25 Delicious New Zealand Christmas Gifts For Your Foodie Friend

Bring Dunedin’s bean-to-bar crew OCHO to the table with their 40g squares giving all the Christmas vibes. It’s made with 70% single origin cacao from the Pacific Islands, so is dairy-free and vegan friendly—and packed with all the warm Christmas spices. It’s the perfect size for a sweet treat stocking filler. Pro tip: Melt into your hot milk of your choice for an epic Christmas hot choc.

Forget brandy snaps and peppermint canes, this seasonal release from bean-to-bar wizards Baron Hasselhoff’s in Te Whaganui-a-Tara is back and channeling Christmas trifle energy. Think creamy custard, brand-soaked sponge and tangy raspberries in chocolate bar form. They’re using cacao from the Solomon Islands (Cathliro co-op), which supports the female farmers in the villages directly by giving back to the farmers. If you’re Berhampore-ways, make sure to swing by the shop and check out their range in-store—they also make fancy hot chocs in the shop. Oh and in case any friends are wondering, Pirate Mary rosemary caramels are also my firm-fave (hint, hint). 

You can’t beat hokey pokey (a Kiwi classic) and this one is for the plant-based, dairy-free, vegan choc lovers out there. Made in Lyall Bay in the South Coast of Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Wonderland Chocolate uses cashew m!lk in their bars and it’ll convert even the non-vegans. With roasted cashews and crunchy hokey pokey pieces, plus cacao from the Dominican Republic—their ‘Jerry the Juggler’ bar is a next-level hokey pokey choc (and very smashable on its own, or smashed into your ice-cream… you can thank me later).

Local bakery Arobake from Te Whanganui-a-Tara are baking up a storm of Christmas treats, and have a range of festive goods aside from the traditional fruit mince pie. From chocolate-coated Christmas tree shortbread biscuits, to spiced Brunsli—a Swiss Christmas fave, a.k.a. chocolate-almond cookies. Made without gluten or dairy, these baked chocolate marzipan biscuits are a great choice for your gluten and dairy free foodie friends.

Condiment connoisseurs Apostle Hot Sauce from the Kāpiti Coast are bringing their first-ever limited edition Saint to the sauce line-up. Named after the patron saint of children and toymakers, Saint Nicholas is the cranberry sauce you didn’t know you needed. With ripe summer cherries and lacto-fermented habanero, plus all the fragrant Christmas spices—it’s perfect with melted Brie, glazed over Xmas ham or on the BBQ with chicken nibbles. Plus, $2 from every jar goes directly to Wellington City Mission, to help families and individuals during Christmas with food, gifts and support. It’s the gift that definitely keeps on giving and a must-add to every foodie’s Christmas table. They’re available to purchase online or through a select number of stockists across the country, so get in quick before it sells out.

Peanut Butter lovers, rejoice—whether you’re smooth or crunchy (or smoochy), this PB from sunny Whakatū Nelson is one for the serious PB lovers. They’re releasing a limited edition Christmas Peanut Butter decoration ($20), as well as their gift box with a Christmas special crunchy PB (plus their Whittaker’s chocolate collab jar) for $20. For the PB lover who has all the jars already, opt for their Pic’s smooth and crunchy socks ($18). The Xmas merch drop is on the website this week

Pop the kettle on, Petone’s t leaf T have just released a new Christmas flavour to their Christmas range—red cherry marzipan rooibos. Think marzipan cherries, sour cherries, plum and apple in a cuppa that’s caffeine free and perfect for that post-Christmas feast cuppa. They also have a range of other Christmas teas (like their native mānuka leaf and spices for a festive twist on black tea). Grab it in a cute tin to keep their brews fresh. 

I still remember when the Moustache Cookie truck pulled up to Pōneke back in 2017, where I had my first Moustache cookie. Tāmaki Makaurau-based Moustache Cookie has a huge following—and if your foodie friend doesn’t know the hype, you definitely need to send them the message, via their giant Christmas cookie. Word on the street is that they’re also releasing a creamy pistachio filling with white cookie cup and almond crunch for the festive season. Jump online to get your order in stat, because these will be bound to sell out fast

One of my picks for a foodie gift would definitely be a good bottle of high-quality olive oil—and one made locally at that. Lot 8 from the Wairarapa is my go-to cold-pressed olive oil. Having tasted their range (including a very rare first press) over the years in my culinary career as a chef, it’s hard to pick a favourite when they’re all so unique and add an extra layer of flavour when finishing dishes, sweet and savoury. Their Flavours of Aotearoa is an expression of our whenua—made with dried kawakawa berries and peppery horopito, where both flavours are captured beautifully in the olive oil.

What’s Christmas without a bit of bubbles—and this one from Aotearoa hits just the spot. Marlborough’s oldest single-family-owned vineyard, Hunter’s, have just released their méthode traditionnelle sparkling wine MiruMiru™ which means “bubbles” in te reo Māori. Light, effervescent bubbles with hints of floral honey—it’s a great one to start the Christmas festivities, and perfect with oysters too (especially with the Marlborough Sounds variety, might I add).

Distilled in Whangaparāoa by a small family team, their gins are inspired by the land here in Aotearoa. As the first B Corp distillery in Aotearoa, they’re making sure they’re held to account on the way they do things too. To make sure they give back to the forest and wildlife that inspire them, they’re also dedicated supporters to kākāpō recovery—with 10% of their profits going to the cause. Their Mānkua Honey and Elderflower gin is Aotearoa summer in a bottle—light and sweet floral notes with a touch of honey and the juniper heartbeat of a gin. Their 200ml bottles are the perfect size for gifting, or for the serious gin-lover they sell 700ml bottles (and the gift box option which comes with a selection tonics and dried garnishes packaged in a plastic-free gift box).

