We’ve come a long way since the days when a ‘festive food gift’ meant an orange stuffed down the end of a Christmas stocking. Now the gastronomic gift options are endless, and Charlotte Muru-Lanning is here to suggest some of the best.
Christmas gifting often gets a bad rap, and with good reason. The jam-packed malls, the month-long flurry of panicked purchases, the endless cards waved over endless Eftpos machines: Christmas can easily become a manifestation of all the worst aspects of consumerism and excessive consumption.
Giving a gift can also be an expression of love for those you care about, though. To me, the perfect gift is all at once meaningful, indulgent, useful and whimsical. And the beauty of gifts that revolve around food is that they almost always have at the very least a couple of these qualities.
Convinced, but stuck for ideas? Here’s a collection of food-related gifts that almost anyone would love to receive.
A massive jar
When in doubt, go ridiculously big. By that I mean a kilogram-or-thereabouts-sized jar of beetroot, pickled peppers, turnips, olives, garlic, mushrooms, onions, or gherkins. It might seem like a goofy gift as you lug it home, but don’t forget that when you buy your loved one a ridiculously hefty jar, you’re setting them up for months of snacking, lazy dinners and nibbles for unexpected guests. So where do you go to find a 1.5kg jar of edibles? Your local Mediterranean, Eastern European and Middle Eastern suppliers will likely have a section with a wondrous array of choices that should all come in under $20 a pop.
Zany, cute and interesting
By contrast, there are the small, charming treats that won’t break the bank. My first inclination here is a tin of something. While preserved fish and seafood have become newly trendy on TikTok, canned seafood is a very ordinary part of the diet in many parts of the world, including Portugal, Greece and Spain. Follow their wisdom and collate a selection of fancy cans for your fish-loving friends. I’d suggest Trata octopus in brine ($7.99), Jose Gourmet Sardines and lemon in olive oil or their spiced small mackerel ($16.50).
Sticking with a briny theme, how about that most taken-for-granted of seasonings, salt? Upgrade your mate’s table salt with a box of solar-evaporated sea salt crystals from the Hauraki Gulf ($10), rosemary sea salt from Opito Bay ($12.95) or a Spanish finishing salt ($13.50).
Even tinier, but no less lovely, is a curated selection of heritage fruit and vegetable seeds, like climbing borlotti beans or kamokamo ($4.45 each) – a gift that should delight anyone with even a passing interest in growing kai.
Since the best way to eat melon is in perfectly spherical orbs, I urge you to buy your mate a melon baller ($12.99). Buy a whole watermelon too, the day before, and wrap them up as a two-part gift.
As far as I’m concerned, home cooks don’t wear aprons enough – as countless shirts stained by pasta sauces and oil splatters can attest. Someone you know is probably ready to be converted to the apron lifestyle; luckily enough, an apron makes a wonderful gift, especially if it happens to be one of these printed cotton beauties from Moana Fresh ($35).
Some wear their hearts on their sleeves. Others wear recreations of their favourite food on their ears. If your friend has a weakness for the cute and the tiny, get them a food-themed pair of earrings. You could scour the internet for options, but if you’re short on time a pair of lilliputian Shrewsbury’s ($35) or a single handcrafted orange on a hoop ($75) will do the trick.
It’s perhaps not a whole gift on its own, but you can’t go wrong with one of these paper fruit and vegetable-shaped decorations ($3.50) from Wah Lees. They’re best hidden under the wrapping paper with another gift, or tucked under the ribbon, as what the website aptly describes as a “nutty embellishment”.
Everything but the kitchen sink
As far as I’m concerned, one of the best things to give at Christmas is the gift of transforming the drudgery into the delightful. Dishes are an inevitable part of cooking and eating, but are generally seen as the meal’s irksome final scene. They don’t need to be, though. Bring a spark of joy to the job with a dashing tea towel like this one from Maimoa that doubles as parāoa parai recipe ($30), this one covered in biscuits and slices ($28) or this rustic French linen one from Tony Sly ($20).
Stay at Tony Sly’s store for a range of beautiful objects to scrub or scour with, like an earthy-toned dish cloth ($10) or this chic wooden jar brush ($18). If your friend prefers brighter hues, you could opt for one of these striking recycled eco scrubbers ($8) or peruse Etsy for the cutest Korean susemi (dish scrubby) you can find – my favourites are the bok choy and the garlic. Another great gift is a wooden dish rack. They’re relatively ubiquitous these days in homeware stores, but I bought mine from Wah Lees ($49).
If there was ever a time to buy fancy dishwashing liquid, it’s as a Christmas gift. Imagine the luxury of a sink brimming with lemongrass and citrus-scented bubbles ($46) or the opulently-named Lotus Leaf and Lustre dishwashing liquid by Ashley and Co ($22).
For the gourmet camper
It’s almost summer, which means a lot more days (and possibly nights) in the open air. I’m sure the campers and outdoor adventurers in your life would love a collection of gourmet items that don’t require a proper kitchen to prepare. My ideal bundle would include Kaputī Studio’s chai ($27), Te Mata Figs’ panforte flecked with almonds and walnuts ($11.50), and a couple of packets of these instant risottos ($3.90) in flavours like porcini and saffron. You could even include some jaunty picnic-ware. Op shops are a great place to look for lightly used serving vessels – there’s often a pile of retro plastic plates and jewel-coloured melamine cups that will add instant pizzazz to al fresco camp dining.
Have you got a loved one who’s serious about toast? Consider this dinky camp toaster made in Auckland ($65), which looks like it’s about to take off.
An IOU fish and chip date
There are those unavoidable times when a last-minute gift is in order. And in those situations, as is tradition, there’s nothing better than an IOU, especially when that IOU comes with the promise of a future fish and chip date. Pick up a bottle of something bubbly that will pair well with the deep-fried crunch of fish and chips, like the Tohu Rewa Blanc de Blancs Methode Traditionnelle ($39.99), an Edenvale Alcohol Free Blanc De Blanc ($15.95), Continental Platter Prosecco ($27) or a really, really good bottle of champagne if you’re that way inclined (and can afford to splurge). Then grab a ribbon and attach a note that says: “IOU a plentiful mound of fish and chips from your local shop, to be enjoyed on a hot summer’s day on a picnic blanket or car bonnet with bubbles at the time of your choosing”.
An alternative IOU
If your giftee is more predisposed to the indoors, an IOU screening of a film from AroVideo on Demand’s food and drink section ($4.99-$7.99), paired with a pack of microwave popcorn is a thoughtful (and budget-friendly) last-minute gift.
Pay it forward
Despite being a country that produces plentiful kai, too many people around Aotearoa struggle with food insecurity. And at a time of year synonymous with eating, the need is only heightened. Consider making a donation to a charity that provides Christmas meals and food parcels in place of, or as part of, your usual gifts. Auckland City Mission, for example, has a range of Christmas-specific donation tiers, from a $12 donation that will pay for a Christmas Day meal at the Mission’s community dining room, to a $414 donation to cover food parcels to feed four families over three days.
Don’t leave it till the last minute – making your donation as early as possible really helps the charity involved. Money, as The Aunties founder Jackie Clark told me recently, is “the number one useful thing”, but if you’re set on giving food items ask the charity what they need first. And if you do give food, says Jackie, think of it the same way you think about gifts for your own friends and whānau, and “make it a bit zhuzhy and a bit exciting”.
