This time of year represents big business–and exhaustion–for the producers of festive fare, from crackers to hellebores to ham. Jane Wheatley visits six stalwarts who are flat out right now

Claire Gaudion is one of the last makers of traditional Guernsey fishing baskets and is keeping this endangered coastal craft alive, one willow weave at a time

Delivered in a classic wicker basket, the Fresh Christmas Feast Hamper from John Lewis is stuffed full of an indulgent selection of fresh cheeses, Italian antipasti, smoked salmon and honey-glazed por

France may be synonymous with fromage, but the terroir of our green and pleasant land gives rise to all manner of magnificent varieties of our own, declares Tom Parker Bowles, who picks his favourites

Eleanor Bowmer’s new tableware Showcasing her signature quirky, colourful and delightfully kitsch style, the new Eleanor Bowmer Christmas collection from Pure Table Top is sure to raise a smile this f

Silverware, with its glistering surface and ornate designs, dresses the table like no other material and has an unmatched capacity for turning a meal into an occasion, as Matthew Dennison discovers