Can you believe there are only four more weeks until Christmas? Where has the time gone? I've assembled a little Shetland gift guide for foodies, to help you find that little extra special something for a loved one this Christmas.
1. Shetlandeli Gift Pack - Shetlandeli, based on the west side of Shetland, launched earlier this year with three fantastic chutneys: Muckle Flugga Piccalilli, Taing Onion Marmalade and Valhalla Ale Chutney. Now, for Christmas, they've launched a special three bottle gift pack containing one of each to give you a taste of their current recipes. RRP - £11.95
Find Shetlandeli on Twitter, Facebook and their online shop.
2. Shetland Food and Cooking by Marian Armitage - launched recently at the Shetland Food Fair, this book is packed full of fantastic stories, mouth watering recipes and full colour photographs. There's something in this book for every one. Published by The Shetland Times and retailing at £20 you can buy a copy from the Shetland Times Book Shop in Lerwick or through their online shop.
Find Marian on Twitter, and the Shetland Times on Twitter and Facebook or their online shop.
3. Shetland Reel Gin - their limited edition first production run packaged in a tweed bag. Shetland Reel Gin, made from a recipe including apple mint grown and harvested in Unst, Shetland, is made in a small-batch copper gin still and hand-bottled on site. Each bottle is uniquely hand marked with Lot number 1 of 2014 and then packaged in its own tweed bag, marked with their logo. This once in a lifetime offer will never again be available - there were only 500 bottles in this first production run! It retails at £50 per bottle, excluding delivery. Alternatively, bottles from subsequent runs retail at £30.
You can find Shetland Reel Gin on Facebook and their online shop.
4. Scoop Wholefoods Christmas Hampers - Scoop Wholefoods was the winner of the first Shetland Food Champion Award at the Shetland Food Fair this year, voted for by the public and recognizing the partnership they have with local producers and their engagement with local customers. Their Shetland Collection Christmas Gift Hamper is packed with local products: Oceanic Oatcakes from Unst, Taing Onion Marmalade from Skeld, Christmas Cake from Burra, Shetland Honey from Gott, Rhubarb Jam from Burra, Crofters Cookies from Walls, Tablet from Burra and Chocolates from Unst. Retailing at £45 and presented in a gift box with a Fair Isle wrapper this hamper will give you an excellent Taste of Shetland.
You can find Scoop Wholefoods on Facebook and their online shop.
5. Paparwark Decorative Chopping/Serving Boards - based in Scalloway, Cecil Tait of Paparwark is renowned for the quality of his craftsmanship and innovative use of traditional techniques. He creates unique, bespoke products for his clients including decorative chopping and serving boards from a wide variety of wood including ash and elm. This particular board pictured above with its scallops and bacon features in Marian's cookery book Shetland Food and Cooking. Prices for these chopping boards start from £30.
Paparwark can be found on Facebook, Twitter and their online shop.
6. Shetland Fudge Company Christmas Hampers - with new owners taking over the shop this year and a fresh new approach to chocolate making there is something for everyone in one of their indulgent hampers. Shetland Fudge creations are made in their own shop, using the finest ingredients, (local produce wherever possible) in their own additive-free recipes. Their chocolate is made in small 2 kilo batches, fresh every day. Prices for their hampers start from £18.99
You can find Shetland Fudge on Facebook and their online shop.
7. Boannie Isles Tablet Fudge - Boannie Isles is a small business run from their home in Burra isle. They produce delicious tablet made by hand using a wide variety of flavourings including real Shetland Valhalla brewery ale, ginger, Baileys or original, the tablet is made using the best of ingredients. They also have a Christmas selection - a festive special flavour and brandied apricot. Their fudge is sold in shops throughout the islands - visit their Facebook page to see the list of retailers.
Boannie Isles can be found on Facebook.
8. Greencroft Shetland Fish Boxes - Ideal as a food and drink hamper, these handmade and personalized fish boxes can be filled with just about anything! How about some Valhalla Ale or Foords Chocolates? You might have noticed these boxes in Scoop Wholefoods filled with local produce. Scoop also uses them for some of their Christmas Gift Hampers or you could order a personalized box for a loved one to fill yourself. They can then be reused for kitchen storage! Prices start from £35
9. Gingerbread House by Fine Peerie Cakes - you can't really wrap these up and stick them under the Christmas tree but I had to include them as they are so adorable! These sell for £18 and need to be ordered in advance and collected from the shop in Lerwick by the 20th of December.
Fine Peerie Cakes can be found on Facebook.
10. Gift vouchers! Shetland has a wide variety of restaurants, cafes, bistros and eateries to tempt you with whatever you may fancy. Why not get a voucher from the Scalloway Hotel, The Lerwick Hotel, Da Steakhouse or Hay's Dock?
Do you have any gift suggestions? What foodie delights have you picked up in Shetland recently?
Elizabeth Atia
I am a self taught home cook, feeding my family on the west side of Shetland with as much local produce, flavour and love as I can. I am no expert by any means, but I do enjoy learning and writing about food, flavours and techniques.