Kent Gift Guide: Shop Small This Festive Season (Part 2)
- Katy Mason
- Dec 16, 2025
- 4 min read
The festive shopping season is fully underway, and whilst tempting Black Friday offers may have dominated your inbox for the past couple of weeks, at this time of year supporting local, independent businesses has never been more important.
If the idea of hitting the shopping centres fills you with dread and you're struggling to find that perfect gift for the person who you buy the same thing for each year (hello another pair of festive socks and M&S jumper...), this is the guide for you.
Offering bespoke, quality gifts and experiences produced in the local area, you'll both be giving something truly unique and supporting a small business. From outdoor experiences and creative workshops, to bespoke embroidered pillowcases and luxury beauty products, there's inspiration for the most tricky of recipients in our Kent gift guide...
Beauty & Self Care
Scrummy Cream is a family-made, gentle and non-toxic skin, nails and lip cream made using only 4 ingredients.
Made in small batches with simple, nourishing ingredients, it’s the kind of everyday essential you keep within arm’s reach: in the bathroom, in your changing bag, in children’s school bags, on the bedside table, or tucked into your coat pocket.
From dry hands and cracked lips to rough nails and little patches of irritation, Scrummy Cream makes a luxurious and comforting gift this Christmas.
Start 2026 with a positive and balanced outlook with the Anti-Burnout Journal - a 12 week wellness planner for self care and stress relief.
Combining traditional journaling with online lessons and challenges, this multi-platform journal offers space for brain dumps, mood tracking, prioritising and gratitude, whilst being complemented by lessons in yoga, meditation, mindfulness and goal setting.
If this wasn’t enough, it’s also really pretty and at A5 size, fits in your bag perfectly!
ReWild Botanicals craft all natural, botanical wellness products with fine plant oils, waxes and pure essential oils.
Emerged from a belief that everyone should be able to live well by living pure, they offer a wide range of bath oils, wax melts, reed diffusers and wellness sets, as well as gift cards.
If you’re looking to give the gift of relaxation this Christmas, this is the ideal stocking filler.
Created using polymer clay, Bumble & Bees produce beautiful, handcrafted jewellery, drawing upon botanical and natural prints in the Kent countryside.
Using natural petals and leaves embedded in the clay, each piece is totally unique and no two items will ever be the same! Shop Steph’s collection on Etsy.
Using natural, local-sourced ingredients, Fox & Bloom create fragrant cleansing balms and soaps.
Inspired by founder Donna’s late grandmother who believed in ‘the simple things in life’ and her background in biology, the company makes their products using a cold compress method.
With gift boxes and beautiful packaging, their products make for a gorgeous, relaxing present.
Based in West Malling, Baba Bears is run by Ashley who created adorable, handmade personalised crochet bears and bunnies. Perfect as a gift for a new mum or baby!
Every bear and bunny is ethically made, and their stylish knitted clothes are proudly made here in the UK. You can personalise their outfits to detail your little one’s name or initials, making them a lovely keepsake.
Another great gift for new parents, Initialled create meaningful engraved jewellery.
Priding themselves on their signature petite, sleek lettering, initals can be stamped onto necklaces, bracelets and rings to provide a loving keepsake.
Available in a range of metals and at different price points, this is a wonderful gift for a loved one.
Food & Drink
Kingcott Dairy
What’s better than some locally-produced cheese during the festive season?
Made from the freshest milk from their farm just outside of Staplehurst, this family-business creates delicious Kentish blue cheeses.
With a number of awards to their name, they offer beautifully packaged cheese boxes complete with crackers and chutney. Check out their Christmas shop on their website for great gifts.
Canterbury Brewers & Distillers
Housed in the historic industrial foundry, Canterbury Brewers & Distillers is a family run business who create a range of award winning beers and craft spirits.
From Apple Pie Moonshine to Smuggler Sam’s Spiced Rum, they boast an eclectic array of gins, rums and whiskeys along with Golden Ales, IPAs and Pale Ales. Glassware and gift boxes are also available to build.
Based in Goudhurst, this family-run chocolate company produces devilishly tasty sweet treats which will be sure to impress as a stocking filler!
Offering vegan and gluten free options, the award winning company pride themselves on their sustainability and ethical approach. Popular products include their classic chewy chocolates with a hint of crunch (flavours include lemon meringue, white lavender, date & walnut and cherry & almond), luxury hot chocolate tins and chocolate discs.
Located on the outskirts of Staplehurst, family-run Balfour Winery boasts award-winning sparkling and still wines, as well as beers and ciders.
I highly recommend a bottle of Leslie’s Reserve Gold for any lovers of fizz, or if you want to splash out a bit more, they have some hampers complete with sparkling wine, cheeses and chutneys which are sure to impress.
Give the gift of a delicious meal without leaving the house! Run by friends Aliza and Prasadini who grew up in Sri Lanka, Little Big Flavour Kits provide spice kits inspired by authentic Sri Lankan cuisine.
Using top quality ingredients and created with a sustainable approach, the kits are bursting with flavour and so easy to use, making the ideal gift for the foodie in your life.
Family-run business Wise Owl Cider creates craft ciders using apples grown in Kent.
Priding themselves with being vegan friendly and gluten free, they produce delicious still and sparkling traditional ciders, as well as a range of flavoured ciders.
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