... and for the health conscious and/or eco warriors in your life.
For the foodie:
You can book fabulous pottery classes with Aaron St East in Dublin. Or order their iconic mugs online with an extra thoughtful coffee box subscription from 3fe or Brew Box.
Check out Open Hive raw Irish honey, bee’s wax candles, and wild flower bee bombs. We took a tour of our nearest hive with Kyle and Sadhbh (photographed above) and fell in love with the majesty that is the Irish black bee. It’s a population that needs nurturing, so please consider supporting the work of bee keepers protecting native Irish bees.
Mushroom growing kit or foraging event with Ballyhoura Shrooms.
My next cookery demo, as a gift! 3-class course of celebrating veggies for €41. Just message me if you want a Christmas card posted with the order 😉 There are lovely courses by Terri Ann in River Run Ferments here too, for a kickass afternoon fermenting your own veg and baking sourdough.
Clever Batch cookbook on sale this month for €16! I also love The Irish Cookbook by JP McMahon. And The Farmette Cookbook by Imen McDonnell.
Nibbed Cacao and their raw chocolate melting spoons for €2.95, made my auntie and niece duo in Wicklow.
Ot something celestial from the genius that is Bean and Goose. I usually get their 3 month tasting club as the ultimate gift for friends. (The gift that really does keep on giving!) Or a chocolate slab through the letterbox of someone you love.
Irish vintner Roisin Curley making mindblowingly good wine from the Burgundy region in France. Go Roisin! There’s also a unique Irish strawberry wine, perfect for foodie freaks like me, made locally in Wicklow.
Fermoyle pottery makes my food look 100% more beautiful. And if it looks better, it tastes better too!
Ireland’s first biodynamicly produced whiskey, called Luna. How awesome is this! And an outstanding vermouth made on Valentia island by two totally fabulous women. Your local Supervalu probably stocks Valentia Island Vermouth, or check here if you’re purchasing from oversees and would like a bottle delivered to an Irish address. Glint Studio make the most amazing glasses that are upcycled from Dublin pubs and bottlebanks. Check them out!
GIY grow boxes including a very special kids version, early spring edition, salad leaves grow box, all sorts of amazingness to help us connect with Mother N.
Organic blueberry bushes (2 are needed to pollinate) from Quick Crop Organic.
Two Wooden Horses hand carved and torched serving boards. You’ll see mine hanging in my kitchen, they are that beautiful.
Nobo Christmas selection box, dairy-free chocolate with compostable wrappers and designed to fit through standard letterboxes. All you need is your pal’s postal addy!
Loose leaf tea like no other. Try Lapsang Souchong, WB Yeats’ favourite tea, and Solaris legendary loose leaf camomile. Small company on the West coast of Ireland.
Handmade Soap Co. for foodies who want to smell of mint, thyme and rosemary!
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Skin food freaks:
Reuzi sell all The Greats, with less packaging.
Bodhi Blends, fabu food for the skin. I’m using Glow Drops right now, and love it.
Gua Sha tool at Oxmantown based in Dublin. Lots of face oils too, and fabulous scents if you want to smell as fresh as your kitchen garden.
Dublin Herbalists never disappoint. Sustainably packaged, and thoughtfully curated gift packs.
Baressential goodies for the face and the soul. Grá Mór.
Sprouted broccoli juice for glowing skin and a battery boost! I’ve been taking this for nearly 10 years, when my system feels under attack or my skin feels dull. A box of sprouted broccoli shots will make a really thoughtful gift to someone cocooning over winter. Admittedly they are not designed to casually sip and drink, I shoot mine back and chase it with a slice of lime (had plenty of practice for that in my twenties!)
Hmm … Black Friday feels like junk food for the soul. It muscles artisans, small producers, Irish growers, and sustainable eco brands out of the market. Now, more than ever, our local economy needs support as does our culture, our artists, our environment, the very fabric of our towns and cities need cheer leaders. I was on Amazon.de checkout last night with a freaking bobble head of Dwight Shrute for goodness sake! It’s so easy to end up buying rubbish under time pressure. I don’t know how it happens, but it does.
So I compiled this list to keep me on track. I’m not perfect, but I’m trying my best!
And I thought you might appreciate it too.
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