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5 Holiday Gifts & Meal Ideas for Pork Lovers in Vancouver!
Follow Me Foodie to 5 Holiday Gifts & Meal Ideas for Pork Lovers in Vancouver!
These posts usually start off with “tired of turkey?”, but to be honest, I’m not. I can have it multiple times throughout the holidays as long as it’s made well and featured in a variety of ways. It’s a staple that I want on the table, but beside it I also want a nice roast ham, which is often missing on most Christmas spreads. If I don’t get the roast ham, I don’t mind settling for some rillettes and pâtés as a starter and then of course the addition of bacon to the brussels sprouts. Anyway, you get the point… don’t forget the pork.
Pork tends to be the sidekick at a holiday dinner and it shouldn’t be. We have excellent local and sustainable pork, responsible producers and talented artisans, so why not celebrate their passion and products? Whether you’re last minute shopping or holiday entertaining, these 5 holiday gifts and meal ideas are ideal for pork lovers.
5 Holiday Gifts & Meal Ideas for Pork Lovers in Vancouver!
Lepp Farm Market’s Breakfast Sausage
Start your festive mornings with The Great Canadian Sausage Making Competition’s 1st place award winning Breakfast Sausage from Lepp Farm Market in Abbotsford, BC. They are great as is, but I’ve also used them in my turkey stuffing. The Blueberry & Maple sausage is another favourite and that works well in stuffing too. In this case I would make a blueberry chutney instead of a typical cranberry sauce for something different.
Oyama Sausage Swedish Ham
I feel like I’m going to be shunned for not having tried the infamous Oyama Swedish Ham yet. It’s “foodie-crime”, that I shouldn’t admit so loud, but sadly it’s true. You can order it half or whole, but you better put your order in soon. They also offer Bourbon Maple Ham, Blackberry Sage Glazed Ham and a Praga Ham which come with easy cooking instructions.
I’ve known about it forever, but someone always ends up making the ham. Yes, it’s true, you can always make your own ham if you want to make the effort, but sometimes “leave it to the pros”.
This five-generation family-based charcuterie business located on Granville Island is a one-stop meat shop for holiday entertaining. With a loyal clientele of customers who know good charcuterie, and a strong following of well respected chefs, Oyama is one of Vancouver’s “kings of charcuterie”. It’s an art, and not everyone who is doing it should be doing it.
Oyama is closed on December 25thand 26th and will be open from 8-4 on the 24th and 31st. All other days, the store is open Monday to Sunday, 8:30-7.
Dirty Apron Cooking School’s Modern Holiday Feast
Who doesn’t like pre-holiday gift giving or pre-holiday feasting? An early start never hurt anyone. It’s an appetizer to the main course.
Dirty Apron Cooking school is offering a “Contemporary Christmas: A Modern Holiday Feast” cooking class on December 21 at 5:30-9:30pm. In 4 hours you will prepare a 3 course menu which includes: roasted mushroom and chestnut soup, pear and apricot stuffed pork loin with herb spaetzle, and a baked apple and almond tart with rum ice cream for dessert.
The course is $ 158.00 per person and the booking can be done here.
Bacon Ornament
This is more for fun. I rather eat my gifts than hang them, unless it’s to dry age or cure them.
You can pick up this Sparkling Bacon Ornament at Well Seasoned in Langley, BC, and next to it you’ll also find Mo’s Dark Bar – 62% dark chocolate with Hickory smoked uncured bacon and Alderwood smoked salt. Both make great stocking stuffers.
While you’re there scouting bacon gifts I’d also pick up Skillet Bacon Jam and Re-Up BBQ’s Apple Bacon Butter.
‘MEAT & BREAD’ Maple-Bacon Candy Bar
There are many reasons to visit Beta 5 throughout the year, but if you’re looking for more porky stocking stuffers than grab a bar (or box) of their ‘MEAT & BREAD’ Maple-Bacon Candy Bar… you better grab a box.
‘MEAT & BREAD’ Maple-Bacon Candy Bar description: Oyama Sausage Co.’s applewood-smoked bacon in a maple caramel resting on a layer of roasted almond and milk chocolate nougat, coated in 63% dark chocolate and finished with smoked sea salt. ($3)
The “bacon bandwagon” can be really annoying and overdone, but they do this bar justice. It’s the right ingredients in the right hands.
The bar is made for Vancouver’s Meat & Bread sandwich shop and it is also available at their Cambie St. location.
Pork Contest!
And last but not least, Johnston’s is hosting their Christmas Ham Contest! Like Johnstons Local-Quality on Facebook and share your original recipe for ham for your chance to win $50 in Johnston’s bucks to spend at any retail location that carries their products.