Unique food & drink
Food and drink often make a welcome gift (especially in our house). However there’s a big difference between receiving a generic bottle of wine to something truly thoughtful and surprising — and my word are you in for a treat. Whether it’s the way a product has been made, the quality of the ingredients used or the creativity of the packaging that’s likely to delight, these independents are exceptional. So if you’re looking to post a parcel of joy, or just want a showstopper for your own table, you saw it here first.
Big Bakes Bakery
Big Bakes Bakery are well known on the festival scene and it’s easy to see why. They’ve been baking together since 2010, and their cupcake business grew so popular they had to quit their jobs. People often commented on the impressive size of their wares hence BBB was born.
Blushing Cook
Why have flowers and chocolate when you can have flowers in chocolate? The Blushing Cook’s floral brownies are edible art and make a stunning, stand-out gift.
Crumpetorium
Crumpetorium create delicious small batch, artisan crumpets, handmade in Norfolk and delivered to your door. Chocolate orange crumpets anyone? Or gourmet ginger perhaps?
The Plattery
The Plattery combines quality ingredients, imaginative floristry and an abundance of flavours to create daily feasts. From gourmet platter boxes to customised grazing tables, they provide a means to eat good whilst doing good, as profits go into the Vital Meals initiative.
Dee’s Basement
Cake decorator, baker and confectionary artist Dee says she basically ‘makes sweet, good looking things’. Her cakes have a wonderfully nostalgic feel to them, are innovative, tasty, pretty AND she even offers a postal service, too.
Hobbs House Bakery
The Hobbs House Bakery believe there are some things you can’t rush. This year they are celebrating ‘100 Years of Baking’, (their history is just beautiful to read). They baked Bristol’s first organic loaf forty years ago and have since had their own TV show.
M+H Cakes
Founder Abigail is a true cake connoisseur. From baking personalised brownies or wedding cakes, to biscuits and more, these are some of the most creative creations we’ve seen. They look beautiful and taste good, too.
Not Just Nibbles
Founder Danielle wants to encourage children to cook more, and give them all they need to develop a healthy relationship with food because it can help us see, think and feel better. So she makes clever culinary subscription kit boxes for kids.
Spice Kitchen
This mother and son artisan producer of spice tin gift sets (masala dabbas actually) also make perfectly balanced handmade spice blends, loose teas and more AND they donate to The Akshaya Patra Foundation to support children in India.
The Chocolate Smiths
The Chocolate Smiths provide quality chocolate, made and wrapped by hand. They are passionate about supporting people and other small businesses so do lots of exciting collaborations, with the most unexpected, innovative results.
Want That Fudge UK
Wife and husband team, Claire and Pete, founded WTF and it’s been such a success they now employ other family members too. The secret? All their fudge is made the old fashioned way in steel kettles, stirred by hand, and carefully cooked. Delicious.
The Treats Club
With the kind of donuts (and ice cream and marshmallow fluff) that dreams are made of, it’s no wonder founder Lungi soon earned a reputation amongst Londoners as being one of the finest donuteers in town.