39: The 2025 Small Fry Gift Guide, Part I
Shopping small for holiday gifts.
Hello everyone! In today’s letter, we’re kicking off the 2025 Small Fry Gift Guide series with consumable gifts. This type of gift is great for people who are tough to shop for (me) and/or who appreciate a practical gift (also me – last year, all I wanted for Christmas was a butter dish).
For this year’s guides, I’m trying to be sensitive to price, so at least for Part I, nearly everything is under $30.
As always, everything linked below is from a small business.
Pump Street Sourdough & Sea Salt Chocolate Bar
When our resident chocolate expert, Lia, was a guest on Small Fry earlier this year, this is one the bars she recommended. She very kindly gifted me a bar of it, and it’s one of the best chocolate flavor combos I’ve ever had.
Rocky’s Matcha
I wrote about buying this matcha a few months back, and have been loving it.
Redhawk Coffee Beans
This blend is what my local coffee shop has been brewing lately, and it’s so good.
1787 White Raspberry Balsamic Vinegar
My mother-in-law introduced me to this brand, and it’s been the perfect pairing with homemade focaccia.
Olive Oil
You can’t go wrong with gifting someone a nice bottle (or in Fat Gold’s case, a tin) of olive oil. I also want to try this chili infused olive oil.
Tinned Fish
I’ve been eating a lot of tinned fish lately (recession indicator?), and I know it’s not for everyone, but I have a lot of people in my life who are adventurous enough to eat clams from a can (I would eat pretty much anything with chili, garlic and olive oil on it). This smoked coho salmon from Wildfish Cannery was also highly recommended, and the brand also designed this fish fork in collaboration with a small designer.
Barnacle Foods Kelp Hot Sauce
Wildfish also collaborated with Barnacle Foods to make this kelp hot sauce, which I am very intrigued by.
Simply You Soap & Candle Co. Pink Himalayan Candle
This candle makes our house smell like a spa. It has notes of “pink grapefruit and white sandalwood, dusted with pink sea salt.” (Note: I know it’s hard to commit to a scent you haven’t smelled, but I hate floral or vanilla scents, and love citrusy or earthy scents if that’s helpful to know.)
Simple Sugars Green Tea Body Scrub
I’ve talked about Simple Sugars’ facial scrubs, but their body scrubs are amazing too, especially if you have sensitive skin.
TB Fragrances Mediterranean Incense
I’ve been seeing this incense everywhere, and the fig and black currant scent sounds perfect.
Lovett Sundries Lemongrass Hand Cream
The travel size version of this hand cream would be perfect to keep in your bag through the winter months.
Appalachian Wax Works Beeswax Candle Ornament
I saw these beeswax ornaments at a holiday market last year, and thought they were so sweet.
Thank you for being here! I’ll be back next week with Part II.
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All photos above are courtesy of respective brands unless stated otherwise. On rare occasions, I may make a small commission from certain links.
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