5 ridiculously over-the-top gifts for foodies

Make it rain on your foodie friends with extravagant gifts

​Generally, as a shopper, you fall into one of two camps. You're either the type who has more time than money or, as Christmas fast approaches, you may be the type who has more money than time. If that's the case and you still have a couple of foodie friends left on your shopping list, you may want to consider some of these ridiculously over-the-top items.

​1. Clawson White Stilton Gold CheeseIn the U.K., Long Clawson Dairy is known for producing high-quality Stilton cheeses, and none is finer than their limited-release White Stilton Gold. Made with edible gold leaf and real gold Cinnamon Schnapps, this cheese retails for about 60 pounds sterling for a 100-gram slice, which converts to about $94 a slice, or close to $425 a pound. We can't imagine how this would look next to a hunk of aged cheddar, but it would certainly add something special to your standard holiday smorgasbord. 

​2. Peugeot Automatic Salt & Pepper Mills These will run you about $200 for the set, but you use salt and pepper just about every day, and Peugeot products are famously well-made and last a lifetime. The ridiculously over-the-top part lies in the fact that they are battery-powered. Really, what is a life of luxury if you have to grind your own salt?

​3. Viking Plate Warmer  Any good back-of-house restaurant manager will tell you that cold food should go out to guests on a cold plate and hot food on a hot plate. Allow the Type A home cook and overachieving dinner party planner in your life to offer the fruits of their labor on a perfectly warmed platter--for only $2,186 when you give them the Viking Professional Series Plate Warming Drawer. To be fair, you can also proof bread in this contraption, and we found a few sites where it's on sale for just under $1,500. A steal!

​4. Manni White Truffle Extra Virgin Olive OilExpensive olive oil, essential oil, and especially truffle oil always makes a thoughtful and elegant gift. It also screams "I spent money on you." Why not combine forces and get a very fancy olive oil infused with a very fancy truffle oil? It's the finishing oil equivalent of a Turducken. This particular Manni oil is processed via "live extraction," a method that produces a flavorful oil with low acid and high anti-oxidant properties. At $89 for just 2 ounces, it better also have the ability to make you shape-shift.  

​5. Electric Martini Shaker Spend just $100 and never actually have to shake or stir your own drink again. Shave valuable seconds (or add time plugging in this machine) off one's hosting duties when you give them an appliance that does all the work for them. We can't imagine any burgeoning mixologist who would actually want to use this, but for someone who drinks enough martinis to warrant this purchase, maybe it would be a sound investment.

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