Gift giving is my love language. To find the perfect gift, I leave no stone unturned and scour for hours - loving every minute of it. Here's a list of ten gifts that any discerning food lover would be chuffed to receive this Christmas. (Just a note that none of these are sponsored or gifted- they are all simply because I love them after having purchased them myself.)
Food For Everyone Prints $75.00 - $90.00 for A3 size
Food for Everyone is a really cool initiative founded by Melbourne Artist Gemma Leslie. It's a culinary poster shop that collaborates with renowned chefs, cooks and restaurateurs, transforming their recipes into artworks. There are some really vibrant pieces to adorn your walls with and the new drop includes posters with recipes from my personal faves Annie Smithers (artist Alice Oehr) and Analiese Gregory (artist Nunez Rojas). I also snapped up some from the last release that feature Hellenika's Htapodi and Cumulus Inc's Tuna Tartare but honestly it was hard to narrow down to just 4.
If you needed a reason to justify your purchase, which you bloody well don't, but say you did - you've got one. Each poster sold = ten meals donated to a foodbank so you get some beautiful food art works, and someone in need, or potentially ten people in need get a fed. You can officially cross your feel good, do something kind pressie off the list.
'Around the Table' - Julia Busuttil Nishimura
Cook Books are a classic gift for the home cook- but there are so many to choose from. Take it from someone who has an extensiveeeeeee collection, Julia Busuttil Nishimura's (Ostro) latest offering 'Around the Table' will quickly become dog eared and sticky paged- the ultimate compliment for any self respecting cook book.
Expect traditional recipes such as chicken and leek pie and fried stuffed zucchini flowers mixed with what will fast become new faves -mushroom gyoza & seasoned bean sprouts or okonomiyaki. Julia also seems like a kind, smiley eyed darling of the food world (with the cutest little boys) so it makes it all the more lovely to buy a book written by her.
Published by Pan Macmillan and Available from all good booksellers for RRP $44.99 but I did spot it on Book Depository on sale for $29.95 which is an absolute steal, so get on that.
Bubble Tea Club - Lychee Fruit Tea Pack $19.95
Living regionally no longer means you have to wait for a trip to the big smoke to get your Boba fix. In fact, I'm sipping on a bubble tea as I write this. Chip bought it for me as a gift but it arrived in a branded box so I knew what it was and I opened it early. Sorry Chip but I have zero regrets.
I'd recommend getting the lychee fruit tea kit $19.95 - with an add on BBT reusable cup for $25.95. If lychee isn't to your liking there are plenty of other flavours to choose from - both milk and fruit teas. I'm a traditional tapioca pearl kinda girl- but there are also loads of other toppings - and they only take about 10 minutes to make with the quick pearl option. Happy FestiviTEAS.
Cornersmith Online Pickling Course - $75.00 If you're after an experience rather than a 'thing' this Christmas, Cornersmith have just the option for you. There are three online courses- preserving tomatoes, pickling and the more comprehensive low waste, low cost cooking class. I did the pickling and tomato courses a few years ago and they are easy to navigate, have some really good tips and would be great for a home gardener or someone who is interested in preserving food to reduce waste.
Cornersmith also have a great range of pickled/preserved goods (the cocktail pack is my personal fave - $100 including Tonic Mix, Blood orange Cordial, Pickled Cumquats, Mary Valley dried citrus and aromatic bitters). They also have a rad new cookbook - The Food Savers A-Z out too, so be show to check out their online store too.
La Petit Chef - Opinel from Biome - $79.95
For the wee chef in your life- this knife and peeler set from Opinel comes with a knifeguard and really is the best. Wee one Magoo (4 years) has been using this for months after moving up from a kiddie kutter and loves using it because he can cut with 'a real knife.' The pro tip he wanted me to include was that cutting mushrooms for pizza is his favourite thing to cut.
Now- also- for those uninitiated with Biome- prepare to go down the rabbit hole. You are totally welcome. I frequented their physical store every.single.weekend when I lived near La Trobe Terrace in Brisbane and it really was a pioneer sustainable store - so just be prepared to find a million other cool eco gifts for everyone you know - don't forget to gift yourself some too!
Aussie Mushroom Supplies - Enoki Mushroom Kit $33.00
This is a sciencem experiment, mini garden and culinary adventure all in one little box. Our whole family got involved in this one.
Shrooms are all the rage, and these guys have one of the best range of varieties and supplies. The kits are super easy to set up and the instructions are straight forward. I've grown the pink oyster mushrooms with great success, but my fave are enoki and shitake mushrooms - mainly because I love them beyond and they are hard to come by in the fresh form if you like in the sticks, like we do.
These kits are honestly fun for everyone- just check out the best growing temps and try to adhere to those. For those in warmer climates, may be best to wait until it is a tad cooler or pop them in the fridge if you simply can't wait!
Dello Mano Rum Balls ($21.00) and Christmas Luxury Brownie Sampler ($72.99)
There is no better brownie. I challenge you to find one, but I'm pretty confident it doesn't exist.
I have been loyal to Dello Mano since they knocked my chocolate loving socks off when the owners Deborah and Bien first had a stall at the New Farm Farmer's Market. I order these brownies (they deliver to most of Australia and our order arrives within a day or two) for Chip's birthday every year without fail, and at Christmas, I order the Christmas sampler with a few sneaky packets of rum balls. There are fights about who gets what flavour and we struggle to make them last because they are the beeees kneees and worth every damn cent for this beautiful luxury product.
Garden Street Gin Subscription - $99.00 per box
The gift that keeps on giving. I receive one of these every second month and am always pleasantly surprised by the interesting choices of gin that aren't easily available in bottle shops. They also have well thought out snacks and accompaniments like dried citrus or for this month's Darwin Gin box - starfruit, fingerlime and mango. The GinGin Gin and Banks and Solander Gins have been standouts for me - and I really love the option to add a different tonic in.
You can easily alter the subscription and choose the frequency for whatever suits - but I'd hazard a guess and say you won't be able to stop at just one box. I think we've been subscribed for over a year now and I still love receiving it.
Bomb Arse Chilli Oil - HD Foods $19.00 (personalised)
Heat seeking friends - this. is. going. to. change. your. noodles and maybe even your life. $19.00 for a pot of pure chilli, garlic, gingery and shalloty joy. This oil isn't just hot for the sake of being so- it's complex and flavoursome as heck. A warming umami bomb you won't regret. You can get a cute personalised box with the gift recipient's name on it and we gave one each to all our extended family last year who came back with rave reviews.
Just buy it now and thank me later.
Marley and Lockyer - Cookies for Santa Mug and Plate Set $69.99
If you want to give a beautiful handmade piece that conjures up all the hygge and all the Christmas feelings in the world - visit Marley and Lockyer. Then don't complain to me if you drain your Christmas funds buying the most gosh darn delicious Christmas ceramics. Personal favourites are the bespoke stars, but I'm also hanging out to get my hands on a mixing bowl and Christmas tree farm mug to compliment the pie dish that has pride of place in my kitchen buffet.
You'll have to set your timer when there is a release, as they sell out fast.
That should be enough to get your shopping started- but stay tuned for more Christmas content. It really is the most wonderful time of the year!
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