One thing December is really good at is enticing people to eat, drink and be happy. With plenty of cooking and tasting to be done around the country, we thought we'd add to your to-eat list with a few events to see out the year in style, plus you might just be able to do all your last-minute shopping this way.
If you haven't tried Fika then you're in for a real treat (literally!). Fika is a Swedish word translating to 'taking a break for coffee and a bite to eat' and it's the time between meals to get together, take some time out to simply catch up, laugh and chat with family and friends over Fika. certainly know how to throw a Christmas bash and Sydney's Fika Swedish Kitchen is throwing an all-you-can-eat Swedish buffet this Christmas from Friday up until Christmas Day. Top your plates with meatballs, potato bake, pickled herrings, Skagen eggs, bake bread, spiced buns and plenty of desserts. And if like the Swedish you like to get into the spirit early, then you'll want to mark this Thursday, 13 December on your calendars, for the age-old Swedish Christmas tradition, Lucia, where hot mulled wine, fresh and iconic saffron buns and carols all come together - Christmas-inspired outfits are encouraged as well, so they mean business.
Lucia starts 6 pm, Thurs 13 Dec; Swedish Christmas at Fika, Fri 21 Dec - Mon 24 Dec
5b Market Lane, Manly NSW
Gold coin entry is all that stands between you and your place at Sydney Living Museum's Christmas Fare. This festival is part of Living Museum Food, and you'll also get complimentary entry into the museum itself. With 40+ stalls, the focus is on the homemade and traditional, where cooks, recipes, techniques and artisan producers are celebrated and come together for one sunset session. While you wrangle your basket with handmade loose-leaf teas, honey, cheeses, jams and oils, there will also a pop-up bar juggling gin mixes and Young Henry's Summer Hop Ale. While there is plenty to stash from Farmer Jo's Christmas granola and Pecora Dairy's cheeses to brandy-soaked puds, there's also plenty to smash with La Calle's gluten-free tacos, Israeli eats from Homeland Street Eats and Argentinian alfajores filled with dulce de leche from Alfamores.
4 pm - 9 pm, Thurs 13 Dec
Hyde Park Barracks Museum, Macquarie Street, Sydney NSW
Back for its 15th edition, the Alliance Française de Melbourne is keeping things chic. This free two-day event is family friendly as the market showcases a range of French products. Load up on saucissons, pate and sweet canelé, rich sauces, plenty of wine and loads of cheeses (you better believe there'll be a show-stopping raclette on offer). Plus there'll be plenty of music, activities, demos and French masterclasses throughout the day to work up an appetite all over again.
10 am - 5 pm, Sat 15 & Sun 16 Dec
Alliance Française de Melbourne, 51 Grey Street, St Kilda VIC
The European stylings of Christkindlmarkt in the German town of Hahndorf are never lost on the Adelaide Hills community. With over 50 stalls of food and entertainment on display, you can expect a weekend of hildabrötchen sweet biscuits from Deutsche Delectables, German gourmet sausages, including the Viennese bacon and sauerkraut roll - from Wienerbago and plenty of brews, knick-knacks and fairy lights to whisk you away.
Fri 14 Dec - Sun 16 Dec
Cnr Main Street and Auricht Road, Hahndorf SA
Soak up the magic at Adelaide's Christkindlmarkt Source: SBS Food
Porteño Christmas Market
This is another reason to bookend this weekend with last-minute gift shopping and eating (not necessarily that order). For a gold coin on entry - the proceeds of which will be going to Westmead Children's Hospital - you'll find your canned and pickled needs taken care of by Cornersmith and Continental Deli, scoops of Ciccone & Sons gelato, as well as the Porteño team adding its own kitchen game to the equation with a selection of snacks and eats that will ride alongside Jacoby's Tiki Bar.
9 am - 4 pm, Sun 16 Dec
258 Cleveland Street, Surry Hills NSW
With over 120 stallholders, Carriageworks goes big this Christmas by changing up its twilight market with a summery daytime one. It's a festive take on their very popular weekend Farmer's Markets, which focuses on seasonal produce and is a great way to inspire any holiday menu. This is the perfect stop for your last-minute Christmas shop, held two days before Christmas and featuring a wide selection of must-have items. There'll be plenty of poultry, Christmas hams, seafood, pickles and preserves, fresh fruits and cheeses as well as Christmas puds, gluten-free mince tarts and of course, gingerbread - this is just skimming the surface of what's to come with 21 new stalls added to this year's lineup. Continental Bar and Deli's bringing their tinned good a-game, while Flour and Stone, Eat Me Chutney, Cornersmith and the German Christmas Shop are also going to be there. And don’t worry, the usual Saturday morning stallholders will be there too, which includes Billy Kwong’s all-time Chinese pancakes and bowls of steaming broth from Bar Pho, so you don't have to shop while hangry.
Flour and Stone #ftw
How lemon drizzle cake has the power to heal
8 am -1 pm, Sat 22 Dec
Carriageworks, 245 Wilson Street, Eveleigh NSW
Perfect for food, last-minute gifts of to simply down the famous Chinese pancake from Billy Kwong. (Photo credit: Jacquie Manning) Source: Jacquie Manning
Desserts wild child Anna Polyviou has traded her pastry hat for a train conductor's one, and she means merry business. Thanks to her giant (we repeat) giant gingerbread train, kids big and small are pretty happy right about now. The hotel’s four-metre gingerbread train and carriage combine over 1,000 kilos of gingerbread bricks, 500 kilos of lollies, 100 kilos of fondant, giant lollipops and candy canes, with oodles of cheery icing. Head to the lobby to do the locomotion in all its glory and then pop by her pop-up next door to grab yourself some gingerbread, mince tarts and Christmas puddings, perfect for snacking and staring.
Every day 7 am – 9 pm until Mon Dec 31
Shangri-La Hotel, 176 Cumberland Street, Sydney NSW
All aboard with Anna Polyviou Source: SBS Food
But wait, here's a few more just because...
Wed 12 Dec - Tues 18 Dec
The Streets of Barangaroo, NSW
5:30 pm – 9 pm, Wed 14 and 21 Dec
Central Walk, Jundaloop WA
Every day, 3 pm - 10 pm Wed 14 - Fri 23 Dec
South Bank Parklands, Brisbane QLD
Midday - 9 pm, Sat 15 Dec
Federation Square, Melbourne VIC
10 am - 4 pm, Sun 16 Dec
Plant 4 Bowden, Third Street, Bowden SA
Sat 1 Dec - Sun 23 Dec
Tramsheds, 1 Dalgal Way, Forest Lodge NSW
5 am Sun 23 - 5 pm Mon 24 Dec
Sydney Fish Market, Bank Street, Pyrmont NSW
23, 26 and 27 Dec
Yarra Park, MCG, Melbourne VIC
Every Wednesday night, 5 pm – 10 pm, Nov 21 - Mar 21 [excludes Dec 26]
Queen Victoria Market, Melbourne VIC
More Feaster action
Spaghetti ice cream has landed in Melbourne
