Easy DIY Food Gifts for Christmas
With non-essential shops closed until Wednesday, December 2, it’s time to get creative with your gift-buying. Whether you pop online to see what the virtual shelves have to offer, or you decide to dig out your craft box or sewing machine to see what you can make by hand, now’s the time to be getting your thinking cap on where Christmas gifts are concerned.
To help you plan for a fabulous festive season, we have some DIY gift ideas you can make at home. While essential shops like your local supermarket are still open, you can get everything you need to practice your homemade gift ideas now. Then, once the shops open again, you can head to smaller, independent shops who will be welcome of the support in the run up to December 25. Here are some DIY food gifts you can have a go at making in the meantime…
Slow Cooker Mulled Cider
We bet you didn’t know you could make mulled cider in the slow cooker, did you? Well, you can – and the Kitchn site has the recipe.
Make plenty of it and decant it into Kilner-style bottles. Finish with a raffia ribbon and add a cinnamon stick or a slice of dried orange and you have yourself a lovely homemade gift.
‘…mulled cider is just so delicious and the smell so inviting…” says the team at Kitchn. “Guests of all ages never seem to turn down a mug.”
Christmas Cookies
Here’s a recipe you can have fun trying with he kids…after all, everyone loves making cookies. Plus, you can fill your house with delicious Christmassy scents in the process; what could be better?
There are loads of tempting recipes online, too. Below are a few we like the look of:
BBC Good Food’s Snowman Biscuits
Goodhousekeeping’s Christmas Butter Cookies
Jane’s Patisserie’s Gingerbread Men
Again, add your finished cookies to a beautifully decorated glass jar and give them to someone special.
Peppermint Creams
You only need four ingredients to make peppermint creams – just three if you don’t use the optional dark chocolate.
Kids will love making these as they’re so simple to create – and they’re deliciously moreish too. Again, whip out a Kilner jar or wrap them in a sheet of baking parchment, complete with a gorgeous, festive ribbon.
Or why not go all-out and buy a chocolate-style box online, adding your peppermint creams to give your gift a luxurious, shop-bought look?
Christmas Chutney
For the friend or family member who loves a big slab of cheese over the festive season, how about some Christmas chutney? There are lots of recipes online you can try, but we like this one from Delia Smith.
Delia says: “This is so-named because it is made with dried fruits, which I always associate with Christmas: prunes, dates and apricots” – take a look at her recipe online.
Like this blog post? Here some more you might like:
What is a wine sommelier? A Handy Guide
How to Make the Best of the Festive Season
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Until next time…