Top toys and bestselling fashions - even Christmas superstore TV adverts - are transitory but, year after year, the gift of fabulous artisan local foods is always welcome.
When it comes to Orkney’s food and drink, such a gift is about as good as it could possibly be.
There have been some wonderful new fresh cheeses added to the Orkney selection this year. Burnside Cheese has branched out into flavoured varieties, including a smoked version which cheesemaker Barry Graham smokes himself. the Orkney Dairy, close neighbours of Barry’s, are offering his cheese as part of their new hamper service, along with other local products in some of their selections, all of which are in beautiful re-usable boxes.
The Orkney Dairy, based on the Hourie’s family farm, produces thick rich yogurt - if you are coming to Orkney on holiday and are possibly staying at the Lynnfield Hotel, or booking in there for dinner, chef Lorna often uses it for a delicious yogurt panna cotta.
Their other products include a new garlic and herb soft cheese to be included in all of their hampers, with some also featuring their homemade fudge and hot chocolate bombs. To taste their yogurt and milk shakes you’ll have to visit the islands, and then you can call at their honesty shop, the Big Bun Box, and try their baking whilst picking up local veg as well.
The secret of the richness of their milk is their herd of Fleckvieh cows, a breed originating in Austria and Bavaria, which give milk with a very high butterfat content. The Houries are also featuring local oatcakes and chutney from Stockans, Baikies Biscuits and JP Orkney. Their largest hamper contains the Island Smokery Christmas Spiced Smoked Cheddar that you need to make my delicious cheesecake that we featured for Hallowe’en.
JP Orkney are featured in the Orkney Dairy hampers but do take a look at their own online shop, where you can create a bespoke hamper of treats. Jane and Paul grow as many of their required ingredients as possible themselves, and also work closely with other Orkney producers, notably the Deerness Distillery, using their gins and distilling seasonings in their products.
The husband-and-wife team at Deerness have created a number of hampers matching their gins and vodka to specific and carefully chosen tonics. And their Orcadian Moon coffee liqueur is just perfect for Christmas - and I am not usually a liqueur fan! Why not treat someone you love - which could indeed be you - to their Taste of Orkney luxury large gift hamper which has their premium Sea Glass Gin, Orkney Marshmallows infused with Orcadian Moon, and distillery preserves along with Stockans award-winning heritage spelt, herb and pepper oatcakes. I enjoyed being part of a tasting panel for those delicious biscuits pre-production.
The Orkney Gin Company has branched out into other spirits too, including a Scandi-style Akvavit and, new this year, an ultra-smooth vodka. Celebrating the huge success of their London dry gin Aatta, a new gift set has been launched featuring glasses to reflect the beautiful design of the bottle.
Another husband-and-wife team, with daughter Erin also at the heart of the business, this company produces a sweet rhubarb gin called Rhubarb Old Tom, the name of which reflects its production method. This year they have launched a Christmas Old Tom, which I can’t wait to try. All these products are available on the Orkney Gin Company website.
With three top class gin distilleries on the Orkney mainland and linked south isles - and a fourth coming along in the island of Sanday - there are plenty of gifts for the gin-lovers in your life and, if they have not yet visited Orkney, they might be new to our spirits.
Orkney Distilling, with their state-of-the art distillery and visitor centre right on the harbourfront in Kirkwall, have taken the old Norse name of our city for their gin: Kirkjuvagr. Their dry gins set their standard, and the sweeter raspberries and cream Beyla is used extensively in many island products.
The distillery doesn’t do its own hampers but Judith Glue, long a champion of Orkney produce from the early days of the Real Food Cafe in the back of her knitwear shop, can include their gins in their hampers. Choose whatever you wish from the extensive list of Orkney produce and drinks for a one-stop mail order option.
Don’t forget to add some Orkney beremeal, our ancient grain that is ubiquitous in all our traditional baking. I always use it in my mince pie pastry.
Orkney’s famed smoked salmon is an absolute must for many people at Christmas. I can think of little better than being sent a side of smoked salmon for the festive season and, if it’s a whole side that you are after, Jollys of Orkney is the place to shop. Choose a plain smoked salmon, or one cured with either Kirkjuvagr gin or Highland Park whisky.
Jollys also offer hampers with a selection of their smoked fish, as well as their huge stock of other local produce. If a smoked fish selection would be your perfect Christmas meal, then look for Humes Artisan Foods to include in your hampers from Judith Glue.
Those of us who live in Orkney are spoilt: much of what is deemed 'festive food' is available to us in premium quality abundance all year round. But if you love your food and drink, have moved from here, hope to come to Orkney to live, or came on holiday and really enjoyed the food, Christmas is the time to get online and prepare to enjoy a festive Taste of Orkney, wherever you are in the UK.
This is just a small selection of the incredible range of products and gift ideas on offer from Orkney's talented creative community. Unbox the Remarkable with our Shop Online page. You can also shop Orkney's food and drink online, and find fabulous handmade jewellery, textiles, homeware and more from our Creative Orkney members too.
Please note that many products cannot be sent outwith the UK.