From gin boxes to luxury shortbread, gourmet popcorn and more, these are some of the tastiest calendars around..
Food and drink play a huge part in Christmas celebrations – and now we get to enjoy a taste of the festive season every day in December thanks to the creation of some delicious foodie calendars.
Although most of us gear up for the big day itself where all-day feasting takes place and chocolates with breakfast are totally acceptable, why not indulge in some of your favourite snacks – both sweet or savoury – for the whole month?
And what better way to kick off the festivities than with a foodie advent calendar that doesn’t boast your standard chocolate treat? Here we round up just some of the options available..
Christmas Countdown Box from City of Aberdeen Distillery
Who needs one gin this Christmas when you can have 12? The City of Aberdeen Distillery has for the first time launched a box full of gin goodies which includes 12 miniatures and three tins/bottles of tonic water.
Presented in a beautiful bamboo wood box, you’ll also get two drinks mats and the gins included range from the distillery’s popular fruit gins and its London Dry gins.
The firm is well-known for creating unique gins and have a range of flavours including strawberry, bramble, tuck shop, lemon, chocolate and mint, and thyme and rosemary to name a few.
All 5cl bottles boast a double measure and the gins included are between 40% and 42%.
The box is priced at £79.99 or can be upgraded to have 11 gins in it, with one large 70cl bottle of Aberdeen gin at £109.99.
BrewDog Distilling Co.’s Twelve Gins of Christmas Advent Calendar
Take the Christmas countdown to a new level with this gin advent calendar. The box features four classic LoneWolf gins – including the original, cloudy lemon, gunpowder and cactus and lime – and eight exclusive new gins, fresh from the innovation station at the distillery’s HQ in Ellon.
New flavours include Cranachan, Christmas spice and Old Tom gin to name a few.
The calendar is available here for £49.95.
Hop Shop Aberdeen’s Craft Beer advent calendar
See out 2020 in style with this impressive calendar packed with 24 beers to take you right to Christmas Day. Celebrating beers from local brewers and brands further away, there’s a whole host of beer styles to be enjoyed in this box.
To pre-order yours visit hopshopaberdeen.com. The box is priced at £80 for 24 beers and can be collected form Westhill Service Station where Hop Shop is based, or delivered to your door. 
Walkers Shortbread advent calendar
What better way to celebrate every day of December than with a daily piece of Walkers shortbread? The bite-sized treats include everything from Walkers’ pure butter shortbread fingers, mini shortbread rounds and mini chocolate chip shortbread.
The calendar costs £14.99 on the Walkers website and for those living in the UK, you will receive free postage with the code ADVENT20. Don’t say we’re not good to you…
Cheese Advent Calendar from So Wrong It’s Nom
The original cheese advent calendar from So Wrong It’s Nom boasts five delicious new cheeses for cheese-fans to tuck into.
It contains 24 individually wrapped cheeses, encased in a fully recyclable, fridge-door-friendly cardboard calendar.
The five new cheeses this year include vintage, aged, double Gloucester and even sage Derby from the Ilchester cheese range.
There’s also Mexicana, Applewood and other tasty flavours available to indulge in.
Since its debut Christmas launch in 2017, over 700,000 cheese calendars have been sold in 14 countries.
The Cheese Advent Calendar is priced at £8 and is available from Sainsbury’s, Lidl, Waitrose, Morrisons, Ocado, Booths, and Amazon UK.
Popcorn Shed
Swap chocolates for popcorn this Christmas with this scrumptious calendar from Popcorn Shed.
Behind each of the 24 windows you’ll find a bag of delicious handmade popcorn with flavours such as peanut butter caramel, chocolate caramel, cheddar cheese, salted caramel, raspberry and dark chocolate to name a few.
Costing £18, there is also a vegan version available.
Pork crackling advent calendar from the Snaffling Pig Co.
It may not be your typical advent calendar, but for those who love pork crackling and scratching, you will love this.
Packed with a variety of award-winning flavours, expect to tuck into a range of flavours. From black pepper to barbecue, to maple, salted, pigs in blankets and salt and vinegar, these 8g bags are bound to keep you busy throughout the day – although they are probably best enjoyed later in the day, rather than first thing in the morning.
The calendar costs £18.99 and can be purchased here.
Advent luxe biscuit tin from Biscuiteers
This luxury box of biscuits from the Biscuiteers is an absolute treat this festive season. With 24 beautifully hand-iced biscuits included, these rich and sweet treats have hints of vanilla throughout.
Included in the keepsake tin is everything from polar bears to robins, cute dogs, squirrels, hedgehogs and other animals you’d associate with winter and the festive period.
You can also send a message card with the calendar too if you are gifting it.
The tin is priced at £58 and can be purchased here.
