All the hype for Christmas with the shops and TV, its all an expense we can do without at the moment – most is just more rubbish for the landfill in 6 months time. But we all want to be able to give something at Christmas, so how about making gifts from your kitchen for your friends and family this year? Pickles and preserves, cakes, biscuits, truffles and drinks – everyone has to eat after all. Some of these ideas take just 15 mins. and you can make them very personal with home-made labels and pretty pieces of fabric. Its not just that these gifts are useful, delicious and usually far cheaper than shop bought items, each one is unique and personal.

Simple concoctions of flavoured or infused olive oils and white wine vinegar can be prepared and given within 24 hours which suits my usual Christmas ‘shopping’ timescale…sloe gin takes a bit longer, but hey – there’s no time like the present!

There are some wonderful resources on the internet for all that is home-made such as Tip Junkie or Not Made of Money – also See Kaela’s recipes for scrumptious and very simple body scrubs (pictured below) – this and lots of other home-made beauty treatments to be found here, even home-made healthy toothpaste.

Its best to recycle your own jars and bottles for these special items,  or even to ask your friends and family for their food jars to recycle, however if you need to buy any there are lots of outlets – I have used Lakeland and they have many different sizes and quantities of Kilner jars and bottles to suit most purposes.

Please feel free to post your favourite recipe for any present ideas, goold old deliaonline.com is a great website with some marvellous preserve and pickle recipes (Delia’s spiced, pickled pears is one of our favourites and perfect with Christmas cold cuts or cheese) – happy making! :)

Delia’s chocolate truffles – 5*!

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