A little bit of luxury for every bank balance - that’s the challenge a buyer at Selfridges says she set herself with the premium retailer’s 2015 Christmas lines. As a result bars of Cocoba Chocolate decorated with gold stars retail at £4.99, Artisan All-Butter Chocolate Sandwich Biscuits come in at under a tenner, and a rather swish looking fruit cake has been given a price tag of £16.99.
There are kitsch cocktail kits in abundance too, such as Tipplesworths Mini Martini Kit at £19.99, with a sample sized vermouth and gin in vintage packaging coupled with a dainty jar of olives. Tourists and London day trippers will also love the chance to pop into a photo booth in store with friends and have their image pasted over a minature bottle of Moet.
Accessible as all this may be however, Selfridges isn’t forgetting that its roots are firmly grounded in the top tier of the grocery market. There’s an extravagant Lindt bear for £125 for starters, only 150 of which are being made, and elaborate creations from master chocolatier Pierre Marcolini. A set of luxury African loose teas in gold coated tins will sell for £139, and there’s premium spirits with eye-watering price tags. Few more so than a gin from the Cambridge Distillery company so valuable it’s encased in a glowing glass dome resting on a pedestal at the Old Selfridges Hotel.
Made from the top 1% of gin normally lost through evaporation in the distillation process the Watenshi Angel Share gin comes in at a costly £2,000. Though with a painstaking process behind it, with only six made this year, it’d make for an exceptional gift for those who can afford it.
Verdict: Premium goodies at a variety of price points, though still plenty of emphasis on the luxury market
Star product: Anty Gin (£220) - The novelty of ants in your Christmas tipple with a price tag that makes this just for special occasions
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