2023 Branksome Gift Guide

2023 HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE

Something Special for Everyone on Your List!

20+

s Inside

a Gift Ide

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Recipes

Letter from the BHAA President Share Your Branksome Pride This Holiday Season

In the spirit of the holidays, your Branksome Hall Alumnae Association is excited to share with you the third annual Holiday Gift Guide, designed to help you find gifts that will spread joy.

Across Canada and around the world, Branksome alums are founding and growing industry-leading companies, and this guide highlights products created by these graduates.

You’ll also find unique branded items from the Branksome Hall Alum Shop that are perfect for you to show off your Branksome pride.

As your current President of the Alumnae Association, my goal—along with our other members—is to invite you to reconnect with Branksome, along with other fellow alums.

Keep an eye out for invitations to new and returning events throughout the year.

If you’re a business owner and would like to be featured in our 2024 guide, reach out to us at alum@branksome.on.ca Happy holidays!

Alex MORTON’09

President Branksome Hall Alumnae Association

BRANKSOME BRANDED GIFTS

Give or get unique branded items that are perfect for alums to show off their Branksome pride

CLICK TO

SHOP KEEP WELL THE ROAD 1/4 ZIP Branksome’s traditional zip-up with a fun Keep Well The Road design will be your go-to for comfort time and time again. Designed in conjunction with the Branksome Hall Alumnae Association and the Branksome Hall Parents’ Association. Same style/sizing as our Branksome Hall uniform 1/4 zip. Made in Canada. 100% cotton.

Available in adult small to 2XL

$80

SLATE COASTERS

BRANKSOME ALUM TUMBLER

Stylish slate coasters (two-pack) made for any

This 12-ounce Branksome alum stainless-steel tumbler

kitchen or bar will comfortably fit most glasses.

will. keep your favourite beverage hot or cold for up

Black gift box packaging makes a great host gift!

to five hours! The perfect desktop mug - the plastic lid

Measures 4” by 4” and comes with a gift box.

$18

prevents spills on all your work. Get one for you and one for your Branksome bestie!

$16

‘TIS THE SEASON FOR GIVING…AND GIVING BACK!

This holiday season, consider a donation to The Alumnae Association Endowed Bursary Fund, the largest single endowed fund held by the Branksome Hall Foundation that provides more than $30,000 in student financial aid each year.

FOOD & DRINK

Delicious gifts for the food and drink lovers on your list

Jewels Under the Kilt PARTY OF 6 - PARTY PACK BEIGE KILT Enjoy this gift pack of the six most popular Jewels Under the Kilt nuts. Whether purchasing a gift for someone or wanting to try a mix for yourself, this new addition is sure to please.

•

Salted Caramel Pecan

•

Spicy Ceasar Walnut

•

Carrot Cake Walnut

•

Maple Espresso Hazelnut

•

Chocolate Cabernet Hazelnut

•

Apple Pie Pecan

$19.85 About Co-Founder Elisabeth BURROW’81 In 2010, my partner and I moved to a farm outside Fergus and I returned to my adventurous roots. I explored every nook and cranny of my farm, my county and other areas too. My joy in creating returned with the force of a tornado. I worked with my hands growing vegetables and flowers until I did some research and found out maybe just maybe I could grow nuts. Little did I realize that, yes we could grow nuts.

We planted 150 nut and fruit trees in 2013. At the same time, we were receiving the families’ annual jars of maple syrup. I don’t really like syrup—it was a little too sweet for me—but it was really good at masking the flavour of the nuts I was buying. So I started working the recipe over and over again in my head until finally, I created my patent process for roasting nuts. I found I had a knack and a joy for roasting and creating flavoured nuts naturally. This was when Jewels Under the Kilt was born.

Clearview Tea Co. IVORY CABLE-KNIT SWEATER This tea is cozy and delightful! Black tea, vanilla and rose petals combine to create the perfect rainy-day tea.

Ingredients: Black tea, vanilla, rose petals, natural flavour.

$14 About Co-Founders Rebecca MOORE Brown’87 and Maggie BROWN Morrison’13 Maggie Morrison, alongside her mother Rebecca Brown, started Clearview Tea Company back in 2012. Over the past 10 years, the business has grown from an online shop to a gift shop and tea blending studio located in Schomberg, Ontario.

Sunday Farms THE BEST OF SUNDAY FARMS A curated assortment of some of Sunday Farms’ favourite cuts of 100% grass-fed beef, pasture raised chicken and heritage pork. All their meat is raised outside on regenerative pastures and fed natural diets without any harmful chemicals or additives—they promise you’ll taste the difference.

Want to pick your own cuts?

About Co-Founder Laya BAIL’06 Laya Bail is one of the co-founders of Sunday Farms, alongside her husband, Charlie Iscoe. Sunday Farms is one of

the

largest

direct-to-consumer

providers of pasture-raised meat and wild-caught seafood in Ontario. Their

You can also order a la carte from their site.

mission is to support healthy lives through

As well, they offer wild-caught seafood and prepared

ethically-sourced food with all of the good and none

products made by local chefs with only the highest quality

of the bad. Less than 2% of meat in Canada adheres to

ingredients.

their standards, but they’re here to change that—that’s

good food by making it easier to access

why they dig deep into agricultural standards, so you

$259.97

SAVE 20% with code

“BHALUM” on the entire site

don’t have to.

RECIPE

MIDDLE EASTERN SPICED RIBEYE Courtesy of Sunday Farms

PREP TIME: 10 mins

COOK TIME: 20 mins

Normally, at Sunday Farms we don’t mess around too much with our ribeyes because they’re already packed with so much flavour. But this recipe is totally worth the (slight) extra effort.

Always remember to leave plenty of time to salt your steaks and let them come to room temperature prior to cooking. We salted ours for eight hours in the fridge and let it come to room temperature for about 30 minutes before cooking.

INGREDIENTS Servings: 4 Ribeye and Blistered Tomatoes 2 100% grass-fed ribeye steaks (~1.5 - 2.0 lbs total) Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper 2 tbsp olive oil 4 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole 2 tsp black mustard seeds 3 tsp coriander seeds 3 cups cherry tomatoes 2 tsp red wine vinegar 2 tbsp vegetable oil (we use avocado oil) Tahini Sauce 4 tbsp tahini paste 1 tbsp lemon juice 1 garlic clove, grated or crushed 1/2 tsp kosher salt 3-4 tbsp cold water

PREPARATION STEP 1: Season steaks with salt hours before cooking and chill

STEP 4: While tomatoes are cooking, heat vegetable oil

in the fridge. 20-30 minutes prior to cooking, let steak come to

in a medium skillet on high heat. Pat off any remaining

room temperature on a plate or resting rack. Season with fresh

moisture from the surface of the ribeyes with a dish

ground pepper, if you’d like.

towel. Once the oil is hot, carefully add steaks to the pan and sear for 2–3 minutes, or until a nice golden crust

STEP 2: While steak is coming to room temperature, prepare

forms. Flip and repeat on the other side for another

the tahini sauce by whisking all the ingredients (except for the

2–3 minutes. Transfer steaks to a cutting board, loosely

water) in a small bowl until combined. Slowly add the water

cover with foil and let them rest for 5–10 minutes.

while whisking until the mixture is smooth and pourable. Add salt or more lemon juice to taste. Set aside at room temperature

STEP 5: After resting, slice steaks against the grain

while you prepare the steak and tomatoes.

and serve with the blistered tomatoes, sauteed garlic cloves and seeds, and tahini sauce on the side. Sauteed

STEP 3: In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat.

greens and roasted winter squash or potatoes make

Add the garlic, mustard seeds, and coriander seeds and cook

excellent side dishes too!

until the mustard seeds just begin to pop (about 4–5 minutes).

Add the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Shake the pan so the ingredients don’t stick and cook until tomatoes have begun to soften, about 5–10 minutes. Add the vinegar and cook until tomatoes are blistered and soft, about 5 minutes more.

Set aside to keep warm.

Exchange Brewery 12 BEERS OF CHEER Looking for the perfect mix of beer to bring along to your holiday parties? From light to dark and a bit of sour, Exchange Brewery’s holiday 12-pack has a little bit of everything for everyone! They created these holiday boxes for beer lovers to gift, host and even enjoy as an anonymous tasting.

$64 About Founder Robin RIDESIC’99 After accumulating two business degrees and 10 years as a management consultant at The Boston Consulting Group, Robin Ridesic decided to pursue her true passion: beer! She opened The Exchange Brewery in 2016 in Niagara-on-the-Lake, focusing on innovative and quality craft beers. Robin is also involved in several non-profit organizations in her community, and sits as a board member for The Shaw Festival Theatre, Royal Oak Community School and the Niagara Creative, Cultural and Community Hub.

Greenhouse BOOSTER VARIETY PACK Greenhouse is an organic, functional beverage company based in Toronto. They make healthy drinks that taste as good as they make you feel and bottle them in 99.9% plastic-free packaging. Their bestselling organic Wellness Shots are a convenient on-the-go way to add a dose of plant power to your daily routine. Try their most popular pocket-sized power-ups in one convenient Wellness Shot Variety Pack, featuring the #1 Best-Selling Wellness Shot in Canada, Fiery Ginger.

$50

About Co-Founder, Hana JAMES McConville’05 Hana McConville completed her BSc at McGill University and was en route to medical school when she decided to explore another passion: helping people improve their health through food. Hana is a co-founder of and head of community at Greenhouse Juice, and a co-author of The Greenhouse Cookbook, a national bestseller.

More Granola HOT CHOCOLATE Picture this: a steamy cup of hot cocoa, but in freshly baked granola chunks. This granola’s light cocoa flavour is the perfect way to get your chocolate fix, without being overly sweet. Made with organic cocoa powder, pure maple syrup, and a pinch of sea salt; you won’t think twice about indulging in MORE.

$11.99

About Founder Sarah DAVIES’09 Sarah Davies is the founder of More Granola: a line of snackable granola chunks in dessert inspired flavours.

Sarah’s entrepreneurial career began during the pandemic.

She used to work in Wealth Management, but ultimately knew that wasn’t where her passion lay. Sarah decided to go back to school and was completing her MBA at an entrepreneurship-focused school in Madrid, Spain when the pandemic hit. She flew home March 2020 and knew it was the perfect time to launch the business of her dreams and spread joy through food.

RECIPE

LOADED HOT CHOCOLATE WITH A CRUNCHY TWIST! Recipe courtesy of Alxeats and More Granola

It’s warm, creamy and oozing with whip cream. This delicious, homemade, fullyloaded hot chocolate is a great way to start the holiday season and takes only six ingredients to make.

INGREDIENTS 2 Servings ½ Cup of Milk ½ Cup of Half & Half 2 Tablespoons of Unsweetened Cocoa Powder 2 Tablespoons of Sugar 2 Tablespoons of Melted Lindt Extra Creamy Chocolate 2–3 Drops of Vanilla Extract Loaded Hot Chocolate Garnish 1 Medium Piece of More Granola’s Hot Cocoa Granola Chunk Milk Chocolate Crispearls from Chocolatta Gourmet Saxon Chocolates Snowed In Holiday Shaped Marshmallows Lindt Canada 90% Cacao Supreme Dark Chocolate Shavings

DIRECTIONS

OHH AND...

don’t skip out on the granola garnish — it’s more of a main ingredient.

STEP 1: Place milk of your choice in a saucepan on medium to low heat.

STEP 2: Slowly add and whisk your cocoa powder and sugar of choice into the saucepan.

STEP 3: Chop up chocolate of choice and whisk in until melted completely. (We used two tablespoons of Lindt Extra Creamy Chocolate.)

STEP 4: Add a couple of drops of vanilla extract. (We tried with and without and when the vanilla extract is added, it brings out more of the chocolate flavours.)

STEP 5: Pour your hot chocolate into a mug of choice leaving room for garnish.

STEP 6: Add your marshmallows, whip cream then add chocolate crispearls and shaved chocolate overtop. Finish your loaded hot chocolate off by dunking a medium size piece of granola from More Granola. Be sure to serve hot.

TRISH MAGWOOD COLLECTION

Curated food and lifestyle picks from one of Canada’s top food experts & tastemakers

MAGWOOD PANTRY ESSENTIALS BOX MAGWOOD Honey + MAGWOOD Maple Syrup packaged ready to give in a pretty gift box.

Magwood Maple Syrup (500mL) Local. Pure. Limited run. Produced in small batches by farming neighbours in Badjeros Ontario a stone’s throw from Four Wheel Farm, Creemore Magwood Wildflower Honey (375mL) Local. Pure. Produced by expert beekeeper and maker Osprey Bluffs Honey company with the bees and hives on Magwood’s Four Wheel farm.

$50

MY NEW TABLE The recipes in My New Table use fresh ingredients that follow the rhythm of the seasons, paired with simple preparations so that their natural flavours shine. As Trish says, she is a “salt and pepper, butter and olive oil kind of cook,” and her ingredientdriven recipes suit any day of the week—from midweek evening dinners to leisurely weekend get-togethers. With My New Table, Trish has created both a must-have recipe collection, and a stunning lifestyle look-book, featuring gorgeous food, interiors and lifestyle photography throughout. In this book, she shares her inspirations, for both food and style, from life in the city and at home on the farm.

$35

MAGWOOD CREAM + SOAP GIFT BOX MAGWOOD hand soap (500mL) + MAGWOOD hand cream (500mL) packaged ready to give in a pretty gift box.

$100

TURAL ALL NA . radable

Biodeg anada.

C Made In -Free. y lt e u r C de ble. Ma Recycla ntial Oils. se with Es

About Trish MAGWOOD’89 Trish Magwood is a chef, food and lifestyle authority, entrepreneur and mom. She is also an award-winning cookbook author: her first cookbook, Dish Entertains, won a James Beard award, and a silver award at the Taste Canada Awards, and her second, In My Mother’s Kitchen, was a Globe and Mail-bestseller and an Indigo Heather’s Pick.

Trish was the creator and host of Party Dish, a judge for Food Network Canada’s Family Cook Off, and the founder of the popular Dish Cooking Studio in Toronto. Trish is mom to three kids, and splits her time between Toronto and the small town of Creemore, Ontario.

FAMILY & HOME

Shopping ideas for the smallest members of the family

Play Mobi WIGLOO Wigloo is a simple, multi-dimensional toy that was designed to grow with your children as they develop.

Wigloo was inspired by our little ones who love playing with bubble wrap, wedding rings, and phone cords! We teamed up with doctors and therapists to create a fun and dynamic toy that is safe and playfully therapeutic.

$29.99 About Founder Vanessa NOBREGA’00 Vanessa has been inspired by her four children to create toys for all ages and abilities. As a former professional basketball player, Vanessa has a deep understanding and love for play. She’s shifted this love into her company. Möbi’s award winning products can be found around the world and at your neighbourhood toy store!

: o’s glo , i W st rds y Co esi r d ’t r ingy enso Foo n ca Spr le S e, e s r r , + tip es ge eF fin ubbl Mul alat nths o h b s, tle Lit one Ring + Pht : 6 m s ic Sil ning BPA , Age in e s, Sp ture icon x il Te de S a Gr

Nugget Nielsen DOG BED OTTO The Nugget Nielsen Dog Bed “Otto” is designed for the love of dogs. It is comfortable and cuddly soft, beautiful in all settings. It combines high quality materials and design.

$189 About Founder Kristina NÄSEMANN’09 Change has always been a constant in Kristina’s life. While growing up in cities all over the world such as Toronto, her passion and love for animals has always been a part of her. In 2019, Kristina decided to follow her dreams, she became a founder of Nugget Nielsen, an online shop with exclusive lifestyle accessories for dogs, that has reached millions of people on social media from its headquarters in Berlin.

Clementine’s BAMFORD FRANKINCENSE CANDLE - 1 WICK Bamford home fragrances are inspired by English skies through the seasons. Their candles contain 100% natural waxes and are fragranced with essential oils. The wicks are comprised of cotton and are lead-free.

Frankincense, cardamom, wood smoke.

$85 About Founder Kelly MCDOWELL’06 Kelly McDowell attended Branksome Hall from Senior Kindergarten in 1993 until her graduation in 2006. Continuing on to Dalhousie University’s Bachelor of Management program, Kelly started her career in the luxury retail space. After dipping her toe into the world of digital advertising and e-commerce, Kelly made her way back to luxury retail in 2014 and opened Clementine’s in partnership with her mother, Christina.

ART

Unique ideas for the art lovers in your life

Susannah Bleasby 2024 MONTHLY WALL CALENDAR Celebrate the arrival of 2024 with twelve gorgeous abstract landscapes and colourful breezy skies. Each month features a brand new sky painting from the ‘Land’s End’ collection created specially for this wall calendar, or a contemporary landscape from this year’s ‘Down to Earth’ collection so you can welcome every month with a beautiful new view!

This monthly calendar is a lovely piece of artwork for hanging on your wall. There’s colour and there’s quiet, there’s moody, there’s sunshine and the always-present windblown beauty. We’re really, really happy with how 2024 is looking from here!

$35 About Susannah BLEASBY’91 Susannah Bleasby is a Hamilton-based artist, and is on a mission to add more colour to the world.

Susannah’s original paintings create fine art prints that illuminate the walls of homes around the world and greeting cards that spread joy.

Blumenbabe Art Prints LITTLE MISS MISTLETOE CHRISTMAS CARDS (SET OF 5) Embrace the joy of the holiday season with this set of five blank notecards, ideal for spreading love and warmth this Christmas. Whether it’s heartfelt messages to friends or family, these cards infuse whimsical charm into your holiday wishes. Radiating the spirit of love and joy, these delightful Christmas cards are designed to bring a smile to every recipient’s face.

Crafted on high-quality offset paper for easy writing, each set includes matching red envelopes, ensuring a complete and cheerful experience for both sender and receiver alike.

$25 About Founder Heather LAFLEUR’84 Currently based in Munich, Germany, Heather is a graphic designer and digital illustrator with a keen eye for detail and a playful approach to her work. Heather’s enchanting “Blumenbabe” illustrations beautifully encapsulate the essence of modern lifestyle and fashion. Her distinct perspective on trends, coupled with her signature touch of whimsy, breathes a captivating and unique charm into every commission she undertakes.

Heather Lynne Travis

BIBLIOPHILE

This is a limited run print of the painting Bibliophile, inspired by Oprah.

All prints include complimentary shipping within Canada.

International shipping rates will apply.

All prints come with a 1.5” (ish) border. All measurements are ISH – meaning, they might not be EXACT. A 6x8 won’t be 6x8, it will be 6ish by 8ish. Each print is hand cut.

Please allow for some size variance.

Each print comes hand signed by Heather Lynne Travis on 310 gsm Hahnemühle bright white cotton art paper with an inkjet coating specially tailored for FineArt printing.

The acid- and lignin-free Photo Rag® Bright White paper I’ve chosen is museum quality and meets the most exacting requirements for age resistance.

Each print will require framing and working with your local independent framer to create a beautiful display for your home.

EACH PRINT is available in

THREE SIZES

$85 - $350

About Heather MACINNES Travis’97 Bruce County, Ontario based artist Heather Lynne Travis is known for her bold use of colour in her large scale, and often whimsical, abstracts. A lifelong artist selling mainly to family and friends, Heather has been exhibiting professionally (and selling art to strangers) since 2018 and in that short time has gathered a community of fans and collectors, with her paintings now living in homes all over North America (and even one in the UK!). Heather also creates large-scale murals for businesses and private homes.

Heather’s work has been featured at the TOM Thomson Art Gallery, LOFT Gallery and others. Her creative energy is channelled into not only her paintings, but also her popular weekly Instagram Reel called #shARTwithHeather: Sh*tty Art Class for Adults etc. hosted every Saturday since January 2021 where Heather inspires others to throw some colour around and connect with their inner child through art.

APPAREL

Clothes and apparel for sporty gift lovers

Halfdays EMMA PANT Halfdays Emma Pant is a soft shell ski pant that’s ready to hit the slopes in style. The stretchy, fleece-lined, and waterproof fabric will keep you toasty and dry all winter long.

$375 About Co-Founder Karelle STEINER Golda’04 Karelle is the co-founder of Halfdays. Featured in Vogue, Travel & Leisure, Wall Street Journal, and Ski Magazine, Halfdays is a sustainable outdoor brand for the modern woman. Prior to becoming an entrepreneur, Karelle worked in the fashion and luxury space for brands like Serena Williams, Cuyana, Aveda and Aritzia.

Primrose Hill and Co MUSKOKA BRACELET Rep your home-away-from-home, Muskoka! An elevated beaded bracelet accented with gold beads and lettering.

Beaded by hand in Toronto by Primrose Hill and Co. 4mm glass, gold, and text beads

$48 About Lauren GESUALDI Currie’00 Primrose Hill and Co came about during the pandemic. While being home with her kids, Lauren needed a creative outlet and a way to connect with people. Starting with charity auctions of things she and her daughter created, it evolved into a jewellery making business. Find them at @primrosehillandco.

Top Knot PERFORMANCE 2.0 Top Knot has officially changed the way women wear hats forever! Their hats allow freedom and functionality to wear your hair high in a baseball cap without having to sacrifice comfort or style.

The patented magnetic back closure allows ponytails at any height while also providing a full back cap when hair is down.

Top Knot provides a sleek and sophisticated look without Velcro, large holes or cut outs! Not only will your hair be out of your face, and off your neck and back, you will also look and feel confident. Wear your hair high and tight and workout feeling your best!

$38 About Founder, Tori LORD’06 Tori Lord is a dedicated founder with a unique blend of creative vision and business acumen. Tori founded Top Knot, a pioneering high ponytail hat company known for its patented high magnetic back closure. Her brand

has

secured

prominent

presence in national and independent retailers such as Golf Town, Running Room, Sporting Life.

She has cultivated strategic partnerships, notably

with

QVC,

Good

Snapple, Pickleball Canada.

American,

HAPPY HOLIDAYS