The countdown is on until Christmas day. We’ve taken the stress out of getting presents around the tree and stockings stuffed with our guide to some of the best unique, handmade gifts from Australia’s South West.
Food of the Southern Forests Cookbook and Gourmet Hampers
Got a budding Heston Blumenthal on your Christmas shopping list? Unwrapping this 400-page cookbook by renowned WA chef Sophie Zalokar is sure to make their Christmas morning.
The book contains recipes like kale and ricotta wraps with a wattleseed za’atar or a macadamia and dried pear loaf served with lashings of salted caramel butter, alongside the stories of the wonderful people that grow the produce in the region. It’s a heartwarming read, perfect for anyone with interest in fresh and sustainable cooking.
Food of the Southern Forests cookbook will set you back $60.00 and is available for purchase from Southern Forests Food Council Inc.
There is also an incredible range of gourmet hampers available, which make perfect Christmas gifts allowing visitors and consumers a chance to share and experience the tastes of the Southern Forests at home.
Deep Blue Tub Mugs by Gary Hambleton
Coffee on Christmas morning will taste that much better when sipped from a brand new, handcrafted mug. Made by South West potter Gary Hambleton, this mug set is a one-of-a-kind gift, perfect for the coffee, tea, and homewares lover in your life.
Pick a set up from Commonage Pottery and Gallery online for $34.00. If you’re stopping by the gallery for a gander at the other handmade products available, you might as well pop into the Happs Winery cellar door to taste test their portfolio while you’re there. A few bottles of their bubbles on the Christmas table will go down a treat.
Christian Fletcher Playing Cards
Ditch the stock-standard stocking stuffers this year and throw down your trump card with a uniquely ‘South West’ gift like this deck of playing cards featuring Christian Fletcher’s stunning landscape photography. It’s got all the signature Fletcher beachscapes, as well as some colourful aerials from around the state.
At just $14.00 a pop, you really can’t go wrong.
Glass Vase from JahRoc Galleries
It can be hard finding the perfect gift for that person that has everything. That’s where a unique, handmade piece can save the day. Part art and part homeware, a hand-blown glass vase will make the perfect addition to the decor in any home. The best part? You can be 99.99% certain that your giftee doesn’t have anything else like it.
These Tiffany Pocket Vases are available for $230.00 at the JahRoc Gallery online, or you can stop by their Margaret River based outlet to take a closer look at their range of art, furniture, and homewares, and pick one up in person.
George Dorozenko Silk Scarf
Somewhere between art and fashion are George Dorozenko’s cotton-silk blend scarves. 100% wearable, they use bright, vibrant colours to challenge the way we see some of life’s more mundane objects; and, they make a wonderful Christmas gift. Who would have thought that beach sand, a humble artichoke, or some agave could be so striking?
Order a scarf from Collie Art Gallery online ($49.95), or make a day of it and head into the gallery to pick one up yourself. If you’re crafty and care to be eco-conscious this Christmas, you can even use one of the scarves to wrap a gift. How’s that for nifty?
A Canister Full of Delicious Tea
Sometimes it’s the little gifts that go the longest way. Let someone know you’re thinking of them this Christmas with an elegant tea canister filled with tea from Nannup’s Tiny Tea Shop. There’s room for 50g worth of tea in there, and you can choose to fill it with either buddha tears jasmine pearl, chrysanthemum flower balls (they bloom when brewed), or iron goddess oolong tea.
The canister and its contents will set you back $37.99. Order online, and Tiny Tea Shop will gift wrap it for you and even pop in a handwritten note. Alternatively, pay them a visit on your next trip through Nannup.
Truffle Hill At Home Chef Starter Pack
You can never have too much of a good thing, and Truffle Hill’s ‘At Home Chef Starter Pack’ is a prime example of that. Loaded with gourmet truffle-infused goodies, this gift pack is made for the fungi fiend. The standard pack includes truffle-infused oil, mustard, aioli, honey, sea salt, and a mushroom and truffle tapenade. If you can’t resist adding in a little more gourmet, there are a few optional upgrades you can make too.
The straight starter pack starts from $98.00 and can be purchased online or in-store at Truffle Hill.
Nina’s Sparkling Champagne Diamond Gift Box
Are you looking for something for that special someone in your life? Show them how much you care with a luxury, champagne diamond gift box from Nina’s Jewellery. Not only will your loved one get a beautiful bottle of Nina’s sparkling wine (crafted by Wills Domain) and a block of Bettenay’s nougat, but carefully tucked into the gift box is a glittering 0.15-carat champagne diamond too. Think of it as a blank canvas – a gift that the recipient can have set into any piece of jewellery, any way they desire.
The gift boxes start from $500.00 but, if you wish to upgrade the diamond to a white or Argyle pink diamond, prices will vary. Shop online at Nina’s Jewellery, or call into the Dunsborough showroom to chat with the jewellers.
Botanical Skincare
Encourage your friends and family to promote self-care this Christmas with the beautiful skincare products. This Skincare Pack from The Lake House Denmark’s beauty range, Lake Botanicals, is the ultimate indulgence. It contains a refreshing cleansing lotion, a balance day cream and replenishing night cream for unparalleled skin nourishment and hydration. There is a range of other botanically based beauty products you can add for extra pampering, from body butters, hand and nail oils, to scented candles.
You can get the Lake Botanicals Skincare Pack for $99.00 online or pay The Lake House in Denmark a visit for a wine tasting, a Vinofood-studded platter, and a spot of shopping at the cellar door.
Stuffed Octopus or Whale Toy from Busselton Jetty
Have you got a budding marine biologist on your hands? We’re willing to bet that they’ll be thrilled to unwrap a cute marine-themed toy on Christmas morning. The Busselton Jetty Interpretive Centre’s gift store is brimming with fun (and often educational) toys representing the thriving underwater ecosystem some 2km out at sea. Enjoy a morning walk out to the end of the structure, where you can head below sea level to get a glimpse of what lies beneath before browsing the jewellery, homewares, and toys for sale.
