Here at Foodism, we're all about the festive season — and coming up with excellent gift ideas is a big part. Sure, we'll enjoy some delicious holiday drinks or open-fire-roasted chestnuts at home, but it's really the (boozy and otherwise) holiday pop-ups and markets that get us in the gift-giving mood. There's even something about escaping the bitter cold and sliding into a seat at one of best restaurants in Toronto that gets us feeling all jolly.
This holiday season, we're spreading joy in the form of foodie gift ideas for everyone on your list because, admittedly, the holidays can be kind of stressful. The turkey goes rogue without warning, something will definitely burn and perhaps we overdid it on the spiked eggnog.
Everything is fine. We've got you covered with our picks of the best foodie gift ideas all wrapped up nicely in this easy and fun gift guide. Whether you're shopping for a cooking connoisseur or need a hosting gift on the fly, we've got the most delicious gift ideas to keep the kitchen party going all season long. Happy shopping!
Gift ideas for everyone on your list
Playing with your food is heavily encouraged with these colourful, chef-approved aprons. As seen on The Food Network, they showcase a variety of flexibility in fit, design and colour, but all adhere to quality and durability standards of top chefs, ahem, or home cooks.
Chefs of any skill level are going to love pulling any of these bad boys out of their stocking. Quality tested and remarkably stylish, Medium Rare products should be your go-to gift idea this year. The specialty aprons are perfect for the frequent host or someone who's always experimenting in the kitchen, the tasting spoons can be used for mixing cocktails or canapés, and the beanies will keep anyone cozy through a frigid winter.
This award-winning whisky is sure to make spirits bright this holiday season. A true representation of Deanston's unique character in flavour and style, this Virgin Oak whisky is brimming with notes of juicy orange and soft honey, complemented with creamy vanilla, caramel and warm spices. Enjoy this uniquely waxy spirit neat or use it to add dimension to your favourite whisky cocktails.
Every home chef knows just how important a quality tomato sauce is for elevating a dish's flavours from good to great. Authentic, simple and (most importantly) delicious, Stefano Faita Italian tomato sauces definitely fit that bill. Their spicy arrabbiata, tasty marinara or creamy rosée are perfect stocking stuffers.
Look extra sparkly this season when you're sipping bubbly from these crystal coupes. They may be your new, fancy-schmancy set, but these hand-blown babies are dishwasher safe, which makes holiday clean up a breeze.
These tiny works of edible art are almost too pretty to eat — but that’s not going to stop us. Bite into their delicate, hand-painted chocolate shells and gush over their soft truffle-like centres bursting with fun flavours like avocado toast, mulled wine and rum nog.
Give the gift that keeps on giving with this adorable Advent calendar. For a donation of as little as $24, you can support 24 different projects from Canadian charities. Each door reveals a charity and project that you're supporting. Warm fuzzy feeling: activated.
Build a blinged out gingerbread house with this designer kit. It comes complete with pre-baked gingerbread house pieces, cookie icing, royal icing decor pieces and, the pièce de resistance, glittery sugar sprinkles to make the whole thing fabulous.
Who has time to sharpen their own knives anymore? This 15-piece set from Henckels sharpens the knives every time they're removed from the block, and will be your home chef's new favourite kitchen tools. The wood block will look great in their home, too.
The home cook in your life will love getting creative with these flavourful spice toppings from Sacheli. Add them to salads, soups, pasta dishes and more for an extra kick of flavour. You can even sprinkle them over fried eggs or popcorn on movie nights.
It's tough to imagine a more perfect espresso machine. Complicated bells and whistles are absent with the Breville Barista Express Impress — instead, this brand new machine smartly adjusts itself for grind density, so you can achieve the perfectly dosed espresso every time. The manual lever for pressing the grinds will have you feeling like a certified barista in your own home.
Ontario-made, Ren Ultra Premium Vodka is our kind of holiday helper. Your home bartender will love using it for chocolate martinis, a spicy hair-of-the-dog caesar or in a cranberry cocktail. And hopefully you'll get a sip, too.
