Our first human guide to gift-giving this Christmas is for the foodies! If you missed it earlier, read our Gift Ideas for Dogs. We also believe that now is a great opportunity to support local, small businesses. We have met so many this year and it’s been such a privilege to talk to the people who have put their heart and soul into their product. Hopefully this Gift Guide this will give you some great ideas to make your gift-giving a bit more unique and meaningful.
So, foodies, rejoice! This one’s just for you. Look out for more great gift ideas from small businesses next week.
EATSingapore Book
The beautiful EATSingapore book. Photo Credit: EATSingapore
EATSingapore introduces you to 12 hand-picked restaurants in a beautiful, keepsake book and gives you one-for-one mains at each location. The restaurants have been scrupulously selected by Karin and Peter, the founders of EATSingapore. What do I love most? Not having to think about where to go out for a date or dinner with friends. There are 12 fantastic restaurants, some well known, some hidden gems that I would never have tried if not for this book. EATSingapore also donates $2 per book to Venture 2 Impact, an organisation that aims to help communities globally break the cycle of poverty. Venture 2 Impact does more than offer material support, they transform communities to grow, develop and sustain themselves. Definitely a feel-good pressie to give to friends, your spouse or even yourself. Hurry up, though. Only a limited quantity of these books are printed, they’re each individually numbered, and you should register them so you can keep up with news, offers and deals. If you miss out, you will need to wait for the 2018 version.
$65
Available at:
eatsingapore.sg
Perk Coffee
Fresh roasted coffee delivered to you. Photo Credit: Perk Coffee
Ah, the coffee freak in me would love a present like this because it continues to give all year round. It’s a subscription based service that delivers fresh roasted coffee beans (fresh ground is also available) to your postbox as often as you like. Founded by Paul and Serena (read their story here), Perk Coffee brings in various specialty beans sourced from ethical farms at locations around the world throughout the year. It really is too easy. You basically tell them how often you drink coffee and they can calculate how much you need and how often. Within 48 hours of roasting your beans are on their way to you. It’s also super easy to pause or cancel your subscription at any time without further charges. Not that this would be a problem if you were given a lovely year-long subscription so you can discover fresh coffee all year.
From $37.80
Available at:
perkcoffee.sg or to buy a gift, go to Buy a Gift | Perk Coffee
Papa’s Grove
The pristine packaging of Greek Extra Virgin Olive OIl. Photo Credit: Papa’s Grove
Another foodie product that I am in love with! Good olive oil has so much flavour that I love it drizzled on salads, avocado, a couple dribbles on top of soup, or just plain with a drop of good balsamic vinegar to dip my toast into. I always have a bottle for cooking and another bottle of “good stuff” that I use when I want to lift the flavour of a special dish. Papa’s Grove was founded by a Greek brothers, one of whom lives in Singapore and imports the oil direct from their family’s olive groves in Greece. The have recently completed their harvest for 2016 and their award winning Extra Virgin Olive Oil would make a wonderful present for anyone who is passionate about the quality of the oil they are using.
From $23
Available at:
www.papasgrove.com
Merchants Wine Cellar
Merchants has three locations and you can order online. Photo credit: Merchants Wine Store
You can’t do a foodie Gift Guide without including wine, however, Merchants Wine Store not only provides excellent wine at great prices, it supports smaller, boutique and independent Australian wineries. This, of course, means that we love them! Read their story here.
“We created Merchants to help indie producers export their wines and bypass the middlemen with a direct-to-consumer approach. Our member wineries engage directly with people in a cellar-door set-up, and wine lovers enjoy better price/quality because they’re buying direct.” – Ainsley Kenny
This year, Merchants is offering bespoke hampers and Fermoy gift boxes (from $75) so visit them online or head to one of their outlets and put your order in.
Available at:
www.merchantsofsingapore.com.sg
52 Duxton Rd
Singapore 089516
T: 6222 1162
443 Joo Chiat Road
Singapore 427656
T: 6440 0892
Pasarbella @The Grandstand Bukit Timah,
200 Turf Club Road Singapore 287994
T: 6467 9118
Hello Chocolate
Three tried and tasted bars of exquisite chocolate.
Nope. That box of Celebrations just won’t do any more! My palate has been spoilt by the taste of bean-to-bar chocolate that I discovered only this year. Read our Flavour Notes where we taste test three exquisite bars here. Bean-to-bar artisans take great pride in the quality of their work as well as the beautiful packaging that each bar is wrapped in. This makes for a perfect gift, whether it be a single bar of Marou Chocolate (read their story here), tied up in a bow or a range of bean-to-bar chocolates that the lucky recipient can discover. At Hello Chocolate, you can customise a unique Christmas gift box or hamper for that special person, but I warn you, their chocolate eating experience will never be the same.
From $9
Available at:
www.hellochocolate.asia
Hello Chocolate Kiosk
Pedders on Scotts
Scotts Square
6 Scotts Road, Level 2
Singapore 228209
UFIT Unlimited Boot Camps and Free Trial
Ok, so this may seem a bit bizarre here, but seriously, after all this feasting, goodwill and foodie finds, I think it’s not so far off the mark to give the gift of health. UFIT are now offering $99 for a whole month of unlimited bootcamps (new joiners only) with a free trial. So get yourself motivated for the new year, my fellow foodies, and don’t be afraid of the word “bootcamp”. If this deal is not enough and you need some further inspiration, read our interview with founder Lisa Clayton here.
Available:
www.ufitbootcamps.com.sg/book-a-free-trial
Happy holidays!
Image credit as given. Please note that we were not paid for any these recommendations nor were we given any products in exchange (other than the bean-to-bar chocolate from Hello Chocolate that we used for our Flavour Notes and not for this Gift Guide). These products are our personal recommendations based on people we’ve met and items we thought would make great gifts.