Are you facing the dilemma of what to give your favorite foodie for Christmas? If you’re stuck for ideas for that Hong Kong unique gift, stop worrying. We can help with six of the best Hong Kong Christmas gifts in 2017. (For our 2018 local Hong Kong gift guide for foodies, check out our updated list here.)
1. Stop pro-caffeinating – this one’s for coffee lovers
For that coffee connoisseur in your life, how about a workshop solely devoted to their favourite beverage? While there are many classes which will showcase the best in latte art, few focus on the bean itself. But that is where the Bespoke Blending course from The Coffee Academics comes in. This 2.5-hour course costs just HK$488 yet by the end of it, your lucky recipient will be well versed in coffee bean selection, blending, roasting and beautifully decorated DIY packaging. They will also have the opportunity to carry out a personal taste analysis, helping them to learn which blend best suits their personality and taste buds.
https://www.the-coffeeacademics.com/bespoke-custom-blending
2. Brew can do it
Photo Credit: Hong Kong Brew Craft
Craft beer aficionados will love this three hour crash course in how to create the perfect home brew. They will start with the basics – learning about the grains used in the brewing process and how to create the desired aromas, flavours, colours and textures. Once they have mastered that, they can move on to the actual process of brewing, with special tricks for achieving the best beer in Hong Kong. At the end of the session, they will be able to take their starter kit home and a couple of weeks later they can be enjoying the fruits of their labour. The course costs HK$680, with a discount available for larger groups.
http://www.hkbrewcraft.com/homebrewing-workshop
3. Gift a Hong Kong Foodie food tour
We love our tasting tours so much we are confident your family and friends will too. Choose from three great tours. Our three and a half hour exploration of Central and Sheung Wan visits six family-run locations showcasing the best local cuisine. Alternatively, try our food trail through the old Kowloon district of Sham Shui Po or explore with us the bustling Tai Po Market in the New Territories. You can gift this unique Hong Kong experience by purchasing one of our gift cards, available online and valid for a year. Foodie Tours cost from just HK$750 per person. Best of all, there’s a promo running until December 25th, 2017. Just enter the code FOODIESANTA and get 10% off any Foodie Gift Card purchased.
4. Immerse yourself in the world of Chinese cookery
If you know someone who loves to cook, then why not present them with the opportunity to cook alongside the pros at the Chinese Culinary Institute? This four hour class includes a demonstration by the Institute’s chefs, followed by the chance to create two dishes under their supervision. Recipients of this gift will be able to practise wok cooking and make dim sum – and leave with enough skills to reproduce them for friends and family back at home. The class costs just HK$910 for a minimum of ten and the price includes lunch cooked by the CCI’s own students. Book in advance online.
http://www.cci.edu.hk/cci/html/en/programmes.html
5. Have a very berry Christmas
Strawberry season in Hong Kong arrives in December but you can pick these delicious berries until March, making it the perfect gift. You can pick as much as you like, as you will be charged by weight. We always choose the very red and ripe ones, so we would suggest joining your giftee and making a day of it. With over 100,000 square feet of organic farm to cover, there is no chance that you’ll run out of strawberries before the day is out. Note that the website below is in Chinese only.
6. Select a sausage making class
There can be few comfort foods more effective than the humble sausage and mash, but how about the satisfaction of making this popular dish from scratch? Participants at the Butcher’s Club’s class will learn how to debone the meat, grind and add seasonings, stuff the sausage casings and link the finished sausages. Afterwards, in the delightful antique shop venue, you’ll eat what you’ve prepared. Private parties cost just HK$1150 for a minimum group of ten – the perfect festive outing for you and your friends. Alternatively, the next scheduled class, costing HK$650 per person is due to be held on January 27th, 2018. Book your place in advance.
http://store.thebutchers.club/events-deposits/the-butchers-club-sausage-making-class/
So if you have been wracking your brains trying to think of unique Hong Kong Christmas gifts this Christmas, your problems are solved. Happy holidays!