Made in Matakana, this is a Christmas twist on their signature fave bon bon. With a 70% dark chocolate shell and filled with buttery salted caramel and chocolate ganache centre, these Christmas bells come in the dozen. Brushed with edible gold, they’re almost too beautiful to eat.

Newly opened sugar dealers Bitta Sweet are gracing the markets circuit of Tāmaki Makaurau with their bitcarons—inspired by the Korean-style macaron with extra-thick fillings. From mint choc chip to Thai milk tea, each macaron is decorated with whimsical Christmas characters for that extra festive feel. They’ll be available for Auckland-wide delivery only (sorry non-Aucklanders), so get in quick.

Bear Gelato are releasing a festive gelato calendar, with 12 single-serve cups of their delicious flavours all packed in a beautifully decorated Christmas box. With nearly 1.5kg of gelato in total, scratch and reveal the flavour each day. For those who can’t wait, we can reveal there will be crowd favourites like their Mānuka honeycomb, black sesame and salted Sicilian pistachio along with an exclusive Christmas flavour created just for the season. Pre-order your scoops now

From gingerbread to chocolate, there’s a range of Christmas tree-shaped foodie gifts created especially to theme with the season. From a Lebkuchen gingerbread Christmas tree from Vaniyé Patisserie in Tāmaki Makaurau, to Coromandel Chocolate’s Treat-Full Christmas tree filled with all the candied fruit and nut trimmings. Vaniyé Patisserie are also taking pre-orders for Gingerbread Christmas ornaments later this month, which also come with the option of a cute, reusable wooden tree frame to hang them on

The Cheese Wheel from Te Whanganui-a-Tara are back with their popular Christmas Cheese Box—a limited edition selection of four award-winning artisan cheese makers from Aotearoa, with at least 500g of cheese in total, plus local Rutherford & Meyer crackers (with a Christmas special offering the black truffle flavour). Being big cheese people, they also provide notes about the cheeses picked and suggested drink pairings to make this go-to gift for any cheese-loving foodie

Run by chefs Andrew and Susan (who have worked in professional kitchens in Aotearoa and overseas, and Andrew a top patissier in the country), they’ve brought next-level patisserie skills to the Tāmaki Makaurau market scene for well over a decade, as Otti and Olli. Otti and Olli’s magical Christmas collection is always a hit, with build your own gingerbread house kits, decorate your own gingerbread man, and pictured, pre-assembled and intricately decorated gingerbread houses for that show-stopping addition to the Christmas table. Those stunning creations have closed for pre-order but you can try your hand at building your own gingerbread house with their kits online.

We’re thinking Santa might like a glass of this instead of milk with his cookies this Christmas—Scapegrace Distilling Co. have just released a bold, new, flavoured whisky, ThunderDonk. With two flavours, Spiced Maple and Salted Caramel infused into aged single-malt whisky, it’s the perfect addition to your foodie friend’s Christmas cocktail list. If creamy Christmas liqueur is more your thing, Good George Brewing’s Naughty Christmas Pudding Liqueur and Remarkable Cream’s Limited Edition Christmas Eggnog also hits the spot (and great in Christmas trifle).

While we’re talking spirits, bring that festive Christmas spirit with Papaiti Gin’s magical Christmas gin—‘Gingle All The Way.’ With all the Christmas pud flavours, it’s giving festive spices in liquid form. Serve with a dry ginger ale and orange twist as per their recommendation and watch the snow fall (the bottle also doubles as a snow globe—shake it and watch the snow fall around the bottle)

We’re pretty spoilt with the gin scene in Aotearoa, and Kāpiti’s Imagination Gin are about to release their 2025

Christmas pudding gin. In a beautifully embossed bottle showcasing native flora and fauna, the bottles can be repurposed into perfect 380ml glasses for the next pour—a festive drink and a clever Xmas present in one. We hear they’ll be out in the wild by the end of this month with direct ordering from their website

Trained chef and interior designer Wayne Good has been running his popular cooking classes at his business Arkanda Living & Interiors in the Waikato countryside for nearly 30 years. From making stunning summer tarts, terrines, Christmas cake and edible gifts—to demonstrating the ultimate Christmas menu with take-home recipes, this is the ultimate foodie experience to gift any food-loving friend. Make your way to the country and spend the day with Wayne and a fun bunch of foodie people at his cute kitchen cottage. Spaces are limited, so email with your details to reserve a spot stat.

The super-talented pastry chef and chocolate maker Thomas Netana Wright from Ao Cacao is pulling all the pastry stops on their Ao Cacao advent calendar this year. With signature Ao Cacao faves, as well as baking from his talented patisserie repertoire—expect bon bons, mini tablet bars, sweet treats like marshmallows and nougat and top tier baked goods (without giving away too much). Specially baked treats will also feature cacao shortbread, yuzu-jaffa financiers and the Ao Cacao spin on a Christmas classic. With only 100 advent calendars being made, treat your sweet-tooth foodie friend to 25 days celebrating all things chocolate, confectionery and baking.

What’s better than a Christmas ham than the satisfaction of making your own from start to finish!? This is the ultimate, next-level foodie gift—an experience with chef and butcher, A Lady Butcher owner Hannah Miller-Childs at Churly’s Brewpub in Tāmaki Makaurau (did we mention she also co-owns Behemoth Brewing with beer wizard Andrew Childs?!). At this fun workshop, you’ll butcher your own free-range pork leg, make brine with your own custom spice blend, and develop the perfect glaze. The hams will be left to the team for curing and smoking, ready for pick-up the week before Christmas. The workshop also includes a guided tasting of A Lady Butcher’s charcuterie and a beverage of your choice (like an ice-cold pint of Behemoth Beer straight from the tap—you’re at Churly’s afterall).