Good Food gift guide: Pick and mix a Christmas hamper of (mostly) NSW products
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FOOD STUFF
Little Big Dairy Co brandy cream
$12 for 300ml
There's brandy cream, and then there's the brandy double cream by family-owned producer Little Big Dairy Co. Thick, smooth and just boozy enough, this decadent product pairs well with Christmas pudding, fruit crumbles and toasted slices of panettone. The cream comes from a sustainable single-source dairy outside Dubbo, where herd health comes first.
Lulu's Remedy chilli oil
$13 for 200g
Lulu's Remedy chilli oil was first created to "make everything better" during COVID lockdown, explains Sydney founder Monica Luppi. The oil, which incorporates ground Mexican chillies and cold-pressed canola oil from NSW suppliers, can be used to amp up everything from pasta to avo toast. Switch it up with new varieties infused with fiery 'nduja or umami-rich anchovies.
Wildflower ale seeded mustard from Condimental
$15 for $250g
This is a mustard for craft beer enthusiasts. Mustard seeds are soaked in a golden ale brewed by Wildflower, then sweetened with Blue Mountains honey from Malfoy's Gold. Condimental founder Cameron Stephens describes it as a "textural, complex and spicy little mustard" for use in sandwiches, salad dressings and cheese boards.
Cura's umami salt
$17.50 for 190ml
When Tony Schifilliti, head chef of three-hatted Stanmore restaurant SixPenny, makes a "secret weapon" for your kitchen pantry, it's worth the investment. This umami salt is made with rice koji, fermented mushroom powder, nutritional yeast, dried onion and garlic to create an instant flavour boost. "Add a little bit to anything from pasta sauces to meat marinades," Schifilliti suggests.
Pepe Saya's chocolate butter truffles
$19.95 for 6
Marrickville chocolatier Adora uses Pepe Saya's cultured butter to create these limited edition Belgian milk truffles, available exclusively online. "They're sweet, creamy and decadent," says founder Pierre "Pepe" Issa. "We want to do it because it brings out the flavour of the butter so well." It's the second collaboration for the two businesses, after their eminently popular salted caramels.
Outfield's pickle pack
$35
There's a range of punchy and seasonal pickles on offer from Ashfield cafe Outfield. Strawberry and pear pickles are bright pink and crunchy, best served in a rocket salad, while the passionfruit and green mango variety works with a summer pav. Outfield's three packs are a surprise combination of monthly specials and house favourites.
Mount Zero dirty olive brine
$13.25 for 330 ml
If your loved one has caught the dirty martini bug (like seemingly everyone), indulge them with a top-notch brine. The clever cats at Mount Zero have taken a byproduct of the olive-curing process and bottled it. It'll bring a salty kick to pasta sauces (hello, puttanesca), seafood dishes, salad dressings and, of course, martinis.
Kamebishi Two-Year-Old Soy Sauce
$53 for 1 litre
If you think "it's just soy sauce", think again. This is truly artisan soy, made according to more labour-intensive traditional methods by a family who have 17 generations of experience. Aged in cedar barrels, the final product is more mellow and subtle than mass-produced sauces, making it perfect for delicate dishes such as sashimi. True luxury.
KITCHEN KIT AND HOMEWARES
Nonna's Grocer produce candles
From $30
Inspired by her great-grandfather's Daylesford fruit shop, Wollongong designer Madeleine Hoy has created a range of candles bearing a striking resemblance to eggs, lemons and heirloom tomatoes. "My favourite reason for making the candles is the joy it brings people when they see them for the first time," Hoy says. "It's a nice mix of nostalgia and contemporary design."
Milly Dent ceramic dishes
From $36
Ceramicist Milly Dent cast her range of dishwasher-safe porcelain dishes and bowls from a row of sunflowers growing out the back of her Marrickville studio. Each is a slightly different shape and size, mirroring the natural face of each flower. Dent suggests using the smaller dishes for olives or crudites, while the larger options make for beautiful side plates.
Ezra salad servers by McMullin and Co
$79
Summertime is salad season. Alice McMullin extends her passion for "simple, considered and sustainable design" to this pair of curved salad servers with gently rounded edges, suitable for delicate leaves. "Each set is handmade from recycled teak and designed to complement an entertainer's setting," says operations manager Tina Tabram.
Double trouble cup set from House of NuNu
$79.65
This pair of heat-resistant, double-walled cups are made for sharing a cup of coffee or tea with your best friend. "They're basically a 'cheers' to those essential people in our lives," says Sydney-based founder Nura Hatami. The borosilicate glass, while beautiful, also functions to insulate your drink, keeping it warmer for a longer period of time.
In Bed linen tablecloth
From $130
In Bed's range of timeless linen tablecloths come in a variety of patterns, colours and sizes, making it easy to match with any interior style. They're made from 100 per cent flax linen, produced sustainably in keeping with the "responsible and respectful" ethos of Sydney-based founder Pip Vassett. Monthly donations from online sales have been passed onto Women's Community Shelters since 2017.
TS Makers abstract pedestal serving board
$209
Inner west husband-and-wife team Tim and Sarah Ford lean on their carpentry and design background to hand make hardwood serving boards inspired by organic shapes found in nature. This abstract pedestal serving board is created from sustainable Queensland spotted gum. "It's a beautiful way to present food in the centre of a table," says Sarah.
Mud Australia egg cup
From $50
Handmade in Sydney, one of these porcelain egg cups will make the bright yolk of a morning egg positively pop. A minimal silhouette makes it feel more contemporary than your average egg cup. With 19 colour choices, pick your loved one's favourite shade or match it to the rest of their crockery with ease.
Jessica Nguyen x Kip & Co napkins
$79 for six
Cook the table could be the motto of every owner of these scallop-covered napkins. Sitting pretty with chillies and tomatoes, the shells in shades of pink and coral make a summer-perfect print (and pasta recipe). Melbourne's own domestic goddess, Jessica Nguyen, says the range is inspired by long Italian lunches. We say salut.
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Bianca Hrovat – Bianca is Good Food’s Sydney eating out and restaurant editor.