Eat Street: Best edible gifts in Sydney in 2023
These fantastic foodie finds will have you “sleighing” that Christmas gift list faster than those hard-working elves in Santa’s North Pole workshop. Check out Eat Street’s list.
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These fantastic foodie finds will have you “sleighing” that Christmas gift list faster than those hardworking elves in Santa’s North Pole workshop.
Take a tour of Sydney’s best Christmas gift businesses with The Sunday Telegraph’s Eat Street. Are you hungry for more inspiration? Follow us on Instagram or Twitter. #SydneyEatStreet
SWEETS AND TREATS
Finding sweets and treats through the holiday season is a piece of (fruit) cake but these Yule-time options, such as Tokyo Lamington’s Christmas collection, deserve special attention.
Their Christmas pudding lamington is made with singing magpie fruits, fruit salad lamington and a strawberry gin and tonic lamington made in collaboration with Poor Tom’s.
For mince pies, Humble Bakery has stout and brandy-soaked Fruit Mince Pies with Shortcrust Pastry.
And Din Tai Fung has a tasty twist on a Christmas classic with a fluffy candy cane-shaped bao with rich chocolate fudge sauce.
EXCURSIONS AND EVENTS
For the curious culinarian, these adventures add a bit of intrigue to the drinking and dining experience, such as Secret Foodie’s mystery dinners, where guests are given a date and time, but the destination is only revealed via text two hours before this culinary adventure.
Or for those keen to learn more about the authentic food and drinks in Sydney’s multicultural suburbs, Taste Cultural Food Tours offers local-led tours.
If wine is your thing, take a trip to the vines at Chateau Tanunda’s cellar door for their ‘Cave de Shiraz’ tasting experience.
COOKING CLASSES
Whether they’re a wiz with a whisk or avoid the oven like a lump of coal, there’s more to cooking classes than a culinary crash course; they’re an opportunity to laugh and bond over a shared learning experience.
There are heaps of sweet and savoury options, such as Bottega Coco’s pasta masterclass, where Italian chef Pier Davide Maiuri will lead students to a perfect pappardelle ragù.
Better yet, it’s followed by a two-course shared banquet.
For some sweet sessions, try a cupcake class at The Classic Cupcake Co or head to The Sydney Chocolate School in the northern beaches.
To shake things up, there’s a sleigh-load of cocktail-making options, including ones at Archie Rose, Four Pillars, and Hickson Road distilleries or other restaurants and bars.
TIPPLES
It’s not called the silly season for nothing, but if you’re going to add a tipple to your gifting list, these options have a bit more character than your basic bottle, such as The Botanist Gin X Vahy Artisanal Fragrance pack, which includes the Isle of Blanc fragrance along with a 200ml bottle of The Botanist Gin ($250).
Personalise a Johnnie Walker Blue Label bottle at their pop-up whisky-tasting experience on Pitt Street Mall, Blue Room (available until 29 December).
Rugby League fans will fall for this collaboration between Underground Spirits and three NRL clubs to create three distinctive Limited-Edition Club branded spirits: Panthers Three Peat Carmel Vodka, Parramatta Eels Fruit Pickers Gin, and West Tigers 25th Anniversary Gin (see right).
For a gift that keeps on giving, pick up a custom wine squealer from The Erko or Abercrombie, a 1-litre takeaway tap wine bottle that can be filled with Pinot Grigio, Rose or Grenache.
HAMPER TIME
For a curated collection of artisanal products, Woodcut’s Head Chef Ross Lusted has prepared a Christmas hamper that includes a 2.5kg ham, with a Woodcut maple and cider ham glaze, along with Long Paddock Driftwood Cheese, Olsson salt, Pedro Ximenes steeped prunes, Woodcut Olive Oil and Panettone plus a Woodcut branded apron ($350).
For more specialty products, visit your local market.
CHRISTMAS MARKETS
And whether you’re shopping for your favourite foodie or just taking in the festive vibe over lunch, these dedicated Christmas markets your go-to for yuletide cheer.
LE JOLLY MARKETS
As they say, when one door closes, another opens. That’s the best way to describe Le Jolly Markets.
