One of the best feelings during the festive season has got to be rocking up to a mate's place carefully balancing jars of home baked gifts. The gift handover moment feels like a delicious combination of love, pride and smugness that never gets old.
If you want to send all three of those emotions through the roof, opt to give a gift featuring bush food. Firstly because the more people baking with Australian natural food sources, the better. Secondly, because bush food tastes amazing. And thirdly because the more Aussie we can inject into Christmas, the better; enough with the cosy snow scenes and overheating Santas, thanks!
So whip up any or all of these bush food treats to give to a particularly special friend this season. Be sure to give your gift when you first see them, don't wait until you're leaving. That way you might get offered a bite yourself!
Dark, milk and white chocolate all pair perfectly with Australia's native herbs. Source: On Country Kitchen
A box of chocolate river mint fudge brownies meets all gift giving obligations nicely. Source: On Country Kitchen
No one needs to know your gift took only 15 minutes to put together. Source: On Country Kitchen
A pretty bottle of bush extracts gifted with a pretty bottle of gin or vodka is genius. Source: Peter Kuruvita's Coastal Kitchen
A jar of native dukkah makes a unique and welcome gift. Source: Danielle Abou Karam
And so begins your mate's new love affair with lemon aspen. Source: On Country Kitchen
Rock up with a tray of baklava and you'll win the Gift Giver of the Year award. (Doesn't everyone rank their gifts? Anyone?) Source: On Country Kitchen
Store your shortbread dough in the freezer, then slice and bake as many biscuits as you need. Source: Danielle Abou Karam
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Lemon myrtle butter biscuits
A bush shack we'd all like to escape to this year. Source: China Squirrel
A jar of ladoos and you're welcome back any time. Source: Danielle Abou Karam
Now that's some good crackling! Source: Warndu Mai (Good Food)
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Sweet-and-salty toffeed macadamias
Forget Gift Giver of the Year, this pretty offering will secure you the coveted Friend of the Year award - and so deserved, of course. Source: The Great Australian Cookbook
Gift giving winner
Cranberry burnt orange marmalade
