Last minute Christmas treats

If you haven't started already, now is the time to start digging into all the seasonal goodies. There's nothing cosier than watching all those ultra-cheesey Christmas specials on TV by candlelight, whilst feasting on some warm Christmas pud. Here, my favourite sweet treats in London:

Ultimate Christmas pudding, £32.95, from Harrods. Packaged in a black ceramic basin and matured for six months.

Brandy butter, £3.95, from Harrods.

Meg Rivers Christmas Cake and tin, £38, from Cath Kidston. £5 of the proceeds from every sale of this award-winning cake goes to Marie Curie Cancer Care.

Hope and Greenwood suitcase, from £24.95, from The Conran Shop. Each suitcase is filled with a selection of nostalgic English sweets.

And I'll be heading to Konditor & Cook this weekend to pick up some of their infamous handmade mince pies. Apparently Nigella fancies them very muchly. Merry yum yum!

Stockists:

The Conran Shop
www.conranshop.co.uk
The Conran Shop Chelsea
Michelin House
81 Fulham road
London SW3
Tel 020 7589 7401

The Conran Shop Marylebone
55 Marylebone High Street
London W1
Tel 020 7723 2223

Harrods
www.harrods.com
87-135 Brompton Road
Knightsbridge, London SW1

Cath Kidston
www.cathkidston.co.uk
Click here for store locations.

Konditor & Cook
www.konditorandcook.com
Waterloo:
22 Cornwall Road
London SE1

London Bridge:
10 Stoney Street
London SE1

Chancery Lane:
46 Grays Inn Road
London WC1

Curzon Soho Cafe:
99 Shaftesbury Ave
London W1

The Gherkin
30 St Mary Axe
London EC3

The best crackers in London

OK, so I could start this post with a dodgy pun on crackers, but I'll try to restrain myself. Instead, just check out the best crackers for 2007.

Holly/Ric Rac Christmas Crackers, £10 for a set of six, from Cath Kidston.

Christmas Tree Crackers, Blue and White, reduced to £10 for a set of 12, from John Lewis. Each cracker contains a gift, motto and hat. The gifts include a shoe horn, compact mirror, playing cards, screwdrivers, address book, tape measure, pad lock, bottle opener, tweezers, travel chess, photo frame and pen.

Fiesta Christmas crackers, £45 for a box of six, from The Conran Shop. Each cracker contains a hat, joke and a gift.

Nine mini crackers, £5, from Paperchase.

Eight premium crackers, £13, from Woolworths.

Sergeant Major and Sugar Plum Fairy Crackers, £40 for a box of six, from Fortnum & Mason. Each cracker contains a wooden toy or instrument.

For an eco-friendly bang...

Ethical Christmas crackers, £25, from Made. Crackers are handmade in Africa using back issues of Grazia and other recycled materials. Each cracker contains a gift made from recycled items, as well as a Grazia party hat and teaser.

Berry Eco Christmas Cracker, £4.50 each or six for £25, from Biome Lifestyle. The wrapping around the cracker is handmade from seed paper, so you can plant the paper after Christmas and grow some pretty wild flowers. Each cracker is filled with an eco-tip and a small gift like a charitable donation or a fair trade keyring.

And don't forget your dog...

Polka Pet Crackers, £15 for one, from Fortnum & Mason. Contains a diamante pet collar charm.

If money is no issue ...

Traditional Christmas crackers, £499 for six, from Harrods, 2nd floor Christmas World. The crackers are hand-crafted and contain silver gifts.

Ballroom flock Christmas crackers, £299 for six, from Harrods, 2nd floor Christmas World. Each cracker is hand-crafted and contains a silver gift.

Or, have a go at making your own...

Check out this post at Meet Me at Mikes, which includes some links to some fab online tutorials. Also, check out Paperchase for their nifty DIY cracker kits, complete with snaps and paper.

And go out with the biggest bang of all...

Exploding chocolate bomb £85, from The Conran Shop. The bomb is filled with enough chocolates and gadgets for 15 people.

Stockists:

The Conran Shop
www.conranshop.co.uk
The Conran Shop Chelsea
Michelin House
81 Fulham road
London SW3 6RD
Tel 020 7589 7401

The Conran Shop Marylebone
55 Marylebone High Street
London W1U 5HS
Tel 020 7723 2223

Paperchase
www.paperchase.co.uk
Click here for store locations.

Harrods
www.harrods.com
87-135 Brompton Road
Knightsbridge, London SW1X 7XL

Fortnum & Mason
www.fortnumandmason.com
181 Piccadilly
London W1

Biome Lifestyle (online only)
www.biomelifestyle.com

Woolworths
www.woolworths.co.uk
Click here for store locations.

John Lewis
www.johnlewis.com
Click here for store locations.

Cath Kidston
www.cathkidston.co.uk
Click here for store locations.

Made (online only)
www.made.uk.com