Spotlight on: Christmas gifts
A hand-crafted, locally-made, individual gift is worth a dozen mass-produced items. Not only will you find something special and unique at the Farmers’ Market, you’ll be helping local producers while also contributing to our local economy. So, step away from the online ordering and come and visit one of our Christmas markets – immerse yourself in the festive spirit and feel truly uplifted… what greater gift can there be?
For him:
Leather goods: discover beautifully hand-crafted leather belts, wallets, notebooks, phone holders, leather bracelets, satchels and keyrings from NG Leather.
Real ale gifts: you can’t go far wrong with a good pint and local breweries Gloucester Brewery, Stroud Brewery and Corinium Ales have some great gift selection packs with a variety of best-selling beers and glasses.
Gourmet gifts: the quickest way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, so they say, so pack a few edible treats in his stocking – salamis from the Cotswold Curer, a selection of charcuterie from Trealy Farm Charcuterie, a gift basket from Severn Spots Charcuterie a bottle of Selsey Fine Foods Mulling Syrup and a jar of David’s Chilli Oil.
Useful gifts: you can never have enough chopping boards and the selection at Woodchester Cabinet Makers is vast – rectangular, heart shape and even bespoke designs are all on offer. Or perhaps he has an eye for pottery – choose beautiful jugs or mugs with earthy tones such as those at Lansdown Pottery or Ann Sohn-Rethel.
For her:
Beauty products: natural beauty is what you find at the Farmers’ Market and we’ve got plenty of gorgeous hand-made products to choose from. Delicious cinnamon soap and luxuriant body creams from The Soap Bar Company; the new orange & cinnamon festive scented candle and sandalwood soap from Cotswold Handmade Soaps; organic skincare from Kalya, full of essential oils to treat most conditions – we particularly love the Sleep Easy balm.
Jewellery: make it personal with a beautiful piece of silver artisan jewellery from Tania Harvey. Pieces are wonderfully unique with a lovely raw texture to them, just gorgeous. For something a bit different, opt for coloured glass pendants and bracelets from Ye Green Men homemade jewellery.
Gourmet gifts: who doesn’t enjoy a treat or two at Christmas time so put a few of these goodies in a home-made hamper. The gift selection box from Sibling Gin, with its striking art deco look, is a good place to start. Add to that some festive flavoured fudge from Katie Crunch Fudge (the Christmas Pudding, Brandy Butter and White Chocolate & Orange flavours are ingenious) a gift selection pack of tasty jams and chutneys from Lishkins Preserves – the Seville & Cranberry marmalade is made specially for Christmas – and if you’re quick, a selection of Fair & Square brownies – divine!
Decorative gifts: from pottery to Christmas decorations, there’s plenty to indulge her creative side at the market. Cloth & Clay’s gorgeous new elephant range is selling like hot cakes, as are the new volcanic and wild flower ranges of hand-illustrated bone china at As the Crow Flies. Or for a quirky gift, take a look at Taena Pottery’s ingenious apple bake for baking whole apples. For decorative pieces, Liz Dart’s colourful stained glass depicting birds and wild flowers are just the thing to brighten up a winter’s day – her range of Christmas tree decorations and cards are fabulous too. The hand-made glass Christmas tees from Ye Green Men are adorable, each individually boxed and wrapped and a perfect stocking filler.
Wearable gifts: if she’s a cashmere kind of lady, head over to Nimpy Clothing for the delightful range of upcycled cashmere snoods and wrist warmers. A lady can never have too many bags, so they say, and if that’s the case, wander over to NG Leather to see the beautiful range of hand-crafted bags, from satchels to totes in a variety of striking colours. There are also leather purses and hair slides to choose from too.
For children:
Clothing: check out the adorable leggings, snoods and hats from Nimpy Clothing, made from upcycled cashmere or for cute stocking fillers, how about the stuffed animals? The range of handmade socks and stockings from Cymbal knitted socks are guaranteed to be a crowd-pleaser and not your usual ‘another pair of socks’ affair!
Decorative gifts: Georgie Haywood’s driftwood pictures are the perfect way to style up any child’s bedroom – quirky ducks, portly sheep, seaside scenes, all created from finds at the beach. For night lights, take a look at Dan Hides’ festive tealight holders: the choirs of angels or Christmas trees and robin designs are divine.
Christmas Tree decorations:
