It can be pretty difficult to find good presents to family and friends. I like to think that I’m pretty good at buying Christmas presents mainly because I tend to notice when people mention stuff they need. Whenever it is mentioned, I manage to remember it when a gift giving occasion comes around.
Another good tip is to think about what the person you are getting a present cares about, maybe they’ve got a hobby? Often people want things for their hobbies, but don’t actually prioritize to get.
This is probably true about most bloggers, because there’s so much different stuff you can use, if you want to. This guide will work for the foodies, home cooks, and food bloggers in your life.
Quick Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored. This is meant as a guide and inspiration. This list is basically a personal wishlist that I’m sharing to help with narrowing down the options. It’s also a not so subtle way to tell all the people I know what I really want for Christmas.
For the kitchen
Textured Bowls and Plates – You know you’re a food blogger when you go over to someone’s house for dinner and all you can think is “wow, I really want to shoot with that placemat.” from vintage cutlery and kitchenalia, to ribbons, twines and paper towels. In my experience, you want a variety of those because different colors and textures can add a lot to photos and gives multiple backgrounds to work with.
Artsy Measuring cups/spoons – Unique measuring cups and spoons will make a food blogger swoon, they tend to bring life to the shoot. Have it custom engraved with your friend’s blog name for subtle branding in photos. Although You can pretty much bet on the fact that your food blogger has at least one set of measuring spoons, but a set of eccentric ones are so photo worthy they could take center position in a sexy food-porn shot?
Essential Appliances – There are some tools in the kitchen that you can live with not having, but some staple ones make or break your post, like candy thermometers, stand mixers… My boyfriend got me my Kenwood stand mixer for my birthday last year and it stepped up my baking game. If they do own one, think about the attachments they’re missing, maybe you can add some to their repertoire like a pasta making attachment.
Marble Board – This white marble pastry board is not only aesthetically pretty but it’s also perfect to use as a cold surface to work your pastry on, and great as a cheese board. You can place cheese, fruits, and nuts on it, and your food would stay cool too. You don’t have to have a marble counter to take great photos.
For the Blog
Camera Accessories & Artificial Lighting – Assuming they already have a DSLR Camera (if not, that would be a good gift), you can give them a lens upgrade, a tripod or even artificial lighting. Being a food blogger isn’t exactly easy. You rely A LOT on sunlight and scheduling your photo shoots at the perfect timing so you can catch that specific light. It gets worse when you have a full time job that’s not related to your blog. I tend to cram most of my posts on that one day off I have a week. Although obviously nothing beat natural lights, there are options that come pretty close. With some research I’ve found the Lowell Ego. This one it seems to be used by most bloggers because the bulbs are a natural light colour, which means the pictures should have the right colour balance.
Photography and Blogging Courses – From food styling and photography, to writing and recipe editing, there’s a course to suit everyone’s abilities and budgets and often you can do them in the comfort of your own home. Of course experience teaches a lot, but sometimes it’s nice to have professional guidance so that you know if you’re on the right track or not. Many bloggers want to get better at what they’re doing, and giving a course in something can be a really nice and practical gift! It can be anything that will make their blog better and their brand stronger. Search for instance food class and the city the blogger lives in, and see what comes up.
Blog Redesign – A lot of bloggers who wants to make their blog successful use WordPress self hosting. When you first sign up for a blog you get some free themes to choose from, but because they are free, and not exactly the most customizable. Also, none of the free themes are made for food blogs, so you won’t get any recipe index or anything like that. Of course the blogger will know which theme would work best for their content, so that’s why maybe give them the money for buying the theme. The blogger probably already has an idea of what he or she wants for the blog, and might even have a specific theme in mind, but haven’t prioritized buying it yet (myself included, obviously).
Vinyl Backdrops – Most rustic looking photography backgrounds are actually vinyl prints. Bloggers love them because they’re easy to clean, take up limited space and provide lots of variety for blog posts. It really does help the pictures look professional and helps the food stand out. Right now there’s a big trend in natural materials, like old wood or marble. You don’t need to have a large marble kitchen counter to take photos with a marble background, or a large wooden table to get a nice background. I’m sure you can find backdrops lots of places, like Etsy. Just search for photo backdrop. However, do make your research about the theme and feel of the blog. These backdrops become a part of the look and brand of the blog, and it’s important that it’s something that blends in pretty well.
For the Foodie
Yearly Planner and Customized Stationary – There’s nothing quite like getting gorgeous things for your desk to perk your working life up a bit. As a blogger myself, I know how important planning is. You need to plan for all sorts of things during the year, like coming posts and holidays. No matter how practical online characters are, there’s just something about writing on real paper.You can find loads more online that are even customizable. As a small extra present you can give them a set of personalized stationary with their brandings or colourful pens and thin markers, that will make using the planner even more fun!
Cook Books – Buying food books for bloggers is always a risk so check what they’ve got already before you buy – chances are they’ll have been sent a stack of the latest titles already this year. BUT that’s not to say a new book isn’t welcome as food bloggers tend to be obsessive collectors of them! My personal picks (being obsessed with Christmas and a dedicated dessert blogger):
The Christmas Chronicles by Nigel Slater. He transports you to a magical fairy tale land where all you want to do is cuddle up by a fire place and dive into its pages of seasonal recipes.
Sweet by Yottam Ottolenghi & Helen Goh. You can’t go wrong with a bit of Yottam – I fell in love with is recipes when I first saw him on MasterChef Australia. His bakes are AMAZING and whoever you buy this for will no doubt be delighted to try making them at home!
Tasty Food Photography – Using a DSLR can be pretty overwhelming. Yes you can learn through trial and error, but honestly why wast time? I came across this step-by-step e-book a little late in the game but it has changed everything for me. Written by Lindsay of Pinch of Yum , Tasty Food Photography is written specifically for beginners because she is a self-taught photographer and knows what it’s like to start at the beginning. She teaches you practical tips in a step-by-step fashion so it’s easy to learn and implement. It also comes with video tutorials! If you haven’t seen her book before, it’s a fabulous resource – whether you’re just starting out or you’re looking for new tips to spice up your photos!
Let me know what’s on your gift wishlist!
Rou's Sweet Corner 