A very local Christmas

The garishly wrapped elephant in the room? That's the cost of Christmas.

It's actually WILD when you think about how much time, effort and moolah go into just one day on the calendar to make it "special". Now these pigs are no grinches & adore a fabulously festive Christmas as much as the next pig, but we also recognise that in this day and age of absolutely OUTRAGEOUS food costs (and cost of living in general) that it's getting harder and harder to choose where to spend your money on what is arguably the biggest "day" of the year & to ensure you get value, deliciousness & a sense of a well spent dollar by supporting West Australian suppliers, makers & producers. It's a cause that's particularly close to our hearts (we grew up on a farm in Gidgegannup) & one that drives a lot of our buying and food decisions here at Little Pig. It's no secret that we could make more money by cutting corners on the sourcing of our food & not working with smaller local producers, but we firmly believe that what you pay for is what you get when it comes to fresh food & that if we don't choose to support local then it will at some point cease to exist...and that friends would be a real Christmas tragedy!

Now dire food economy warnings aside, let's talk Christmas & specifically how you can power local legends this festive season.

I ham what I ham - Tempted by that seriously cheap rolled ham at your local supermarket? Have a squizzy at the salt content & where it was sourced on the packaging, pop it down and slowly back away while you chant "quality over quantity". While it is a (strange when you think about it) Christmas tradition to serve many meats at a festive gathering, it's also a LOT of meat & an excellent opportunity to shop small & consume mindfully by choosing ethically raised & butchered meat this Christmas. Your local independently owned butcher is an excellent place to start and if they don't want to chat about where they source their meat from then red flag that sucker & find someone who does. We've used the team at Frank Torres in Highgate since the start of TLP over 11 years ago now & the owner Michael is always happy to yarn about where he sources his meat from and the story behind it. Whilst it might look more "festive" to have a spread of different meats, one amazing cut (cooked with our expert instruction & recipe card if you order from the Christmas menu) will be much more delicious & enjoyable to serve & eat. Fun fact? This year's Christmas ham is $185 which is a lot...however it does easily serve 15 people at $12 a serve, lasts beautifully if you have less people and want to enjoy wafers of locally sourced, free range, lightly smoked & cured ham over the Christmas holidays annnnd also comes prepped for glazing with our glaze kit, delicious fresh peach relish kit & a step-by-step guide to cooking and carving (which makes your life SO much easier)

Shop seasonal - The weather can be a wildcard around Christmas in Perth (40+ degrees to overcast and rainy) but you can usually count on some excellent options in terms of summer fruit & veg. If the weather gods smile upon us, it's usually a plethora of delicious stone fruits, fresh mango, grapes & cherries, plus excellent salad things like tomatoes, herbs, cucumber & avocados, as well as your more traditional roasting veg & greens like beans & broccoli. Again we would recommend skipping the big supermarkets & shopping your local markets or small independently owned grocers. You're much more likely to get a better picture of what is actually in season, and therefore MUCH more delicious & cheaper than the imported produce we're used to seeing all year round in the big chains. Weekend markets are amazing for this (see a list of them here) or you can trust in the pigs (hey that's us!) and let us do the shopping & deliver our beautiful produce or fruit box to fill your festive fridge, or take it one step further and go for the delicious side packs on this year's menu - the nectarine & smoked almond salad is pretty darn amazing.

Shop small - 'Tis the season for mindful over madness & considering just how much stuff one person really needs. In our humble experience, food makes for brilliant presents & it's something that can be gifted & enjoyed (devoured) without taking up too much space or cluttering up peoples homes. Our picks this year? Beautiful olive oil from Great Southern Groves, aged balsamics or delicious vinegars from The Re Store, fresh cheeses from La Delizia Latticini, handmade chocolate from the queen herself Sue Lewis Chocolate, seasonal fruit like our gift box of locally grown Cherries or a scrumptious bottle of wine from small WA producers like the lineup in our sWine Cellar. Got someone busy, time poor and who really needs our meal time magic in their life? Go a gift voucher & give the gift of deliciousness. You can get a beautiful gift wrapped hardcopy right up until Wednesday 18th of December (midday cutoff) or an online version 24/7 here. 

Now it might not seem to make much of an impact where one person buys their ham or if your present is made locally by an artisan producer, or even if you do buy some produce from Mexico at Coles, but as a business who currently employs 39 brilliant locals & has over 100 local suppliers in their database we're actual living business proof that it does make a difference. Our business wouldn't exist without our customers, especially our hundreds of weekly subscribers who put their hard earned pennies into supporting a food system that supports & champions local produce & the West Australian community. This year's Christmas menu features many of our regular local suppliers - Frank Torre Butchers, Little Creek Pastured Eggs, Bannister Downs Dairy, Refresh Juice, Coral Seafoods & HaVe Cheese (just to name a few), as well as some really special small batch suppliers like Epicurean Foodie, Cambray Cheese, Sue Lewis Chocolate & CSi Bon. There's also the lineup of incredible WA made wines from some of our fave small batch wineries that you can support by stocking the fridge or gifting to a crisp bevvy loving friend & don't forget that every single one of our kits is sourced, prepped, packed & delivered by our team of 39 excellent Perth locals.

You can shop this year's incredible Christmas menu here, give the gift of local deliciousness here & don't forget we're giving away the rather spectacular KitchenAid Evergreen stand mixer (valued at $1199) to one lucky Christmas customer this year (drawn after our orders close on December 13th).