They came to life as an alternative for the twice-cancelled Bastille Festival in July 2020 and 2021 during Covid.
Le Jolly Night Markets, which has stretched from five nights to eight this year, is a celebration of all things French, just at a different time of year.
The markets are at the Customs House Forecourt in Circular Quay from December 15-22, from 5.30pm-10.30pm.
They will have a French Christmas feel, complete with faux snow, wooden huts with pine garlands and fairy lights, merry music and entertainment — all under the sparkling lights of the giant Christmas tree.
Founder Vincent Hernandez said after last year’s overwhelmingly positive reception two more days have been added, as have more local and regional NSW artisan producers with an emphasis on supporting local businesses, sustainability, and affordability.
There is a line-up of 40 vendors with French and French-inspired food such as lobster rolls from Lobster House, steamed mussels in white wine sauce from Orleans Moules-Frites, and raclette cheese and potatoes from French Cheese, as well as sweets galore.
CUSTOMS HOUSE FORECOURT, 31 ALFRED ST, SYDNEY; LEJOLLYMARKET.COM.AU
GOOD GIFT MARKET
A feel-good market with more than 40 stalls featuring food and gifts focused on sustainable and charitable endeavours will take over Centenary Square on December 7 from 2pm-8.30pm.
It will be put on by City of Parramatta in conjunction with their annual Good Gift Guide, which showcases organisations focused on social enterprises, fair trade initiatives, ethical purchasing options, environmentally conscious businesses, indigenous-owned or founded enterprises and charities.
One fave for vendor for festive treats is the inner-west chocolatier Chocolate Artisan.
Not only are you supporting a local business, but also providing aid to the Solomon Islands farmers that provide cacao to the South Pacific.
There are heaps more gifting options, as well as food trucks and stalls to keep you satiated along the way.
MARTIN PLACE CHRISTMAS MARKET
Sydney’s giant Christmas tree bedazzled with red and gold baubles standing tall over Martin Place is a sure sign that the holiday season is upon us. But it’s also a decent landmark for this CBD Christmas Market.
“This year the Martin Place Christmas Market will be bigger and better, with more stalls, carollers singing every Saturday, delicious international food from Spanish, to Turkish, to Italian and more,” says Madelienne Anderson, Cambridge Markets’ director and manager.
“There will be fun kids’ stalls, such as face painting and Som Som Candy with their animal face fairy floss.”
The Christmas tree will also light up to music every evening.
There are more than 50 stalls, with unique artisan products and stallholders changing from one day to the next.
It’s centrally located — a block from Pitt Street Mall —— and open from 11am-8pm.
There’s food for lunch and food for gifts.
CARRIAGEWORKS
For foodies and fans of artisan products, Saturday mornings at Carriageworks Farmers Market is a weekly ritual, but veterans and stallholders will tell you that there is nothing routine when it comes to Christmas.
“The annual Carriageworks Christmas Market brings together so many amazing local producers, farmers, and artisans from across New South Wales,” said creative director Mike McEnearney.
Many businesses got their start at Carriageworks, including the batch-churned, handcrafted cultured butter from Pepe Saya.
Wrap a red bow around a wheel of butter and a four-pack of Christmas tree-shaped crumpets for a delectable gift.
Market runs from 8am-3pm on December 23.
245 WILSON ST, EVELEIGH; CARRIAGEWORKS.COM.AU
ORGANIC FOOD
The veterans behind some of Sydney’s famous food markets, will be keeping things fresh with designated Christmas markets in Mona Vale (December 17, 2023) and St Ives (December 9, 16 & 23, 2023).
While you’re there picking up Christmas lunch fixings, stroll through the craft, fashion, and homeware stalls for gifting inspiration.
Their 12 other community markets will be trading at their regular times through Christmas Eve, December 24, 2023.
Winter warmers to celebrate the season
Everyone is happy to see the sun peeking through the clouds, but winter’s not all bad. Bid farewell to the colder days with one last hurrah of warming fare.
Sniffing out Sydney’s best truffle desserts
Save the best for last. As truffle season comes to a close, be sure to indulge in some sweet treats featuring the annual earthy gem.