175Christmas Lights2

Welcome to the first Sweet Geordie Life Christmas Gift Guide! Revealing my Top 10 Gifts from businesses that have featured, inspired or impressed me in 2019 and revealing their extra special offerings for this Christmas time. Read on to get some fabulously festive ideas for local and online gifts for those nearest and dearest to you.

Christmas Cheese Gift Boxes from Turner’s at The LFD

turners

A wonderful cheese shop based in the heart of Low Fell, Turner’s offers the finest selection of high quality cheeses with a side of amazing meats and unbelievable fresh seafood from Seahouses.

This year, they have the wonderful idea of Christmas Gift Boxes full of cheese! Well, yes please! Prices start from £25 per box. Vegan and Seafood options also available. A deposit of £5 is required when ordering and will include:

  • 4 x Turner’s Cheeses
  • Artisan crackers/crisp breads
  • Chutney and charcuterie

A fantastic gift that can be enjoyed by the whole family!

175Christmas Lights1

Gift Vouchers from By The River Brew

4541094032_IMG_0881

This independent container community that lives and breathes beneath our iconic Tyne Bridge offers gift vouchers that can be used in the Trakol Restaurant, Backyard Bike Shop or Street Food Market. They can either be emailed directly to you to print the voucher or sent directly to the person you wish to receive them and include a little message. Brilliant idea for those social butterflies in your family who already have everything.

175Christmas Lights3

Coffee and Chocolate Subscription Gift Box from Coffee & Kin

Based in Alnwick, Northumberland, Coffee & Kin’s coffee capsules are 100% plastic free, biodegradable and compostable, and their coffee is ethically sourced, This Christmas they have a range of Coffee and Chocolate Subscriptions Gift Boxes ranging in price and subscription length. You can also select your preference between coffee pods, whole beans or ground coffee and dark or milk chocolate. An ideal gift for coffee lovers out there. There are also Coffee only subscriptions too for those who don’t like chocolate – who are you people?!?

175Christmas Lights4

Tickets and gift vouchers for a performance at Dance City

dancecity1

Dance City in Newcastle city centre has been established for over 30 years as the North East’s leading development organisation for dance, which exists to lead and support a thriving dance ecology in the region. Give the gift of theatre this Christmas by treating friends or family to a night at one of the sensational shows in their Spring 2020 season, tickets are currently from £8 for concession tickets.

Can’t decide what your friends or family would prefer to see? No problem, they also do gift vouchers that can be bought online or at Dance City and can be used for dance classes as well as shows.

Have a look at their Forthcoming shows and note there is currently a multi-buy deal where you save 20% off when booking 2 or more performances. A lovely gift for the movers and shakers in your family.

175Christmas Lights2

A Christmas Carol and other Christmas Writings’ by Charles Dickens

charlesdickens

#Affiliate Link Telling ghost stories around a fire was originally a Christmas tradition. A Christmas Carol, probably the most popular piece of fiction that Charles Dickens ever wrote, was published in 1843 and is THE Ghost Story of Christmas. Along with a festive hardback cover, this makes for a wonderful present for the reading buffs amongst us, something to treasure forever, each and every Christmas time. Available from Amazon.

175Christmas Lights1

Bakery Workshops and Vouchers from the Big River Bakery

bigriverbakery

Based in Shieldfield, Newcastle these guys are a late addition to the Christmas Guide as I just came across them at a Christmas food market very recently. Having tasted some samples of their stotties I was won over by taste and texture and impressed with a range of Big River Bakery Workshops and vouchers that they offer for the perfect Christmas gift for the northern foodies in your life. Personally, I would love the ‘Proper Stottie and Brown Ale Peas Pudding’  bakery workshop, if anyone is interested??

175Christmas Lights3

Bubble Tea Gift Box from Manhua Cha

bubble tea

Bubble tea (also known as pearl milk tea, bubble milk tea, or boba is a Taiwanese tea-based drink invented in Tainan and Taichung in the 1980s. Recipes contain tea of some kind, flavors of milk, and toppings, known as pearls, such as chewy tapioca balls also known as pearls or boba balls. Manhua Cha, located at the Stack, in Newcastle, is the ideal place to shop for bubble tea and bubble tea accessories.  Not only that, but they tie up everything you need with a pretty ribbon in a range of gift boxes to suit various tastes and budgets, the perfect gift for any bubble tea lover.

175Christmas Lights4

Christmas Gift Sets from Gruum

gruumhairproductions

Not a Northeastern business but still a Northern one, started by four friends from Manchester who decided to quit their jobs, invest their savings, and take on a billion dollar industry. They spent years designing and perfecting the grüum range. Inspired by Scandinavian ideals, they create products that only use quality ingredients. They don’t make things “for him” and “for her”, they make them for everyone, keeping their cost and prices low. I have personally used the shampoo bars for a few months now and won’t ever go back to normal shampoo so check out their range of Christmas Gift sets and if this is your first order then make sure you claim your £5 off with this promo code

175Christmas Lights2

Gift Vouchers for Meat Stack

meatstack

What a great idea? Gift vouchers for our very own Meat Stack in Grainger market? Personally, I would love one of these. They are available in various amounts and there is a £2.95 postage charge. What a great Christmas present for someone so they can buy a real American grilled, smashed and steamed cheeseburger from the best burger place in town! Amazing gift!

175Christmas Lights1

North Chocolates

Located at Great Lime Road in Newcastle and available in various stockists throughout the region, this chocolate is made from the finest couverture (which means less sugar, no vegetable fats and lashings of cocoa and cocoa butter). North Chocolates specialise in small batch gourmet chocolate bars from the classic to the unusual, including their new ‘Icon & Innovation’ range celebrating our North East heritage. Whether it’s for your nearest and dearest or just for you, try one of their Christmas themed flavours and gift boxes and spread the Northern love.

175Christmas Lights3

Gifts from A Sweet Geordie Life Shop

IMG_3548

There could not be a Christmas Gift Guide without mentioning the Sweet Geordie Life Shop! Originally created to gift my family and friends, this is now a small scale but fairly successful Print On Demand business and has some cool little gifts like mugs and baby onesies to fill those Geordie Stockings. If there’s anything that you’d like to see in the shop that isn’t already there, drop me a line and I will see if it is possible to do!

175Christmas Lights4

Have a wonderful Christmas everyone and happy shopping!

Much love, the Sweet Geordies xx