Do you have an enthusiastic foodie or aspiring local chef on your holiday shopping list? These 12 gifts from the Local Wishlist are made or experienced right here in Nova Scotia, and perfect for prepping, cooking, and eating local.
Given the tradition of cocktails before a good meal, a learning experience like this would excite a lot of budding chefs. Besides the weekend stay in a chalet and private tour, Steinhart Distillery’s GINstitute is a workshop in crafting your own spirits, including foraging for ingredients and creating a unique recipe. We say cheers to that!
Sea Salt Gift Boxes
Premium sea salts, harvested locally, with flavours to inspire creative cooks. South Shore Sea Salt offers up a six-pack of classics in The Salt Box Suite, and Tidal Salt’s gift box of five sample sizes is packaged with a full size jar of one of their most popular flavours, in the Discovery Gift Box and Black Garlic Fleur de Sel Combo Pack. The cure for anything is salt (water), as the saying goes.
Cochrane Family Farm in Upper Stewiacke are producers of not only veg and seeds, but also small batch, organic herb and spice blends, some of which are offered in gift boxes, like this one. You can’t get much fresher herbs and spices than sourcing them from one of our local farms.
Best of Halifax Food Tours
What a treat for a foodie to be gifted a culinary tour in one of Halifax’s restaurant districts. Curated Food Tours offers up walking tours highlighted by six stops for food and drinks, in Downtown Halifax, Quinpool and Spring Garden, hosted by their knowledgeable chief curator.
Any of the curated gift boxes in our Food & Drink category would be a treat for food lovers, but for someone looking to level up their cooking game, handpicked favourites from an experienced chef would be especially inspiring. Head chef Kim MacPherson of Lupin Dining & Pantry is the one doing the choosing.
Cross Back Aprons
A classic, comfortable and practical style that every aspiring chef will covet. We love these two beautiful aprons, the first from Nomad’s Nest, and the second, in a bold floral, from Sandra Ward Stitch Boutique. Buy both, they’ll love having options!
This is a big one, but it’s also a rare opportunity. This is a culinary event, staged by Food Fantastique at the site of the world’s highest tides in Burntcoat Head Park on the Bay of Fundy. And the food: a seafood feast for lunch, a 3-course meal for dinner, with a guided tour in between and a cozy campfire to end the day. Spectacular.
Children’s Apron and Toys
While you’re considering gifts for your food-loving friends, you might want to start with some early encouragement. This child-sized version of Nomad’s Nest’s Cross Back Apron is a great place to start, and maybe even earlier, with these Fruit & Veggie Grasp Toys for wee ones. It’s never too soon to inspire a future culinary career.
And finally, even enthusiastic home cooks lose some steam around a hectic time, like the holidays. For food lovers who are just too busy sometimes to make a satisfying home cooked meal, what a lifesaver to be gifted with a meal package from Divine Dishes, delivered right to their door.
These are just a handful of the over 500 local gift ideas available in this year’s Local Wishlist. Head to the full list and start browsing!
Take Me To The 2023 Local Wishlist
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