Do you have an enthusiastic foodie or aspiring local chef on your holiday shopping list? These twelve gifts from the Local Wishlist are made or experienced right here in Nova Scotia, and perfect for prepping, cooking, and eating local.
Did you even know that saffron could be cultivated in Nova Scotia? We didn’t, but every chef understands what a precious, luxurious spice it is, so having a local source is pretty exciting for foodies. Obviously organic, from Coastal Grove Farm in Upper Port La Tour.
Lobster Feast & Berry Bake Aprons
Colourful, cheerful screen-printed cotton aprons from Kautzi Illustrations will stand up to a lot of hard use, and look great doing it. And a shout out to the Japanese-style cross back aprons from Nomad’s Nest, also in our Home & Garden category.
Bright & Lion Botanicals‘ lavender range extends beyond the spa and into the kitchen, with this culinary grade pure English lavender. It can be steeped or used directly in cooking and baking for a sweet, subtle flavour.
For someone who spends a lot of time in the kitchen, there’s no luxury like a handcrafted kitchen tool, especially the simplest, most-used ones. This hardwood beauty is from Woods(wo)man Woodworking, part of a range of tools that includes a grater, veggie peeler, and even a pizza cutter.
Fancy a cocktail before supper? Even the most experienced home chefs could learn a thing or two about the pre-dinner libation by watching our city’s top mixologists ply their craft at this annual festival hosted by Curated Events Company. And for an alcohol-free gift option, check out Nor’easter Apparel’s brand new recipe book, Soberish, in our Food & Drink category.
Because sometimes subtlety is really over-rated. In addition to this chili-infused oil from Morris East (their secret weapon for years now) and Maritime Chutney’s charcuterie trios with a real punch of flavour, you’ll also find Le Caveau’s chili salt and split-log gift packs of seasonings from Axe To Grind.
Handcrafted Walnut Bottle Opener
Remember what we said about the luxury of handcrafted tools? Even something as simple as a bottle opener reaches new heights when it’s crafted with care. We Craft Wood designed this with a teardrop shape to fit perfectly into your hand.
Hand-Painted Heirloom Salt Cellar
This elegant salt cellar is from Sugarhouse Ceramic’s Paris Collection, inspired by their wanderings through that very food-centric city. It even comes with a little antique spoon sourced from a Paris market!
Because cheese is life. And you can gift this selection from award-winning Annapolis Fine Cheese to your foodie friends, or you can keep it to fill up your holiday cheese board. We recommend doing both.
And more cheese! You can count on Obladee Wine Bar to curate a wonderful gift box for your food-loving friends, filled with all of the elements for a very special night in.
Cook with the Chef Exclusive Culinary Package
And the ultimate experience gift for foodies and home chefs: a weekend for two at the Flying Apron Inn & Cookery in Summerville, creating a 4-course meal in a private hands-on cookery school class with European-trained Master Chef Chris Velden. A food-lover’s dream holiday.
These are just a handful of the hundreds of local gift ideas available in this year’s Local Wishlist. Head to the full list and start browsing!
Take Me To The 2025 Local Wishlist
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And thanks also to our Friends of the Local Wishlist:
