Shop Local

By TANYA SCHAAP

Sweet Spot

Founded during the COVID-19 pandemic as a way to connect with community, Fine & Dandy Jelly is a small, local e-business that produces gourmet jams, jellies and sweet-treat gift boxes. Owned and operated by a self-professed sweet tooth, Fine & Dandy uses locally-sourced ingredients to create unique, themed boxes. The Fine & Dandy Teabox comes with a jar of homemade Meyer Lemon Curd, Blueberry and Ginseng

Herbal Tea Jelly, handcrafted Chai Tea Caramels and Earl Grey Vanilla Mini Marshmallows

Tea Box | $40| Fine & Dandy Jelly fineanddandyjelly.com

Botanical Blends

Tender Living Farm produces small-batch, botanical tea blends with ingredients grown and foraged from the picturesque Sheep River Valley, Treaty 7 Territory. With a variety of tea blends including Cold Aid Tea for those pesky sore throats or CoyoTea, a blend to help restore balance and energy, these blends make a great addition to your collection. Available online or locally at Our Daily Brett and Luke’s Drug Mart

Oolong Tea House in Kensington is another great spot for unique tea products. They sell more than 120 varieties of loose leaf tea (not just oolong tea!). Their new amber glass tea sets come in a variety of themes and make a great gift. Plus, the jars are refillable.

Tea Blends | $15 | Tender Living Farm tenderlivingfarm.ca

Amber Glass Gift Set | $44 | Oolong Tea House oolongteashop.ca

Jam Session

We stumbled across a unique jam from Preserved Foods Boutique that pairs well with scones: Carrot Cake Jam. Made with “Cam’s Carrots,” grown just outside of Strathmore and distributed by Poplar Bluff Organics, this jam is full of all the winter spices we associate with carrot cake. “We like to show off our local farmers’ hard work by turning their produce into elevated, but approachable, preserves,” says owner, Vanessa Rundell

Consider pairing this jam with the drop scones or jam tarts from the Alice Eats Cookbook by Pierre Lamielle and Julie Van Rosendaal, available at T he Cookbook Co. Cooks

Preserved Foods jams are available online and at various retailers around town. See the website for a full list.

Carrot Cake Jam | $8.75

Preserved Foods Boutique preservedyyc.com

ROYAL-TEA

Elevate your afternoon tea with Eau Claire Distillery ’s Earl Grey Gin, developed in partnership with Calgary’s Dorian Hotel

Best described as classic, juniper-forward gin with a twist, it is layered with flavours reminiscent of Earl Grey tea. The addition of tea leaves in this distillation yields a slightly tannic finish which pairs perfectly with the subtle citrus notes and herbaceous flavours of juniper and coriander. The design on the bottle is a showstopper as well. Available at liquor stores around the city.