Gift guide: What to get Canberra's food lovers this Christmas

And for the foodies in your life, the sharing doesn't need to stop there.

Whether it's a new cookbook, a beautiful new dish or something sweet to keep the festive feast going, here are some ideas of what to get the foodies in your life this Christmas.

These beautifully hand-crafted cheese knives will bring platter envy to a whole new level. Greatfool's cheese knives feature chunks of hand-selected raw crystals in a silver or gold setting - no wonder the Melbourne start-up saw these sell out so quickly during its first release.

If cheese knives are not your thing, Greatfool has great options for tableware, all of which are carefully crafted and inspired by a strong feminine punk rock vibe.

Greatfool creative director Alicia Jackson and her team have spent the past two years developing the brand's products, driven by the idea of making something special out of the everyday.

greatfool.com.au

Homewares company Salt & Pepper has recently introduced its latest collections of tableware and accessories designed to brighten tables, kitchens and living spaces around Australia.

Created around how people live at home, the collection focuses on outdoor entertaining and features casual pieces with natural forms and textures that allow for eclectic use across the dining experience.

Among the latest release is Amana. Created from mixed materials, this collection of dinnerware, glassware, bakeware and kitchen accessories pays homage to subtle textures, organic forms and a handmade feel from stoneware with glossy glazes and matte terracotta colours, glassware and wood.

saltandpepper.com.au.

Boydell's Wines and Australian artisanal leather goods company, Saddler & Co have collaborated to create a limited-edition wine bag. It's great for transporting wines safely and stylishly from homes to summer picnics - of which we are all pros at now, thanks to lockdown - as well as barbecues and more. The wine bag is handcrafted using the finest Australian leather and made in regional New South Wales.

boydells.com.au.

MORE FOOD NEWS:

Rediscover your childhood through some recipes inspired by fairytale favourites.

With 60 recipes inspired by your favourite fairytales, including Little Red Riding Hood, Aladdin, Cinderella, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and The Snow Queen, Fairytale Cooking helps you to create a culinary wonderland.

Deliciously enticing recipes take you on a journey through Little Red Riding Hood's mysterious forests, across The Snow Queen's glittering landscapes and into the ocean's depths with the Little Mermaid, where the menu has a distinctly fish and seafood theme.

If you've ever wanted to make an aperitif at sundown, a nightcap in the early hours, or a hair of the dog the morning after, you need this book. The internationally acclaimed team from The Everleigh in Melbourne, take you on a wild and romantic journey of the golden era of drinking and entertaining with their new book, A Spot at the Bar.

With more than 300 recipes for fond and forgotten classic cocktails, including the team's favourite variations, A Spot at the Bar has tips and tricks for hosting the perfect soirée, what to pour into your punchbowl and how to dress with savvy style.

On a daily basis, Two Good Co reminds us that every individual is worthy of love and respect. The Sydney-based social enterprise, which started life as an organic soup kitchen in 2007, does this by creating, selling and donating delicious, nutritious food and products to support women in crisis.

Now they've released the Two Good Cookbook Two: Recipes for Resilience. It's a celebration of the food Two Good Co creates and the goodness it shares, through its shelter meals, catering service, jar lunches, market stalls and cooking classes. There are more than 100 recipes, grouped into chapters covering food for warm days, meals for cool days, and sweet things.

We know Jimmy Barnes can sing but did you know he could cook? Jane and Jimmy Barnes share their family recipes and stories in their new cookbook, Where the River Bends.

Besides making music, Jimmy and Jane have become unlikely social media stars, sharing their love of cooking on Instagram and YouTube and garnering legions of foodie fans. Since March 2020, their daily online videos have attracted more than 100 million views.

With stunning photography and featuring 60 of Jane's favourite recipes - for breakfasts and light lunches, Thai meals and pasta classics, easy everyday dinners and delicious veggie sides, grilled foods and barbies, spectacular Sunday feasts and roasts, and delectable sweets - Where the River Bends is the Barnes's cookbook of treasured recipes and stories gathered and shared around the table over a family's lifetime.

When Philip Springer wrote Santa Baby in the 1950s, this was definitely not what he had in mind. But hey - if it works, it works. Baby Pink Gin has released its Santa Baby hampers just in time for Christmas.

Small batch distilled in Victoria, Baby Pink Gin was created for those who want a quality spirit that looks as good as it tastes. It's packed with botanicals such as rose petals, chamomile, lemon verbena and of course plenty of juniper. It is also sugar-free, gluten-free and vegan friendly.

