Price for arabica beans tops $3.44 a pound, while cost of robusta beans almost doubles this year

Your morning caffeine hit could become even pricier in the new year after the cost of coffee beans on international commodity markets soared to a record high.

On Tuesday the price for arabica beans, the world’s most popular variety, topped $3.44 (£2.70) a pound, having risen more than 80% this year. Meanwhile, the cost of cheaper robusta beans, used in instant coffee, has almost doubled this year, with the price touching $5,694 a metric ton in late November.

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Some supermarket varieties cost 40% more than last year. But they’re not the only festive favourites breaking the bank

Name: Mince pies .

Appearance: Sugar-dusted flying saucers of pastry.

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From snowballs to sweet sherry, the Observer’s wine expert picks the delicious seasonal tipples you wouldn’t dream of having at any other time of year

When it comes to the festive period, I’m definitely closer to the “most wonderful time of the year” than the “bah humbug” end of the spectrum. But even this fully paid-up Christmas-enjoyer would admit there is something peculiar about many of the things we get up to in this season – not least the fact that so much of what we eat and drink between now and the new year wouldn’t get anywhere near the menu at any other time.

That starts, for me, with turkey – a strictly Christmas Day-only meat in my household. It also includes such festive staples as Quality Street, dates, mincemeat, cloves, cranberry sauce, pigs in blankets and, for that sizeable majority of people who don’t share my love of the greatest of bitter brassicas, brussels sprouts.

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This addictive spread, enriched with caramelised white chocolate, is delicious on pastries (or straight from the jar) and makes a lovely gift

I owe Manchester’s Pollen Bakery a debt of gratitude. Their pastries got me through my night shifts when I lived in the city in 2015. Now, whenever I’m visiting, I head straight to their sleek premises by Piccadilly to try their new pastries, and also to stock up on croissant butter, their addictive condiment best enjoyed spread on croissants or spooned greedily straight from the jar. It’s a perfect Christmas gift for those getting a little tired of chutney.

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A succulent, herby, meaty dish with a dash of white wine

You will need 2 large chicken breasts off the bone, with the small wing bone attached, if possible. Using a cutlet bat or a rolling pin, bash out the chicken breasts to about 1cm thick (this will help them to cook right through more quickly). Season with salt and black pepper.

Finely chop 2 tsp of thyme leaves . Cut 90g of smoked streaky bacon into short, thick strips.

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Government should point to evidence of FSA licensing of additive, says chair of environment and climate change committee

The government must urgently reassure consumers that feed additives given to cattle to reduce methane emissions are harmless, and a vital tool in tackling the climate crisis, the chair of an influential parliamentary committee has warned.

Lady Sheehan, chair of the environment and climate change committee of the House of Lords, called on ministers to step up as a row has blown up over the prospective use of the additive Bovaer in British dairy herds supplying Arla, the dairy company.

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One of the UK’s best loved character actors, Paterson Joseph, joins Grace for another serving of Comfort Eating. The Beach, Peep Show and Wonka actor looks back at his career and muses on the roles he didn’t get, namely the role of Doctor Who to replace David Tennant in 2010. Paterson remembers his parents smuggling yams in from Saint Lucia, the politics of biscuit and toast tax when you’re one of six siblings and the sweet treats on the Wonka set.

If you liked this episode then have a listen to James Norton , David Harewood and Tamsin Greig

New episodes of Comfort Eating with Grace Dent will be released every Tuesday

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Their answers are a reminder that the holidays can be whatever you want them to be

Holidays and tradition go hand in hand: Thanksgiving feasts, Christmas trees, menorah lighting, New Year’s Eve kisses.

But some traditions are more quirky and idiosyncratic. I knew a family who decorated a chair every Christmas instead of a tree. My own family spends every Christmas morning watching The Godfather (parts one and two – not part three). And Mariah Carey, the queen of Christmas, once said she gets “one or two horse-drawn sleighs” for her family and friends to go “riding in the snow under the stars”. Sounds nice!

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From a festive vegan offering to one containing a hefty Christmas ham, these are our food writer’s picks of this year’s finest hampers

Festive hampers tend, like many things about Christmas, to be more exciting to receive (there’s always a faintly decadent Brideshead Revisited vibe about such wicker-clad bounty) than to consume (So. Much. Chutney!). For obvious practical reasons, many companies focus on preserves and packets of tea which, grateful as you are for the thought, may not be things you’d have chosen to line the back of the cupboard for years to come.

However, the carefully chosen selection below – which, having spent a day tasting my way through, I can personally vouch for – is near guaranteed to bring genuine cheer from delivery to dispatch. Instead of the usual boring biscuits and tedious teabags, there’s stuff you actually want to consume over the holiday, from cheese to champagne. Because the spirit of Christmas is all well and good, but if you’re going to spend your hard-earned money, you want more than the thought to count.

The feelgood one :
Ukrainian Christmas hamper
_{£174.99 at Experience Ukraine}

The vegan one:
The Yuletide vegan hamper
_{£165 at Fortnum & Mason}

The cheesy one:
Christmas cheeseboard
_{£55 at Highland Fine Cheeses}

The traditional one:
Ham and chutney pig board
_{£94.95 at Emmett’s}

The cosy one:
Christmas in a Box
_{£30 at Ginger Bakers}

The fancy one:
The Darcy
_{£260 at Thackray Brown}

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