Jane Lyster - Edible Gifts: Homemade and Hand-Wrapped Sweets, Snacks, Drinks, and More

Jane Lyster

Introduction

This book contains projects for you to create and give to your friends while helping you to develop your own artistic style. Lots of the recipes here are old favourites that have been reinvented to be enjoyed anew.

The beauty of making edible gifts is that you can create beautiful, unique gifts, often at a fraction of the price of anything you would find in the shops. But often the nicest gifts are those that come as a complete surprise, especially if they have been made by hand. These gifts really can be anything: jars of blackberry jam with a loaf of freshly baked bread or a tray of ready-to-plant-out tomato plants. The reason for giving is just to say Im thinking of you and however wobbly, unset or rock-hard crunchy, its a pleasure to receive anything that a friend has taken the trouble to make with you in mind.

Of course in the world we live in today there is no need to make a thing, as every conceivable item can be purchased. Homemade doesnt always suggest luxury or desirability. What if your carefully crafted gift turns out to be a catastrophe? Fear not. These projects are very simple and I hope that by my own experimentation I have ironed out the disaster potential.

Presents are given and received the whole year round although Christmas is the time when most people think of making delicious edible treats for their friends and family. However, anyone who loves baking and creating in the kitchen will soon find any excuse to make some of the projects in this book, whether its a birthday, a wedding, a moving house gift or simply a little something to cheer up a friend.

There is always a rush of excitement and delight that comes when you produce a beautiful gift for a loved one. I love the thought of going out into the countryside to pick a basket of blackberries or sloes (blackthorn fruit), coming home with them as if I am carrying unearthed treasures. Back in my kitchen I set myself up at the table. A pot of tea and the afternoon radio play are my companions. Slowly I prepare my found jewels, picking over each one to look for defects and bruising and sorting into three piles: the perfect specimen pile, the middling pile and the not-so-sure-if-it-lasted-the-journey-home pile. As I work I consider what these piles will become. Shall I make jam, or drown then in alcohol? Who can I give them to or share them with? Will I manage to get them as far as someone else before I have to just sample a little more to make sure it tastes just right?

Making personalized gifts for your friends really will give you as much pleasure as receiving a present yourself and once you have mastered a few very simple techniques, youll soon be hooked on handmade treats. Use the projects in this book as inspiration and youll begin to look at all sorts of produce and packaging in a whole new light.

Materials

I like to use the best quality materials and ingredients, as I believe they can help to make the cooking and wrapping easier. It also makes the gifts seem a bit more special. Thats not to say that secondhand bits and bobs that you find and collect on the way are unworthy. Its more about using exactly the right grade of flour to make pasta making a bit easier, or choosing a quality pencil that will keep its point for longer. A full range of materials at your fingertips really does cut down wasted hours at the shops, so being prepared is always useful. I always keep my kitchen cupboards stocked with a range of flours, sugars, good-quality chocolate and olive oils and Ive always got fresh butter, eggs, lemons and fresh herbs to hand so whipping up a batch of biscuity treats is never a problem.

Materials for decorating and wrapping are probably ones that you already have lying around the home but its always good to be on the alert for useful finds. Its that magpie thing. The collector in you should be able to recognize the potential in the discarded item. Think of buttons and beads which can be stitched or glued over the surface of the lid of a box to make it extra special; odd lengths of ribbon to be wound around bottles, jars and hold together bundles of just-baked breadsticks; paper that was wrapped around a gift given to you, that you have carefully unwrapped, folded and stored for another day just as your grandmother would have done. Then there are fragments of lace and cloth from a past era, which give a homely, vintage feel. These are the treasures that you cant buy. A trove of trinkets takes a while to gather, but these odds and ends are worth their weight in gold. Being individual and different from the norm is what makes your gift unique.

Materials for wrapping and decorating

Rolls of coloured cellophane and cellophane bags

Wrapping paper

Coloured tissue paper

Coloured ribbons and fabric scraps

Balls of wool

Stencils

Paints, coloured pens and pencils

Varnish

Beads, buttons, sequins etc

The food gifters workshop

The food gifters workshop is essentially the kitchen, although if you dont have a table in your kitchen, at some point you will have to move to an area of the house where there is one.

One of the most important things is to clear your space ready for working. Most professional kitchens churn out food like a well oiled machine, and I am sure this is down to having a well organized space. Clearing space, having everything ready and prepping your ingredients beforehand will make all the difference to how smoothly the projects run. You dont want to boil your sugar to the right temperature and pour it into your moulds only to discover that you cant find your string, otherwise before you know it, youll have sugar mice without tails. So remember, clear the decks and all will run smoothly.

Kitchen tools are worth investing in and need to be looked after. There is no end of kitchen gadgetry available these days and, lets face it, if you love cooking you probably enjoy browsing around kitchen shops. Some of these items will make your life easier, others wont, so think carefully before splashing out on some high-tech piece of equipment. Here are my essential pieces of equipment.