A lovingly compiled list of thoughtful, practical and community-minded gifts suggested by GC team members and friends.
Cooking & food-lover gifts
GC’s farmers’ market
Of course, we start with shopping at the farmers’ market. Everything is organic. Everything is locally grown or made. And all the money you pay goes straight to person who grew it, cooked it or shaped it.
Why not put together a hamper of your favourite chocolates, cheeses or chutneys? Or honey, candles and lip balms? Or choose unique handmade ceramics.
And you can find everything you need for your seasonal feast – local organic veggies; goose, duck, turkey and other meats plus all the trimmings; fresh, smoked and chef-prepped fish; raw milk, cream and butter; kombucha and kimchi; mince pies and cakes; and an award-winning cheese board to round off your meal.
High-quality kitchen tools
Perfect for friends who want to cook Michelin-level meals at home (and invite you over) or get them for yourself and cook for your friends as a gift.
- Microplane grater
- Japanese mandolin (Benriner No. 64 – excellent grip and bowl ledge)
- A great hand blender (Braun MultiQuick recommended) (great for chopping your roots finely for a bolognese…)
Borough Kitchen has lots of beautiful kitchen equipment to drool over.
Labour and Wait
Beautiful, long-lasting, well-made gardening, kitchen and household goods.
Visit them in store: Covent Garden, Shoreditch, Mayfair
Homemade ferments or pickles
A thoughtful, low-cost, handmade gift. All you need are a few jars, some cabbage or other seasonal veg from the farmers’ market, salt, and whatever spices feel fun. You don’t even need special equipment – use the cabbage core or the outer leaves as a natural weight to keep everything submerged in the brine. A delicious, living gift that feels personal and festive. Or check out how to make Elysia's quick pickle.
Fauxmage - plant-based cheese selections
Delicious dairy-free cheeses with clean ingredients. Excellent festive gift sets.
Books
Made in Hackney: We Cook Plants cookbook
100+ global vegan recipes from the pioneering community cookery school.
Also available in person at the GC Farmers' Market on 20 December.
Eat Hackney Vegan Cookbook
60 pages of plant-based recipes from Hackney cooks.
Proceeds support Hackney Migrant Centre and North London Action for the Homeless.
Finding Lights in a Dark Age – Sharing Land, Work and Craft by Chris Smaje
A thoughtful read about community, craft and sustainability.
For kids: Nature Heroes (University of Cambridge)
20 inspiring stories of real people working with nature to protect the planet.
Calendars & beautiful printed gifts
Moon calendar
A moon-phase calendar for lunar lovers, designed by Lucie Galand
Waltham Forest Food Growers Network Calendar
Supports local food growers, helps with planning & reflection, and strengthens the Waltham Forest food movement.
Good Things calendar (2026)
A wholesome, joy-filled calendar featuring at-home spa days, warming drinks, seasonal delights.
At least £6 per sale is donated to Doctors Without Borders and Medical Aid for Palestinians.
Support food education and community charities
TastEd christmas cards
Funds taste-education lessons for children using simple, joyful sensory learning with fruit & veg.
SkatePal merch (T-shirts, patches, skateboards, cookbook)
Supports young people in Palestine through skateboarding programmes.
Eat Club charity T-shirt
Supports a charity empowering young Londoners through cooking and food education to improve health, fight food poverty and reduce youth unemployment.
Hackney School of Food Festive Fundraiser
Support a community cooking school and its food education programmes.
Gifts for warmth and relaxation
Rio Cinema membership
A perfect gift for film lovers who want to support an iconic independent London cinema.
Community Sauna Baths gift voucher
Sweat away your stress at their saunas in Walthamstow, Stratford, Hackney Wick, Camberwell.
Organic wool thermals
100% organic, mulesing-free wool base layers – cosy, sustainable, and energy-saving.
Need more inspiration? Check out our previous gift guides including ideas that cost little or nothing and last year's sustainable gift suggestions