Gift AlmanacA directory of good gifts

Dairy & bread from scratch

Yoghurt makers, cheese kits, butter churns, sourdough kits, proving baskets and Dutch ovens.

6 gift ideas here, each with a real shop for your country where we've found one.

A beginner cheese-making kit

Mozzarella and ricotta are the easiest cheeses to start with and are ready in under an hour. Just add milk. A fun gift for anyone with a house cow, goats or a good local dairy.

A hand-crank butter churn

Pour in cream, turn the handle, and you have butter in about ten minutes (and buttermilk for scones). A small, cheerful gift with a real use.

A yoghurt maker or Greek yoghurt kit

Turns spare milk into yoghurt for a fraction of the shop price. The Australian pick is a Mad Millie kit with cultures and a strainer for Greek yoghurt and labneh; the UK and US picks are electric makers that keep the milk at the right warmth overnight (the US one needs cultures bought separately).

A sourdough starter kit

Everything for getting a sourdough starter going and keeping it alive. The Mad Millie kit promises a daily loaf for under 15 minutes of hands-on time with no kneading; the Kilner set is a jar and tools for raising and feeding a starter.

A cane bread proving basket (banneton)

A natural cane basket holds the dough's shape while it rises and leaves the floury rings you see on bakery loaves. A cheap, lovely gift for anyone already baking their own bread.

An enamelled cast-iron Dutch oven

The pot for crusty home-baked bread, slow-cooked stews and soup from the garden. The enamel inside means no seasoning and no rust, and it can hold acidic tomato dishes. Heavy, so check they'll be happy lifting it.