British Life: The Careless Collection chocolate treats Photo: Craig RobertsonThe Careless Collection chocolate treats Photo: Craig Robertson (Image: Archant)

3. Wrights Food Group, Sticky Toffee Pudding

Is Christmas really Christmas without a ridiculously rich pud to fawn over? If the traditional offering isn’t your thing, look to the new frozen sticky toffee puddings from Wrights – they’re plant-based, lightly spiced and come with a syrupy salted caramel sauce. Available at M&S.

wrightsfoodgroup.com

Great British Life: Litte Lodge Confectionery Photo: Kim LodgeLitte Lodge Confectionery Photo: Kim Lodge (Image: Archant)

4. Burt’s Cheese

When it’s time to hunker down on the sofa with a few nips of port, don’t forget to add some chunks of this handcrafted Cheshire-made cheese to your board, from its flagship creamy blue, to its Drunken Burt washed in cider. Or go the whole hog and order the cheese board with all the frills.

burtscheese.co.uk

5. The Raw & Rare Meat Co

A new enterprise with butchery kingpin Joe Farmer at the helm, Raw & Rare works with local suppliers and pulls together hand butchered artisan products and delivers them across the country from their base in Chester. Can’t find what you’re looking for online? Give the team a call and order a bespoke package for your Christmas table.

rawandrare.co.uk

6. Charlie’s Cheshire Butter

Slathered over crusty loaves or dotted over your turkey crown, you’re going to need a lot of butter this Christmas. Keep it local with the salty mounds churned by this family-run business in the Cheshire countryside.

charliescheshirebutter.co.uk

7. Little Lodge Confectionery

Having just scooped another Great Taste Award, the saccharine makers at Little Lodge Confectionery are on a roll. There are slabs of artisan choc and mulled wine flavour bars, choc with notes of gingerbread and unicorn-sprinkle lollipops.

littlelodgeconfectionery.com

8. Cheshire Chutney Co

Brighten up Boxing Day dishes and your turkey sandwiches with a good dollop of Christmas Chutney from The Cheshire Chutney Co – a spicy jar that packs a festive punch with cinnamon, dried cranberries and ground ginger.

cheshirechutney.com

9. Hollies Farm shop

The Hollies’ dedication to all things local is no secret, and if you’ve never tried the frangipane mince pies, there’s never been a better time. While you’re there, you may as well stock up on a few deli bits: just-baked breads, mounds of olives and homespun pies to capture the nostalgia of childhood Christmases.

theholliesfarmshop.co.uk

10. Elite Bistro’s Christmas Day Boxed Off

For a chef-worthy Christmas spread, Elite Bistros – the pioneering restaurant brand behind crowdfunded big hitters Hispi, Kala and Wreckfish – is cooking up and boxing up dazzling dinners you can eat at home. And given Gary Usher’s culinary finesse is behind the potted mackerel starter, the slabs of beef or turkey, the decadent trimmings (spiced apricot, sage and hazelnut stuffing) and the whisky and brandy-soaked Christmas pudding, it’s looking like a corker.

christmas.elitebistros.com

11. Clotton Hall Dairy

Put a scoop of the team’s acclaimed clotted cream on your Christmas pudding, a warmed mince pie, even your porridge come morning. Made from the milk of free-range cows in Cheshire, it’s so heavenly and moreish, you could happily lick the tub clean.

clottonhalldairy.co.uk

12. The Careless Collection

David Critchton – a former commercial pilot, and Masterchef finalist 2018 – earned his culinary stripes on the BBC show with his imaginative chocolate bars, created as a lyrical take on George Michael’s Careless Whisper. Fast forward several years and he’s now churning out his distinct high-end bars for the masses with oozy centres of salted butter caramel, balsamic and olive oil ganache in a dark chocolate shell, or white chocolate, pistachios and olive oil flavours.

thecarelesscollection.co.uk u