Em’s top 10 gluten free and vegan festive gift ideas
Hi from all of us at Honeybuns bakery in Dorset. I’d like to thank all of our loyal customers on behalf of all of us here at Honeybuns bakery. Your online custom and fabulous feedback has kept us all motivated and crucially, enabled us to keep trading and protect jobs.
With Christmas fairs being cancelled due to the second lockdown and the nights turning dark and chilly, online shopping is the safer and more convenient option. But with a bewildering breadth of online offers, where should you head for something really special and thoughtful?
Tadah! We invite you to browse this carefully curated collection of the very best of artisan producers from the West Country. Pop the kettle on, select a comfy armchair, snuggle up and get ready to ‘shop and sustain’.
How did we select our top ten festive gift ideas for you?
We chose foodie gift ideas with a couple of gorgeous non food Christmas pressie suggestions included for good measure. We picked gift ideas that are:
Let’s get started with the festive foodie (and drink) gift ideas first.
Comins Tea – Explore Oolong Tea Gift Box
Comins opened their tea house in Sturminster Newton, Dorset to much acclaim. Their loose teas are exquisite and impeccably sourced. Their aesthetic is stunning – from the tea house interior to their beautiful packaging and range of porcelain tea accessories. For the inquisitive foodie their ‘Exploring tea’ packs will hit the spot perfectly and at £15 methinks it’s a perfect contender for a posh secret santa. Gluten free and vegan friendly.
Cracking Nuts – Spicy Hand-Roasted Nut Selection
Cracking Nuts started off with a little nut roasting cart by the beach at Ilfracombe, North Devon. They offer a delicious range of roasted, naturally flavoured nuts that come in cute little tubs. We love the spicy selection. Why not partner with the Somerset Cider (below) for a pub lover’s dream gift? Gluten free and suitable for vegans.
Somerset Cider Brandy Company – The Cider Bus Pack
Made at the foot of Burrow Hill, Somerset on the Temperley’s beautiful family farm. Each year their beloved cider bus trundles off to Glastonbury Festival which is where we became acquainted. At £30 for 8 bottles of cider and a bottle of the award winning Kingston Black Aperitif, this is a steal.
Honeybuns – Vegan Gift Tin
Made by our own fair hands in our dedicated gluten free bakery in Dorset. The tin is adorable and all the cakes in this collection are gluten free and vegan. Check out our sustainability measures. Also check out our gorgeous Hot Chocolate Kit gift in a tin featuring a handmade upcycled Christmas stocking.
Solkikki Chocolate – Dark Milk Collection 60, 62, 64, 65%
This multi award winning vegan chocolate is the best we’ve ever tried and I’m popping a subscription on my Christmas wish list as soon as I finish this blog! The dark milk collection features 4 different cocoa beans from 4 different estates and is a wonderful introduction to gourmet chocolate. Most of their chocolate is gluten free and everything is vegan. Solkikki’s eco credentials are impeccable. To quote from their website, ‘Quality, taste, health, sustainability and compassion can co-exist!’
The Dorset Chilli Shop – Vegan Chilli Jar Set
These were sold out on their website at the time of writing. When I called to check if this vegan set would be back in stock it was explained to me that a new batch was being hand made on the weekend. You can’t get more artisan and less mass produced than that. Their mushroom relish is super versatile and can be used as a (gluten free) toast topper or added to soups and veggie shepherd’s pie. A lovely addition to any vegan cook’s store cupboard.
The English Truffle Company – Flaked Black Truffle Sea Salt
This is a fab pressie for any keen cook. Gluten free and suitable for vegans, this truffle salt imparts a rich flavour to sauces, stews, pies-anything requiring an extra savoury kick. The Truffle company are based in our native Dorset and also offer truffle hunting days in the woods.
Reads Coffee – Firehouse Strong Espresso
Giles and Charlotte are based just down the road from Honeybuns HQ and we’ve been serving their multi award winning coffee at festivals and shows along side our cakes for over 10 years. Customers invariably come back for more which is the best validation really.
The Firehouse Espresso is named after the local Sherborne fire brigade and would make a really lovely stocking filler for anyone with Dorset connections. Personally, I’m hooked on Reads decaf which is indiscernible from the fully leaded.
A couple of non food festive gift ideas
The English Stamp Company – Home Produce Stamp
This stamp is designed for labelling up your home made jams, chutneys or sloe gins, or even our festive Florentine Mix. You can buy the ink pads here too. Ideal for a keen foodie stocking filler. Based in Worth Matravers, Dorset this lovely company offers off the peg and bespoke stamps for every imaginable occasion. We use their stamps, with bespoke Honeybuns bakery designs on our online orders. Fabulous product and service.
The Botannical Candle Co. – The Hibernation Gift Box
We adore this company and can whole heartedly recommend EVERYTHING they do! I’ve just ordered this hibernation set including their best selling Quietude candle and bed socks for my neighbour-..if I can bear to part with them-.
Eco packaging is standard and they are passionate about ‘people before profit’ as their happy team and customers can attest.
To sum, up, we can vouch for the quality and authenticity of each of these producers/suppliers. They’re also lovely people to boot.
Thank you again for your support and wishing you all the very best. Here’s to sunnier times ahead.
Love Em & us all here at Honeybuns x
If you enjoyed this blog, why not take a look at some other ideas on how to make Christmas more sustainable.
