Stumped on what to get that special food lover in your life? Here’s 30 totally delicious, seriously exciting, all locally-made ideas to get you started.
1 Pluckily-Plucked Lavender Bitters
One of 7 flavours of bitters made is Perth, Lanark County by Top Shelf Distillery, this is our favorite. Might have something to do with the secret mix of lavender, lemon peel and orris root! topshelfbitters.com
2 Garlic Scapes in Honey Brine
Coils of garlic scapes marinated in a delicious sweet brine of wild flower honey and accented with juniper berry and lemony white cedar. CountyYumClub.com
3 Kinsip Whisky Barrel Aged Maple Syrup
Kinsip produces a robust and smoky maple syrup, by lovingly aging Prince Edward County maple syrup from Nyman Farms in Kinsip whisky barrels. kinsip.ca
4 Carnivore Club Subscription
The world’s first subscription service featuring premium cured meats delivered to your door. Every month they feature a new artisan. carnivoreclub.co
5 Pluck Of The Month Club membership
The Pluck of the Month Club is a fantastic way to try a wide range of our very special teas made with locally sourced ingredients! pluckteas.com
6 12 Days of Ontario Spreads
This 12 jar gift set from our Feast On Certified friends at The Plant YYZ in Toronto is sure to spread some holiday cheer. Get it? theplantyyz.co
7 Canadian Made Cast Iron
We’ve got our eye on the loaf pan, but there’s also traditional pans, leather handle grips and tripods available from Bristow Ironworks, a Bracebridge-based company. bristowironworks.ca
8 Pristine Gourmet Oil & Vinegar Gift Box
Grown and made in Norfolk County, these beautiful oils and vinegars are extra special and come in a beautiful wooden gift box. foodiepages.ca
9 The Beau’s Mix: Winter Edition
Three brand-new beers and a returning classic in winter edition of The Beau’s Mix. beaus.ca
10 The Mancave Survival Kit
The folks at VG Meats have put together the ultimate beefy gift pack: two beautiful Tomahawk steaks, compound butter and salt. What more do you need? vgmeats.ca
11 Toronto City Coasters
These pretty, lazer cut wooden coasters are always a hit with city-dwellers and visitors alike. spacingstore.ca
12 TOQUE Magazine Subscription
This KW-based magazine really is a stunner and covers everything you want to eat, drink and do in the Waterloo-Wellington corridor. toquemagazine.com
13 Side Launch Brewing Map P.R.O. Jersey
We love us some good brewery swag, but these cycling jerseys are some of the coolest we’ve seen. sidelaunchbrewing.com
14 Hand Forged, North River Trade Knives
These wooden gripped, hand made knives make us swoon. Perfect for the camper, hunter or forager in your life. north-river-custom-knives.com
15 Abokichi OKAZU Spicy Chili Miso
Made in Toronto, these umami-rich miso chili oils, liven up any rice dish. They’re so popular, you can now order a ‘jar subscription’ and have them delivered to your door once a month! abokichi.com
16 Ready-To-Serve Duck Confit
For the refined meat-lover in your life: confit Ontario duck legs, slow cooked for 48 hours in duck fat are available individually wrapped from King Cole Ducks. kingcoleducks.com
17 Meredith’s Ginger Syrup
This unique taste of Grey County is available at better cocktail shops around the province, and many a local food spot in Grey County too. It’s a great gift for cocktail lovers or that friend that always seems to be sick. It’s our totally un-scientific opinion that it cures just about everything! meredithsgingersyrup.com
18 Ottercreek Woodworks Charcuterie Boards
Ottercreek Woodworks charcuterie boards are handcrafted from sustainably sourced, local lumber in Oxford County. ottercreekwoodworks.com
19 Just About Anything from Hacher And Krain
This beautiful Toronto shop stocks a plethora of knives, boards and tools handmade from all over the world. hacherandkrain.com
20 Two tickets to the Terroir Symposium
Have you heard? Early bird tickets are now on sale, but only until December 31st! Send your kid, send your friend, send your sous chef. terroirsymposium.com
FOUR REALLY SPECIAL WINES
1 | 2014 Gamay Barrel Select, Adamo Estate Winery
While we’re having trouble keeping track of all the awards this beautiful wine has won, we’re hard pressed to forget why! Toast, cocoa, dried black cherries on the nose, loads of cherries, leather and rich flavours on the palate; this Gamay Noir is made with Niagara fruit and Headwaters sensibility. adamoestate.com
2 | 2016 Cabernet Franc Appassimento, Waupoos Winery
Hand harvested Prince Edward County grapes were dried in greenhouses prior to crushing and fermenting to make this All Canadian Wine Championships Double Gold Medal Winner of a red wine. waupooswinery.com
3 | 2014 Reserve Chardonnay, Ravine Vineyard
Drinkable now, but easily cellared for another 5 years, this stellar cold-climate chardonnay is complicated, fresh with only a hint of oak. For the real chardonnay lover in your life. ravinevineyard.com
4 | 2014 Signature Series Cabernet Franc Icewine, Peller Estates
Naturally frozen Cabernet Franc grapes are hand harvested from Niagara-on-the-Lake vineyards at -10A-C. Pressed frozen, releasing only one drop of pure extract from each grape to create a luscious, red wine that will convert even the most skeptical of icewine nay-sayers. peller.com
THREE BEAUTIFUL BOOKS
LURE: Sustainable Seafood Recipes from the West Coast by Ned Bell with Valerie Howes
This stunning cookbook, authored by chef and seafood advocate Ned Bell, features simple techniques and straightforward sustainability guidelines around Pacific species as well as 80 delicious recipes to make at home.
Eat At Home by Voula Halliday
In Eat at Home Voula shows you how easy it is to cook fresh, healthy, tasty meals every day of the week, including how to buy only what you will use, use everything you have on hand, swap ingredients without sweating it, and transform extras into Loveable Leftovers so you waste nothing.
OTTAWA COOKS by Anne Desbrisay
Ottawa is not your typical national capital. It straddles two provinces, bridges three founding cultures, and may be better known for its Hill and canal than for its cooking. Ottawa Cooks changes that, and reminds us that there is a beautiful, diverse world of food in our nations capital.
A FEW (EXTRA) SPECIAL EXPERIENCES
Langdon Hall, Cambridge
A weekend away is what any food-loving friend is craving this season, we guarantee it. Send them off for a weekend at Langdon Hall with chef Jason Bangerter and you’ve made a friend for life. langdonhall.com
Ste. Anne’s Spa, Grafton
Who doesn’t love being pampered? With a plethora of spa services and a real focus on gluten-free cooking, this is a great way for anyone to unwind after the hectic holiday season. steannes.com
Calabogie Peaks, Calabogie
For the food-loving skiier in your life, set them up with a lift passes, a nights stay and a 3-course Chefs Table dinner at Calabogie Peaks, home of Canthooks Restaurant. They raise bees and grow their own vegetables! calabogie.com
For more holiday inspiration, visit our Holiday Headquarters!
