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As the Christmas season approaches, I've decided to put together a little gift guide showcasing some of the wonderful products Norfolk independent businesses have to offer. It's so important, now more than ever, to support local creators and makers, so hopefully this gift guide will serve as inspiration to shop small this Christmas, regardless of whether you're based in Norfolk. The first gift guide in my little mini series of Norfolk gift guides will be gifts for foodies! Other gift guides coming up include, gifts for the home, beauty gifts and even gifts for our furry friends, all from Norfolk independent businesses.
I've had so much fun discovering new brands, alongside remembering some old favourites, so I do hope you enjoy the things I have picked out. If you have any other recommendations for foodie gifts from Norfolk producers then please do leave them linked below in a comment! I'd love this post to be flooded with Norfolk independent brands.
1. The Norfolk Cook Book, £14.95 (currently 20% off at £11.96)
The Norfolk Cook Book by Kate Reeves-Brown contains a collection of recipes from different Norfolk restaurants and chefs, showcasing the best recipes the region has to offer. This would make a great gift for anyone local to Norfolk who loves cooking, but there are also cook books for most cities/ counties in the 'get stuck in' series. I've personally got this recipe book myself and have used it so much! I've also gifted it to friends who no longer live in Norfolk as a little reminder of what they're missing. My favourite recipes are the lemon, tea and biscuit cheesecake from Biddy's Tearoom and the Moorish Tagine with Butternut Squash and Onion Garnish by the Moorish Falafel Bar. Unfortunately I haven't been able to find any local independent bookstores stocking the cook book, so for now i've linked WHSmith (above), but I will keep looking!
Winbirri Vineyard is a wine producer in Surlingham, Norfolk, and were the first English vineyard to win the 'Decanter Wine Awards' for their 2015 Bacchus. Bacchus is a typical grape variety for English wines and has been described as the Sauvignon Blanc of England. It has quickly become one of my favourite wines! Winbirri also produce Solaris, Pinot Noir Rose, Pinot Noir, Sparkling varieties and more, so there'll definitely be a wine for you amongst their selection. This mixed case contains one of each of their most popular wines and would be the perfect gift for a wine lover, or the case could be easily split and gifted to friends and family. The wines are available to purchase from their vineyard, online store, Waitrose or also in independent farm shops such as The Blofield Farm Shop.
3. Norfolk Gin, £44.99/ £17.99
Norfolk Gin is curated in small batches of only 24 bottles by husband and wife team Jonathan and Alison. They use a traditional 'bathtub' method and botanicals such as juniper, cardamon and coriander with a citrus finish, to give this craft gin a unique flavour. The gin is bottled in a Wade ceramic bottle, so after the gin is consumed the bottle can be upcycled into a candle holder, vase or whatever else you can think of! Alternatively, there is a refill station in reno refills, in Whymondham, where you can simply refill your bottle with more wonderful Norfolk Gin. Norfolk Gin has been a firm favourite of mine since I first discovered it at Thornahm Deli a few years ago. Norfolk Gin have also collaborated with other Norfolk businesses to create fabulous gin themed gifts including, a personalised windflower gin hamper from Lisa Angel, candles and wax melts from The Candle Brand and a Norfolk Gin vase by Green Bottle Glass.
The Norfolk Wine School offers many different wine tasting experiences, but I think the Saturday course would make a really special gift because it includes a 3 course lunch at The Last Wine Bar. The day starts with a glass of champagne and canapés, followed by tasting 'Old World' wines from Spain, France and Italy. Guests then enjoy a 3 course lunch menu with more delicious wine, before moving onto tasting 'New World' wines from Australia, Argentina and New Zealand in the afternoon. The courses run on one Saturday each month, and are a full day event from 10.30am-4.30pm. The course can be purchased as a gift voucher for one or two people and are valid for 2 years after the purchase date, so you don't need to worry about not being able to use the voucher in time due to any restrictions that may be put in place due to Covid-19.
The Norfolk Cheese Company was founded in 2017 and strives to source the best cheeses East Anglia has to offer. Cheese is such a big part of Christmas.. well, in our family it certainly is anyway, so this would definitely make a great gift! This gift box is filled with all of the components you need to make a fabulous cheese board. The gift box contains two variations of Godminster cheese, a Camembert, and then a Binham Blue and a Copys Cloud, which are two cheeses made my Mrs Temples in Norfolk. There is also a caramelised onion chutney and some charcoal hand baked wafers included in the box too.
