13 of Good Food’s favourite foodie stocking fillers for $20 or less
Including a Gelato Messina lip balm, dirty martini pasta sauce and a yuzu chilli sauce you’ll splash on everything with unbridled enthusiasm.
Splashed out on a KitchenAid, a Smeg blender or a cast-iron Staub cocotte for the food-lover in your life, but need something a little extra for Christmas Day? Something spicy, fermented, sauce-based or all of the above? The Good Food team is here to help with this list of our favourite stocking fillers that won’t break the bank. (It’s also a handy resource if you just really like condiments.)
Saturday Night Pasta dirty martini pasta sauce and pasta, $20
I can see this twist on a spicy vodka sauce rescuing many beach house dinners over summer. Powered by Archie Rose vodka and tingling with the brine of Toolunka Estate’s outstanding olives, it’s a jarred sauce that anyone would be thrilled to receive − and proud to serve alongside this family-made dried pasta, especially during those lazy January days. − Emma Breheny
Korean BBQ Sauce by Kaokao, $9.50
I’m yet to find an ingredient that doesn’t benefit from a good soaking in Kaokao Korean BBQ Sauce. So far, it has worked wonders with steak, chicken wings, pork belly, tofu and all kinds of vegetables. I added it to a cold noodle salad once, and I’d do it again. If you were to imagine a Venn diagram of overlapping sweet, salty and spicy circles, this ssamjang-ish sauce would sit right in the centre. The Kaokao range is handmade by a Japanese couple in Daylesford and is sold locally at markets, as well as at Vic’s Meats and select IGAs. − Erina Starkey
Zeal silicone measuring spoon set $19.95
Allow me to present three reasons the star baker in your life will love this measuring spoon set: 1. The 15ml wooden tablespoon is perfect for US and UK recipes (an Australian standard tablespoon is 20ml); 2. It includes a ⅛ teaspoon for those precise-yet-pesky salt measures; and 3. They all slide onto a ring clip for easy access in an unwieldy utensil drawer. On your marks, get (this spoon) set, bake! − Annabel Smith
Various stockists including Gewurzhaus, Chef’s Hat, David Jones, Victoria’s Basement
Pep pepper grinder, $19.95
Step aside, fancy salt, it’s pepper’s turn now. Yes, pepper is finally getting the gourmet treatment with the arrival of this sunny yellow grinder. Grown in the rich soils of Cambodia’s Memot region, Pep aromatic single-origin peppercorns have proper punch and complexity thanks to their high piperine levels. Perfect with scrambled eggs, pepper steak or any dish that could do with some extra kick. − Megan Johnston
StrangeLove Lime & Jalapeno Soda, 4 pack $14
Give the gift of hydration this Christmas, but make it exciting. This spiced elixir is the poster child of Australia’s flourishing soft-drink scene − a mix of limes from north-west Victoria, and chillies. Admittedly, this combination of flavours might sound a little odd to pair with, say, a sandwich. But it ain’t. There’s a heat to it, but it won’t whack you around. It’s also good served with a splash of tequila and lots of ice. − Sarah Norris
Kushino Farm Green Yuzu Kosho (yuzu pepper paste), 50g $18.50
This little jar is a secret weapon, a flavour bomb that will improve anything it touches. The umami-rich paste is made in southern Japan by fermenting fresh green chillies with yuzu peel and salt, and it delivers a jolt of heat plus a zesty fragrance somewhere between lemon, orange and grapefruit. Brush it on chicken or fish, stir into mayonnaise, dollop a teaspoon into mashed avo, or serve alongside noodle soup – or any dish that could be improved by citrus and heat, which is, let’s face it, everything. − Roslyn Grundy
Available at various Japanese grocers and food stores, including cibi.com.au
Alexander Street ham bag, $20
Can I spend slightly more than $20, please? Because I would love to burn the new Baba’s Place candle over these steamy summer nights. A collaboration between the Marrickville warehouse restaurant and Sydney-based Hunter Candles, it smells of frankincense and oakwood, and it would look terrific on a doily.
I’d also be pretty chuffed to have one of the new ham bags from bespoke business Alexander Street, though. Specifically, the $20 bag embroidered with “Eat a piece of fruit”, quoting every parent to a child loading up with a fourth round of leftovers on Boxing Day. − Callan Boys
Available online through alexanderst.co, or at Sydney’s Carriageworks Christmas Markets on December 21
Lanolips x Messina 101 Ointment Multi-Balm, $15
This is the perfect little stocking stuffer for any Gelato Messina fan in your life, or better yet, a Messina fan with perpetually dry lips (just me?). The lip balm, a collab between Australian-owned Lanolips and the rapidly expanding gelato brand, comes in two of Messina’s signature flavours: dulce de leche, and salted coconut and mango. When rogue gelato cravings hit and you’re not near one of Messina’s 30-ish stores, whacking on some of this balm is the next best thing. − Isabel Cant
Acide pickled chilli crisp giardiniera, $18.50
It’s a hefty jar, yes, but it pushes lots of buttons. There’s the warm hum of a good chilli crisp. There are crunchy peanut nubbins. Then there’s the pickled veg: a jumble of cauliflower, jalapeno, capsicum, wombok and carrot. In other words, a textural party that’s welcome in new-year, new-me grain bowls and, before that, a large ham and cheese toastie on Boxing Day. − Emma Breheny
Ceramabake non-stick ceramic small loaf pan, $19.95
Loaf-tin recipes saved the day more times than I can count for our family this year. From home-made sandwich meats to healthy-ish banana bread, loaf-tin recipes are a cheap and practical way to prep nutritious breakfast and lunchbox options. This new ceramic baking range from Stanley Rogers makes them healthier still. The two-layer non-stick surface is free from “forever chemicals” such as PFAS, PFOS and PFOA as well as heavy metals cadmium and lead. Buy two and you’re ready for batch baking. − Megan Johnston
Adam Liaw’s Foodbank Spatula, $19.95
It may seem like we’re scraping the bottom of the barrel for ideas here, but there’s a good reason to buy this Minimax spatula. Besides being cute − it was designed by Good Food contributor Adam Liaw − it also supports a great cause. All sale proceeds are donated to Australia’s largest hunger relief charity, Foodbank. Buy a spatula and you’ll be helping to provide 24 meals to families in need. − Erina Starkey
Josh and Sue Cranberry Sauce, $10.95
This jammy cranberry sauce has a dash of muscat to add extra merriment to your turkey or ham. ’Tis the season to be jolly, after all. Try it in a sandwich with brie, rocket and a slice of whatever festive roast meat you have going. − Annabel Smith
Bakasco Yuzu & Kaki Vinegar Pepper Sauce, $19.95
If you think green Tabasco is the king of hot sauces (and I’m with you there), you’ll be splashing this zesty fellow on everything you eat with unbridled enthusiasm. It has a light peppery hit – you could even call it a “pepper nudge” – backed by a rewarding burst of yuzu citrus, leaving a glorious warmth in your mouth. The only problem is that at 60ml, it’ll disappear too quickly. Best to buy two. − Sarah Norris
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