The Joy of Homemade Gifts
Catherine Lawson
There’s something lovely about receiving a homemade gift; a gift which has taken time, thought and effort. Knowing someone has personally made something is always extra special – like they’ve gifted a part of themselves too. The heart and soul that goes into these gifts is something we treasure – they’re the moments of meaningful connection which far outshine shop bought gifts. In favouring meaning over money, making homemade gifts can also help us stay within budget, especially if many of the ingredients or materials needed are already at hand.
It isn’t just the person receiving the gift who feels the warmth of the gesture. For the gift giver, the chance to be creative and to use personal passions and skills to bring joy to others can be highly rewarding. Whether we’re painting, baking, knitting or building something, the pleasure of handing over a gift which we’ve personally produced is exhilarating, just as it was in those early years when we came home with a painting which we proudly handed over in the hope that it might find its place on the fridge. It feels good to have our skills and creativity appreciated, no matter how old we are.
And let’s not forget the joy of the actual process: placing hand rolled truffles into boxes lined with tissue paper; framing a photograph taken on a memorable trip which still makes you smile; hand painting that wonky but beautiful mug from the first pottery class… In the making of such gifts, we often find peace – a moment to escape the white noise of Christmas as we lose ourselves in the meditative actions of creating.
There are so many ways we can express love, friendship and care through homemade gifts, but one of the most popular has to be through food – feeding others is such a fundamental show of care. Hand baked bread, mini Christmas cakes made in tiny tins, star-shaped cookies and jams packed with summer berries; we all have our specialties which we love to give as gifts. They needn’t be hard to make or expensive to produce, they just need to be something you know will be enjoyed.
Take these little chocolates, for example; I first made these cherry, almond and ginger clusters for someone who liked all of those ingredients. Binding them together in dark chocolate and spooning them into little clusters made the perfect personalised homemade treat and they were enjoyed so much by everyone who ate them that they’re now my go-to when I want to gift something chocolatey over the festive season. They’re easy to make yet feel decadent to eat. Presented in little bags tied with festive ribbon, they’re the perfect food gift and they’re guaranteed to be a Christmas hit.
Cherry, Almond & Ginger Clusters
(Makes approx. 24)
Ingredients
200g dark chocolate
(Dr. Oetker extra dark chocolate,
72% cocoa solids is perfect)
20g coconut oil
100g stem ginger
(approx. 4 pieces which have been soaked in syrup) finely diced
75g glace cherries quartered
100g whole almonds roughly chopped
6 digestives chopped into rough
cm pieces
2 tbsps dried cherry pieces
to decorate
Edible glitter (optional)
To make
Gently melt the dark chocolate and coconut oil together in a glass bowl over a gently simmering pan of water, stirring occasionally (make sure the water is shallow and doesn’t touch
the glass bowl).
Remove the chocolate mix from
the heat when melted and stir in the cherries, almonds, ginger and
digestive pieces, making sure they’re all thoroughly coated.
Carefully spoon neat little clusters (approx. 2 tsps each) onto a sheet of parchment paper and sprinkle a few dried cherry pieces on top of each one.
Leave to set completely and then finish with a spray of edible glitter (optional).
Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place until ready to bag up and gift (best eaten within 7 days).
