Home for the holidays? You don’t need to look far to find a unique gift that the food lover in your life will appreciate. Over the years, we’ve curated thoughtful gifts made by artisans, distillers, bakers and even candlemakers from across Canada. Here’s a list of some of our favourite picks, with more picks added often. Send an animated holiday e-card to recipients to let them know that a special gift is on its way!
Handmade Wave Mug,
Nightshift Ceramics
These made-to-order coffee mugs are handmade in Hamilton, Ont., and have gotten rave reviews by Etsy buyers. Available in four pretty colours.
$59 each
Recipe-Engraved Cutting Board,
Elk and Elm Home
A practical and display-worthy way to share family recipes. All you need to do is supply the recipe. Hand-crafted from birchwood.
$63
Swiss Cheese Candle
Drop Dead Candles
If you placed this candle on the charcuterie board, your friends would be none the wiser. This cute block of “swiss cheese” is hand poured in Oshawa, Ontario and is made from unscented soy wax.
$29.95
Oyster Shucker,
Arbol Cuisine Design
The perfect gift for seafood lovers, this innovative maple-wood oyster shucker is designed to keep hands safe while shucking. Carved grooves keep the oyster from slipping.
$45
4 Pieces Classic Nanaimo Bars,
Northern Bars
Is there a more classically Canadian treat than Nanaimo bars? (Well, maybe butter tarts.) Northern Bars’ take on the famous treat come in bite-size portions and are packed in a giftable box that is illustrated with famous Vancouver landmarks and can be delivered across Canada.
$12
Luca Maple Wine Stopper,
Hopson Grace
Handmade in Ontario, the wine stopper is made of Canadian maple. An elegant gift perfect for the wine lovers in your life.
$65
Pinot Gris,
Lambert x Mandy’s
Pinot Gris,Made with recycled canvas, this lunch bag combines Lambert’s functional design expertise with Mandy’s colourful energy. With an insulated interior and a detachable strap for crossbody wear. Perfect for keeping your Mandy’s Roasted Leek and Quinoa Salad fresh.
$50
Big Dot Salad Servers,
Blisscrafted
Salad servers, art or both? Made from wood offcuts from the manufacturing of couches, these small-batch sustainable servers are embellished with one-of-a-kind wood-burned designs. Limited edition.
$72
Olive Oil Cruet,
Poterie Bonmatin
This porcelain cruet is handmade in Quebec and is available in a range of colours and patterns. Choose a metal pourer for olive oil or a plastic one for vinegar, dish soap or soy sauce (a metal pourer will carode).
$65
Bagged Lime Candles,
This Candle is Lit
You can never go wrong with gifting candles, especially when they trompe l’oeuil food items. This set of three individually made candle “limes” come in a green webbed bag – just like the limes you buy from a grocery store.
$38
Elderberry Infused Maple Syrup,
Wabanaki
The combination of tart elderberries with richly sweet maple syrup makes Wabanaki’s latest maple syrup flavour totally decadent.
$19.95
Canada Sauce Trio,
Canada Sauce
Handmade in Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, Que., using simple ingredients, the trio pack from Canada Sauce includes a relish made with locally-grown cucumbers, a slightly sweet ketchup and mustard that is made with seeds from the Canadian prairies.
$16
Canada Peace Bar,
Peace by Chocolate
A trio of handmade chocolate bars made from creamy milk chocolate and maple cream filling, all packaged in wraps printed with traditional Canadian slang.
$14 for 3
Prairie: Seasonal, Farm-Fresh Recipes Celebrating the Canadian Prairies,
Dan Clapson and Twyla Campbell
Over 100 recipes inspired by and sourced from the Canadian prairies – like Edmonton Chef Gail Hall’s Raspberry Clafoutis and Stir-Fried Tomatoes and Eggs from Calgary-based food writer Carmen Cheng.
$37.50
Arabica Coffee Bitters,
Bittered Sling
These special-edition bitters were created from a specific blend of Arabica cultivars purchased fair-trade and roasted by East Van Roasters. Great with cognac, brandy, rum, tequila, oak-matured spirit or use as a replacement for vanilla extract in baking.
$26.95
Billionaire Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix,
Maison Zoe Ford
Montreal-based food company Maison Zoe Ford spent over a year perfecting the recipe for its Billionaire Chocolate Chip Cookies. The effort was worth it: The result is a cookie that’s just crunchy enough, just chewy enough and just so delicious that you won’t believe it was made from a bagged mix.
$15.99
Case of St Brigid’s Butter,
St Brigid’s Creamery
This all-Canadian European-style barrel-churned A2 Jersey butter is uniquely delicious. It comes from one Ontario family dairy, and will add creamy decadence to baking and entertaining. This richly textured, golden butter will make you (or your loved ones) love butter more.
Case of butter – 25 x 250g: $249.75
Taste of Canada Dessert Pack,
Top Shelf Distillers
Top Shelf Distillers, in Perth, Ont., got patriotic with this gift-ready pack of dessert-inspired spirits. It includes Butter Tart, Cream Puff (inspired by the flavours of La Boulangerie bakery in northern Ontario) and Blueberry Grunt (inspired by one of the favoured fruits in Atlantic Canada).
$50
3D Cocktail Bombs,
Poseidn
Cocktail bombs hit a new high with fun 3D shapes. Available in a variety of flavours, including Pineapple & Coconut, Cosmopolitan and Sangria, these Quebec-made treats are perfect for cocktail (and mocktail!) lovers.
$19.95 box of 6
Bright Light,
Lumette!
B.C.’s Lumette! bottles botanical-forward “spirits” so you can tap into your inner (alcohol-free) mixologist whenever the mood strikes. This “Bright Light” spirit is meant to be enjoyed in non-alcoholic cocktails like gin and tonics and sours.
$36
Old Growth Cedar Gin,
Tofino Distillery
This uniquely Canadian gin is distilled in Tofino with a classic mix of botanicals as well as red cedar tips from Vancouver Island’s old-growth forests. You can sip the organic 90-proof spirit solo, or use it to mix up some of SoBo Restaurant‘s Cedar Negronis.
$25
If you're looking for more gift ideas, we’ve got you covered. If you have room to splurge, we also have this luxury gift guide, including a smart coffee mug and more designer porcelain. For the glamourous foodie in your life, check out our list of food-inspired beauty products. We also have an eco-conscious gift guide, full of sustainable and practical presents. Lean into a more quirky and unique vibe with these adorable food-shaped candles.