6. Grey Seal Coffee Two Bean Espresso, from £7.50
Grey Seal Coffee is an independent roasters based in Glandford, just outside of Blakeney. It began in 2012, and since then it has become Norfolk's leading speciality coffee roasters. Their mission is to bring the "third wave of coffee" to Norfolk, and showcase great coffee worthy of the same amount of recognition as a fine wine or cheese. Not only do Grey Seal sell fantastic coffee in different formats, including beans, for a cafetiere and aeropress, they also have a plethora of different cafes across Norfolk and also a coffee training centre. I've chosen to include the Grey Seal Two Bean Espresso in this gift guide because it's a great all rounder and the perfect gift for a coffee connoisseur.
7. Tipsyjar Night in Box, £25.00
Tipsyjar is a company i've been following on Instagram for a while now and i've always been intrigued by their cocktail offerings. They provide expertly crafted cocktails delivered straight to your door. All you have to do is shake and serve! You can purchase a wide variety of cocktails on their website for delivery on any day you choose if you are local to Norwich. However, they also provide nationwide delivery too. For this gift guide i've chosen their 'Night in with Tipsyjar! Box', which provides you with everything you need for the perfect night in. The box is completely customisable and you can choose two different cocktails to include in the box. You can choose either a gin based cocktail such as a Gin Bramble, a vodka based cocktail like an Espresso Martini or even a non-alcoholic cocktail. There are also bourbon, rum and tequila cocktails too. Next, you can choose two sweet bags to include in the box such as Minstrels or Haribo and then finally, either sweet or salted popcorn. This would make such a fun gift and definitely something to look into during lockdown 2.0.
8. Lifetime of Chocolate, from £6.00
Lifetime of chocolate is a small chocolate business situated in the heart of Norfolk. Chloe started the brand after working for a London chocolatier and after 15 months, decided to come back to her home town to set up her own chocolate company. Each chocolate is hand made and is truly a work of art. Chocolates can be purchased online in boxes of 6, 9 or 12 and include christmassy flavours such as mince pie, maple pecan and cinnamon latte. If you'd prefer something a little different, Lifetime of Chocolate also produces 'Christmas Baubles' which are filled with chocolate dipped marshmallows, which would make the perfect stocking filler! Lifetime of Chocolate is also stocked in the newly opened St Giles Pantry- alongside many other Norfolk goodies! These chocolates would make a great gift for that special someone in your life! I know i'd certainly like some of these wrapped up under the Christmas tree.
9. Figbar Christmas Hamper, £80.00
Figbar is a restaurant in Norwich specialising in desserts and sweet treats. It's sister company is Salt, which is the go-to place for savoury delights. Figbar is a place i'd often frequent after a meal out to prolong the evening and indulge in a decadent dessert followed by a glass of dessert wine. The Figbar Christmas Hamper is a perfect all rounder for any foodie. I personally love hampers and gift them every year to family and friends as it's always nice to gift someone something they wouldn't typically buy for themselves. It also gives them the opportunity to try lots of different products, and with this Figbar hamper they'd be spoilt for choice. The hamper contains a Figbar Christmas Pudding, Homemade Brandy Butter, a Mince Pie, Salted Butter Caramel Sauce, Fig, Orange and Sherry Jam, Salami di Cioccolato, White Chocolate Baubles, Assorted Chocolate Bon Bons and a Bottle of Manzanilla Sherry. If you don't have a sweet tooth like me, then they also have a Salt Christmas hamper filled with savoury goodies.
10. Sweet Treats Norfolk, £11.99
My final foodie instalment for this gift guide is a 1kg bag of sweets from Sweet Treats Norfolk. They are a newly launched sweet company selling bags and jarred varieties of sweets, including vegetarian and gluten free options. There's something so nostalgic about a bag of sweets, and what I love the most about the brand is that they offer an entirely vegetarian sweet bag. I absolutely love sweets, but often they're made with ingredients that aren't suitable for vegetarians so i've really missed having them, but now i'll be able to indulge in a whole bag of sweets and know they are suitable for me to eat! They offer local and nationwide delivery too.
So there we have it, 10 foodie gift ideas from Norfolk local independent brands. I hope you enjoyed reading my gift guide and don't forget to leave me a comment sharing your favourite Norfolk food companies.
xo
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