Holiday Gifts for the Cook or Baker (Or For Your Own Kitchen)

Set of 2 Appetizer Trays and Round Platter from West Bank Ceramics (Screencap via Serrv and West Bank Ceramics)

Fair Trade Kitchen

What is Fair Trade? It’s the concept that people all over the world should be compensated adequately for their hard work. This isn’t factory made stuff. These are artisans and farmers in underprivileged parts of the globe who receive living wages that help their communities thrive. Fair trade gifts give back. You get high quality products. They get a hand out of poverty, education, medicine, and pride in their lives and work.

Servv.com partners “with 55 small-scale artisan/farmer organizations and cooperatives to bring you unique, handcrafted product collections.” Servv’s dish towels, like these Kantha Dish Towels made from saris, make great gifts. They’re pretty, and the more kitchen towels one has, the fewer paper towels one uses.  And every cook and baker can use an apron, especially when dinner guests are on the way.

Serrv has a totally sweet selection of acacia wood serving platters and bowls. And you need to check out their selection of trivets, breadwarmers and kitchen tools.

Then there are these intricately decorated serving bowls and platters from Bethlehem-based West Bank Ceramics. The set of two appetizer trays and round platter are pictured above.

Ten Thousand Villages works with artisans from all over the world. They offer trays, platters, bowls, cookware, trivets and other fair trade kitchen items. Each product comes with detailed information about its creators and country of origin. You can even print story cards for every single item on the site.

Uncommon Goods stocks an incredible selection of really cool kitchen tools and accessories. You can find products that are handmade, composed of recycled materials, and made in America, like this reclaimed wood cookbook stand.

There’s a world of gifts that could do the world some good.