Hand-picked Holiday Gift Guide for Your Favourite Foodies

Foodies are fun people, but they can be hard to buy for because so often, they already have all the gadgets and gizmos they need to prepare their favourite dishes. To make your gift giving easier and more appreciated this year, I’ve gone sleuthing for seven great possibilities, some of which you may even want to add to your own wish list. Not only are these truly useful presents, they’ve been selected so you can happily shop in your pyjamas and let Santa’s delivery elves do the heavy lifting!

To make your gift giving easy this year, I’ve gone sleuthing for seven great Christmas ideas for the food-lover in your life. | Kitchen | appliances | YummyMummyClub.ca

Spice up your life

For a teacher gift, a thank-you to a hostess or even a stocking stuffer, there’s nothing tastier than Cardamom & Cloves Spice Subscriptions, which you can purchase online. This carefully-curated ‘spice of the month club’ offers three freshly ground spice blends or spice samples along with tested recipes from Canada’s spiciest little online store. They come in three, six or twelve month options and if you buy before the end of the year, there’s even a bonus gift!

The best multipurpose kitchen appliance

Ottawa’s Instant Pot Company has come up with a game-changing multi-functional device. Their programmable, intelligent multi-cookers are capable of replacing many cumbersome appliances, including stove-top pressure cookers, slow cookers, rice cookers, sauté pans, steamers and more. They’re, extremely energy-efficient and convenient, making it easier to cook truly tasty, nutritious food. Instant Pots come in various models and sizes; there are even Bluetooth-enabled versions for the techie cooks in your life. Available at Amazon.ca.

A beery good idea

The Brew Box Company delivers premium beer from Ontario’s top craft breweries. You can choose a discovery box or focus in on your recipient’s favourite craft brewer; whatever you choose, most beers are not available at the LCBO or The Beer Store. Each month, they’ll receive 7 or 8 bottles or cans equalling approximately 4 litres of hand-crafted beer from along with tasting notes, brewery profiles and beer coasters from partner breweries. If you’re not in Ontario, check out the Canada Craft Club as another great option.

Who doesn’t love chocolate?

Alicja Confections serves up the most decadent hand-crafted chocolate. Dubbed ‘postcard’ chocolate bars, these prettily-wrapped creations are as beautiful to look at as they are delicious to eat. The bars come in a range of enticing flavour combinations like white chocolate-popping candy, chili-dark chocolate and milk chocolate-potato chip to name just a few. Order early as they’re made in small batches and are in very hot demand this holiday season!

Wake up to merrier mornings

Programmable coffee makers make mornings so much easier and Hamilton Beach has a few great models. Their new 10 cup coffee maker lets you set the brew strength (strong, please!), the option to set a hotter brewing temperature and it comes with a stainless steel thermal carafe so your third (or fourth?) cup of the morning can be just as hot and delicious as the first. There’s even a thumb-activated lid for easy pouring, essential when you’re not yet caffeinated! Available in-store or get it delivered to your home via London Drugs.

Fresh food all year round

Most of us love cooking with fresh herbs but sometimes need only a small amount. The solution? The Miracle-Gro AeroGarden, a soil-free indoor garden that grows plants five times faster than the conventional way. You can use it to grow fresh herbs, vegetables, salad greens, flowers and more. It’s a snap to plant and the 45 W LED lighting system ensures great growth even on dull days plus the control panel automatically turns lights on/off and reminds you to add plant food and water. Available at Costco or online via AeroGarden.

An on-call butchery

A new online artisan butcher shop, Maillard takes its name from a key culinary discovery called the Maillard reaction, the chemical interplay that gives browned food its desirable flavor. Currently shipping throughout Ontario and Quebec, meat products are individually vacuum sealed and instantly frozen. Orders are packed in recyclable coolers that keep the products frozen for at least 30 hours after shipping. Their wide range of top-quality products include local and exotic meats; you can also choose assorted packs and gift certificates and all can be done from the Maillard website.