The Baby Pink Gin website also has a range of hampers, including the aforementioned Santa Baby hamper that includes a 700ml bottle of Baby Pink Gin, botanical gold edible flower garnishes, some Fluffe rose flavoured fairy floss, I Am Thirsty dehydrated orange garnish, Fever-Tree elderflower tonic and a Baby Pink Gin x burnn hand-poured candle.

babypinkgin.com

If you're looking for gift ideas for the coffee-lover in your life - but with a boozy twist, the Mr Black Italo Disco coffee liqueur may be the answer. This collaboration between Aussie coffee icons Mr Black and ST. ALi takes inspiration from traditional Italian espresso.

"Our last releases have been nuanced, intricate stuff for coffee nerds. This is not that," Mr Black founder Tom Baker says.

"This is a celebration of the original pioneers of coffee in Australia: a big, brash, bitter-sweet Italian-dark-roast. This is a coffee liqueur for proper coffee drinkers. Intense with a long finish, with big notes of caramel, dark spice, cacao and anise."

mrblack.co/au

It's hard to go wrong with anything from The Canberra Distillery, but if you're looking for something you may not have tried from them before, how about trying the Single Release Rum?

This first release of rum has been fermented, distilled, barrelled, aged and bottled in Mitchell. There are no additives or flavourings - just the traditional, slow process of making and maturing this iconic spirit.

It aged for two years in a local shiraz barrel, which provides a dark colour and bitterness to the spirit. It was then moved to a Spanish Pedro Ximenez barrel which builds the honey palate. The result is an extremely smooth and sweet rum with notes of dried fruit, dates and vanilla. It is best enjoyed straight or over ice.

But, if there is one thing that Canberra distillers do well, it's gin - and The Canberra Distillery has a great range. So great that it can be hard to pick. So why not choose a little bit of everything?

The Gin Cube has four of the distiller's most popular gins, including Sloe Gin, Blood Orange and Gin, French Earl Grey Gin and their signature Gin.

thecanberradistillery.com.au

Here's one for the vodka lovers. Local favourites Underground Spirits are offering a vodka lovers twin pack for Christmas this year. This is the first time they're offering their classic Underground vodka and the oh-so-sweet vodka with caramel as a duo.

The classic vodka is pure and clean. The taste is complex and delicate, with delectable creaminess and a sweet body. It's silky smooth on the palate, the hallmark finish of Underground Spirits. Meanwhile, the vodka with caramel is warm and sweet. It's seriously silky smooth on the palate, warm sticky sweet with a creamy, buttery mouthfeel.

If you rather something a little more "Canberra" in the flavour, or perhaps you're looking for a gin instead, Underground Spirits have collaborated with the Australian National Botanic Gardens on a limited-edition gin.

Known as Ad Crescendum var. Flosferam this new gin features some of the garden's best known and loved Australian natives.

undergroundspirits.com.au

The festive season just got merrier thanks to the eagerly awaited return of MyMILO. After appearing under many a tree last year, Milo is bringing back the popular gift, giving Aussies the chance to create and gift a limited edition, personalised tin of the nation's favourite choc malt drink.

There are 13 limited edition seasonal designs, that make a great option for a stocking filler or Secret Santa present. Numbers are limited, however, and once they are gone, they are gone.

my.milo.com.au

It's about this time of year that you don't just want some time off, you need a break. And as the ad slogan says, "have a break, have a KitKat".

These are not just any KitKats though. The KitKat Chocolatory has launched a special release range of rum-infused KitKat bars just in time for Christmas. Created in collaboration with Surry Hills' rum distillery BRIX, the mouth-watering new KitKat flavours are infused with three of BRIX's most popular rums. The results are mojito, caramelised pecan and spiced Christmas pudding flavoured KitKats.

kitkat.com.au.

Chocolates from Jasper and Myrtle always go down a treat but for the festive season, the Canberra local has added a special something. Just like Easter has the chocolate bunny, Christmas has the chocolate Santa. These delightful chocolate Santas are super cute and great for stocking fillers for little (and not so little) ones. Made in Fyshwick, they come in three different flavours - white, dark and caffe bianco - a delicious, white coffee chocolate. For extra bling, they are also hand-painted with Copper chocolate powder.

If you prefer your chocolate in bar form, there's also the Christmas pack. It includes three bars of Jasper and Myrtle's beautiful dark chocolate, full of delicate and seasonal flavours, all wrapped in a specially designed box. Flavours include dark spiced rum, ginger and coconut, and brandy and orange.

jasperandmyrtle.com.au

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: