Christmas is a time for indulgence. Most of us splash out, whether it's on a luxury joint of meat or special chocolates.

But it can be difficult to get your hands on top-quality produce; gone are the days when specialist butchers and fish mongers were found in most towns. Instead, people are turning to specialist food websites.

To help you find the best products, we asked Which? members to tell us which sites they use, then ordered a range of their foods and asked a leading chef to prepare them and give their views.

Frances Atkins, Head Chef at the Yorke Arms- the Good Food Guide readers' restaurant of the year- says: 'Generally, the quality was high and some of the parcels - such as the Donald Russell meat - were very exciting to receive.'

Ordering top-quality meat like this can be expensive; but Frances reckons it's worth it: '£54 for 2kg of sirloin roast might sound a lot, but it's what you'd expect to pay for such good quality.

However, there are pitfalls. Of the 13 products we received, two involved substitutions. If you need food for a special occasion, call to check your order. But if you know your rights as a consumer and bear web security in mind (see 'Checklist', pg 22), you can minimise problems.

Frances says: 'I was thrilled with the quality of this beef. It was delicious, full of flavour and very Moorish. It looked excellent from the start and it carves beautifully. There's no need to do anything fancy with meat like that.'

She was also impressed with the presentation: 'It's packaged like a box of chocolates.'

High quality meat should be a deep colour and look dry rather than wet and bloody, but it shouldn't have a film on it or smell.

Frances says: 'The cooking times I've given are those that I would choose; for the beef and lamb they will give you pink meat. However, I have a powerful oven so you may need to cook yours for a little longer.'

She also say that if you're pregnant, older or have stomach problems, you should cook it through.

Two stuffed whole pheasants, 750g minimum pack weight, £21

Frances thought that the quality of these 'beautifully presented birds' was high. She was 'pleased that Donald Russell included cooking instructions' but concerned that the suggested cooking time of an hour could dry out the birds. She recommends wrapping the birds in foil so that they steam while roasting and remain moist.

Which Magazine December 2007