No more burning your tongue on a cup of tea — the Fellow Stagg EKG Pourover Kettle lets you control the temperature of your boiled water (to the degree) on a digital screen. It will even keep it warm for up to an hour — so cool... err, hot.
Give the gift of Mildred's gloriously fluffy pancakes at home, because no one wants to go outside when it's cold. This kit includes everything they'll need to enjoy pancakes from the comfort of their bed: Mrs. Biederhof’s pancake dry mix, organic maple syrup and a wild blueberry compote. Yum.
Be the dinner party hero we all need when you show up with The Celebration Box by Nibbl, which includes four delicious signature cheeses, a gorgeous wooden cheeseboard, cocktail napkins (because we're fancy) and a personalized greeting card.
You can never go wrong with gifting a bold red to your festive dinner party host this season. Cigar Box Old Vine Pinot Noir from Chile's Casablanca Valley is rich and vibrant with lots of smoky warm spice flavours, and it pairs wonderfully with a holiday roast.
Take all the guesswork out of mixology with Dillon's Cocktail Kits, cute sets of assorted booze and mix complete with helpful recipe cards. Schitts Creek fans will be delighted to get their hands on the "Moyra Rose" set that shakes up a mean rose gin cocktail.
Your budding home chef will love adding the Rosle Kitchen Torch to their cooking toolkit. It comes equipped with an adjustable gas dial for precision when making crème brûlée or quick roasted peppers. The fuel reservoir will burn for one hour, and it's easy to refill with butane or propane.
Don't be surprised if all of these scrumptious, stuffed cookies are gone before Santa even arrives. Bite into fave holiday flavours like Terry's Chocolate Orange, gingerbread white chocolate and candy cane shortbread.
Kilne's new lightweight Everything Pan comes in three very stylish colours. Non-stick, non-scratch and non-toxic, its large cooking surface area heats evenly and is ideal for creating delicious sauces or efficient pan-frying.
What could be more adorable (and Canadian) than this tiny Timbit box felt ornament? While there are no doughnuts in here, we can all agree that if there were, they would be the best flavour: honey glazed.
Add some glittering gold to their holiday season with a shiny bottle of Bottega Gold Prosecco. As bright and lively on the inside as it is on the outside, this sparkling wine is fresh and floral with hints of pear, and it goes down oh so easy.
There's something so soothing about a warm cuppa on a cold day. Throughout December, you can open this bright Advent calendar to reveal 24 cups of Davids Tea (technically 48 because each tiny door has two portions), from very merry blends to best sellers.
Yotam Ottolenghi's second installment of Ottolenghi Test Kitchen is an excellent gift idea for that person who can never make the same recipe twice. Tons of meal inspo are on these pages, with recipes that don't shy away from pantry staples and freezer-friendly ingredients.
This massive snack pack is bursting with curated bites from small, underrepresented businesses from across Canada. From hand-painted mini sugar cookies and gingerbread sea salt caramels to white cheddar popcorn, this gift box covers all those holiday cravings.
No after-dinner walk is complete without a beverage to-go. Whether you like it mulled or chilled, your vino will be safe inside this Yeti Wine Tumbler. The double-wall vacuum insulation keeps your cocoa hot or your eggnog chilled to the last sip.
These delicious gummies are sure to sweeten the deal this holiday season. Dusted with sour sugar and infused with real rosé, these decadent gummies are full of natural strawberry flavours.
For that oh-so-fancy friend in your life, this gift box comes with everything you need to make tasty little caviar canapés. Use the beautiful mother of pearl spoons to spread a dollop of the Riviera Crème Fraîche over the crackers or blinis. Add the Organic Northern Divine Caviar and top with chives and dill for a decadent amuse bouche.
Spruce up those home holiday parties with a delicious 'sea-cuterie' board from Scout Market Goods. This set includes three fan favourite Scout cans, a spreader, fork, cheese knife and shucker, and a wood serving board with ceramic bowls. A festive crowd-pleaser indeed.
