CHENNAI: From handcrafted wines to eco-friendly chocolate bars, Vaishali Vijaykumar handpicks a list of indulgent treats for your loved ones this festive season
Craft and creativity
The Colour Company, founded by Aarthi Sivaramakrishnan, is offering a DIY Christmas decor gift, which could be a great gifting option for kids. The kit has Christmassy elements like cut-outs of baubles, bells, angels and snowman. The child needs to follow the step-wise instruction to craft the decor props. “The pieces are made of medium density fiberboards. Glue, glittery cutouts and embellishments. All that’s necessary is packed. Around 20-25 kits have already been sold. This can be meaningful to keep the kids active and involved in the celebration. I will also be conducting a Christmas decoupage workshop ahead of Christmas,” said Aarthi.
Priced at Rs 380 For details, Instagram page: The Colour Company
Sweet surprises
Fancy a Turkish Delight inspired by ‘Chronicles of Narnia?’ Swetha Kishore, the founder of Mug Cakes, has curated a hamper box, giving it a Christmassy touch. “This is inspired by a scene where Edmund would be bribed by the evil queen with a box of Turkish Delight sweets using her magic. S’mores is a famous marshmallow brownie in the United States that gives a feeling of warmth during Christmas winter,” said the baker. Her list of delectable desserts include peppermint truffles, rich rum plum cake, red velvet, and cheesecake jar, banana walnut cake, and pistachio and chocolate tart. Pre-bookings are available from December 15 to December 31.
Priced at Rs 1,500 For details, call 9361690795 or visit Instagram page: mugcakes.in
Staples for the win
Christmas is incomplete without ubiquitous plum cakes, gingerbread cookies and sticky date pudding. Aarthi Santhanam from Bakespeare Tales loves to bring the warmth of winter through her tasty treats made of seasonal spices. “When we take Christmas staples, the beauty is that the taste varies across households and communities depending on the methods of preparation and ingredients used. I have curated two hampers. Among the highlight is coffee and caramel cupcakes sprinkled with hazelnut,” she said.
The menu also includes chocolate crinkle cookies. Orders will be taken until December 17 for Christmas.
Priced ar Rs 1,000 and Rs 1,500
For details, call: 9344268744
Instagram page: Bakespeare Tales
Kidding around
The season of gifting is once again upon us and our shelves need to be filled to the brim with happy little products for our happiest little humans. Peekaboo Patterns has got special hampers for children comprising furnishing, cushions, blankets to toys, and stationery. There’s one for everyone — dog lovers, cat cuddles, candy lovers and passionate bakers.
Priced from Rs 3,000
For details, call: 9962430862
Or visit: www.peekaboopatterns.com
Healthy made tasty
This is Wholesome Rhapsody’s first theme-based menu for Christmas and New Year. “Besides our routine health quotient in all desserts, we wanted to map the historical evolution of Christmas-based desserts during colonialism and its primitive roots in India,” said Senthil Kumar, founder.
The desserts are made using drupe fruits across
southwest India, and products of the spice trade like
cinnamon, cardamom, ginger and pepper for formulating each dessert. Their menu is vegan, gluten-free, keto-friendly and can be customised for any dietary and disease-based restrictions. “We wanted to understand how the tradition of plum cake and plum pudding came into existence and studied the historicity across the British empire. My partner Sabarish and I studied, designed and executed the Tudors East India plum cake bookmark, which will be an add-on for all hamper and plum cake orders,” he said.
Priced from Rs 1,000 For details, call: 9176728176
Instagram page: Wholesome Rhapsody
Aroma therapy
Christmas is synonymous with scents. Keeping up with the theme, Bottled Bliss by Mansi Mehta and Sonal Khandelwal, has come up with compact brocade baskets packed with potpourris, scented candles and aromas. They’re also available in organza potli bags. “We’ve different sizes at affordable prices. The hampers can be used for a longer time since the aroma stays for long. It serves a dual purpose. Not just as a gift but also as a decor element. Our next hamper will be with organic flavoured teas. Apart from the given items, we can customise using skincare as well,” said Mansi. The orders for Christmas will be taken till Dec 20.
Priced from Rs 100
For details, call: 9840542007
Instagram page: Bottled Bliss
Conscious cocoa
Who does not like homemade chocolates? It gets extra special when the making and packing process is completely eco-friendly from bean to bar. Kocoatrait, conceived by Poonam Chordia, has a hamper with nine zero-waste chocolate bars. “Our chocolates are packed in aluminium foil that’s reusable. The tin box in which it’s packed is also reusable. The box is put in a bigger carton with a reusable ice pack and shipped across the country. This is entirely eco-friendly,” said chocolatier Nitin Chordia.
The gift box will include a greeting card made of cotton and cocoa husk. It comes with a chocolate tasting guide to help clients enjoy their chocolate better. Nine out of 12 available flavours can be chosen for the hamper. The list includes chukku coffee, coconut and cinnamon, red rose, jaggery, masala chai, and plain 70 per cent dark chocolates. Corporate and private
orders are accepted until December 20 for Christmas.
Priced at Rs 1,990 For details, call: 9600064846
Or visit: cocoatrait.com
Get cheesy
Classy and exotic. These are words that best define hampers put together by J&K Cheese. If you’re looking for seasonal fruits and cheese to gift someone who loves cooking for Christmas then this is the place to go to. South African peach, different kinds of berries, and avacado — name it and you can find it all here. The hamper will have ample portions of cheese varieties as per your choices such as parmesan, gouda, swiss, mascarpone, brie and more. Frozen and cold cut meats can also be added.
“Our place offers all kinds of gourmet products that go behind the Christmas preparations. Sauces, dips, meat, cheese, wine, crackers and more. This hamper can be a different gifting option food lovers,” said P Narayan, the owner.
Priced from Rs 5,000
For details, call: 42025934 or 9841131008
Cute little things
Bath bombs for kids. Wine scrubs for adults. Allured by Nature, founded by Rhea Gwalini, has got you covered with Christmas hampers for both age groups in one go. Inquiries have already begun and she’s busy catering to festive orders. The hampers offer daily necessities packed in an elegant way. “The Christmas basket is newly introduced. I have customers from Bengaluru, Mumbai and north India who’re opting for these pretty and affordable options,” she said.The children’s hamper includes X’mas-themed soaps made of glycerin and goat milk, napkins, chocolates, stationery, crochet key chains, teaspoons, snowman mugs and books. The adult hampers flavoured scrubs, liquor chocolates and hand towels. The items can be customised.
Priced at Rs 300 For details, call: 9840352022 Instagram page:
Allured by Nature