By Alex Beleaev | Caviar & Gourmet, London | beleaev.com
You can buy genuine patisserie and gourmet desserts online in the UK, delivered to your door, and serve them as if they came from a French counter. The trick is knowing which dessert suits the occasion and how to finish it once it arrives, because most travel frozen and need a little care on the day. This guide covers both.
Beleaev ships gourmet desserts across the UK: French macarons, traditional panettone, baked cheesecake, cake loaves, amaretti and chocolates. Below: what we carry, what each one is for, and the plain method that does them justice.
Key Takeaways
- Choose by occasion: a centrepiece, a dinner-party dessert, or an everyday slice
- Prices run from around £7 for amaretti to around £82 for a 72-piece macaron pack
- Most desserts arrive frozen; defrost slowly in the fridge and serve fresh
- Panettone keeps at room temperature; truffles make a ready-made gift
- Start with the Beleaev gourmet foods collection
Which Gourmet Dessert Should You Buy?
There's no single best dessert. There's the right one for what you're doing and how many you're feeding.
For a centrepiece: French macarons
The French Macaron Assortment is the showpiece. Seventy-two macarons, made in France, six classic flavours with twelve of each: caramel with Guerande salt, pistachio, Bourbon vanilla, dark chocolate, raspberry and lemon. Defrost, plate, and you have a patisserie display that carries the table. Around £82 for a pack that serves a crowd.
For the festive table: panettone
The traditional 1kg panettone is the Italian Christmas classic, naturally leavened and studded with raisins and candied fruit. Tear and share it, or toast a slice and top it with mascarpone. From around £25, and it feeds a room.
For a dinner party: baked cheesecake
The Baked Vanilla Cheesecake is New York style on a biscuit base, a 10-inch cake cut into twelve portions. Around £34 covers dessert for a full table with slices to spare.
For every day: cake loaves
The frozen loaves are the reorder. The milk chocolate chip is the family favourite, the chocolate and orange is rich for afternoon tea, and the blueberry and lemon is brighter, baked with Belgian white chocolate. Slice what you need and keep the rest frozen.
| Dessert | Size | Serves | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amaretti Biscuits | 200g | Coffee course | £6.95 |
| Salted Caramel Truffles | 1kg (≈80) | A crowd, gifting | £22.95 |
| Panettone | 1kg | 6-8 | £24.95 |
| Baked Cheesecake | 10in (12 ptn) | 12 | £33.95 |
| French Macarons | 72 pieces | A crowd | £82.08 |
Not sure where to start? The macarons are the safest crowd-pleaser. The cake loaves are the ones you'll reorder for a Tuesday.
How Gourmet Desserts Are Delivered
This is where a lot of online dessert shopping goes wrong, so it's worth being specific.
Most patisserie is shipped frozen, and that is a good thing. Freezing locks in the texture the moment it's made, which is how French macarons and fine sponge travel the world without going stale. Our macarons, cake loaves and cheesecake arrive frozen on a temperature-controlled service, so the dessert you defrost tastes the way it was meant to.
We deliver across the UK. Panettone, amaretti and chocolate truffles are shelf-stable and travel ambient. You don't need to be a trade buyer, and you don't need to order in bulk.
How to Defrost and Serve
Two rules. Defrost slowly. Serve fresh.
Macarons. Move them from freezer to fridge and leave them a few hours, then bring them to room temperature before serving. Plate them the same day; they are at their best within a day of defrosting.
Cake loaves. Defrost in the fridge, then slice. The chocolate and orange is lovely warmed slightly with a spoon of creme fraiche. The others are happy at room temperature.
Cheesecake. Defrost in the fridge and serve from cold, the way New York cheesecake is meant to be eaten. A few berries on top and it's a finished plate.
Panettone. No defrosting needed. Tear and share, or toast a slice and add mascarpone. Once opened, seal it against the air and it keeps for days.
A little restraint goes a long way. Good patisserie needs almost nothing on the plate beside it.
Pairing and the Coffee Course
The end of a meal is where these earn their keep. For a coffee course, set out amaretti biscuits and a few salted caramel truffles alongside espresso, and you've finished the evening properly with no oven required.
For something more refined, the Gavotte Crepe Dentelles are the wafer-thin French lace biscuits to serve with ice cream or fold into a dessert. And for a sweet course with a savoury contrast, a board of macarons after a caviar tasting is the kind of finish people talk about. Our editorial guide explains the patisserie classics in full.
Why Buy Gourmet Desserts from Beleaev
We're a London caviar and gourmet house, and we treat the sweet things the way we treat the tins: sourced with care, handled on a proper cold chain, and described honestly. The macarons are made in France from natural ingredients, the panettone is naturally leavened in the Italian tradition, and everything ships across the UK ready to finish at home.
FAQ
Where can I buy French macarons online in the UK?
Online, from specialists who ship them frozen to protect the texture. Beleaev delivers an authentic French macaron assortment across the UK, made in France with 18.6% powdered almond and natural ingredients. Look for a stated origin and flavour list rather than a vague description.
How much do gourmet desserts cost in the UK?
It depends on the dessert. Amaretti biscuits start around £7, a panettone around £25, a baked cheesecake around £34, and a 72-piece French macaron pack around £82. You're paying for real ingredients and proper patisserie technique.
Are the desserts delivered fresh or frozen?
Most arrive frozen to protect the texture, including macarons, cake loaves and cheesecake, on a temperature-controlled service. Panettone, amaretti and chocolate truffles are shelf-stable and travel ambient. We deliver across the UK.
Can I order desserts for a dinner party?
Yes. A baked cheesecake serves twelve, and a panettone feeds six to eight. For a coffee course, a 72-piece macaron pack plus a box of truffles covers a large table with ease, and most of it can be readied ahead of the day.
How long do macarons last after defrosting?
Defrost them in the fridge, bring them to room temperature, and serve the same day for the best texture. Once defrosted they are at their finest within twenty-four hours, so it's worth defrosting only what you plan to serve.
Order Desserts Worth the Occasion
The right dessert, delivered cold, finished simply at home: that's all there is to serving gourmet patisserie well.
Browse the full Beleaev gourmet foods collection, from the French Macaron Assortment for a centrepiece to the traditional panettone for the festive table. Delivered across the UK, ready to plate.
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