Time for shopping at Orchard Central Christmas Marketplace!

It’s time of the year to start getting Christmas shopping done, so why not shop at Orchard Central Christmas Marketplace this year? From now till 26 Dec 2014 11am to 10pm, take a walk along Level 1 Discovery Walk and discover great gifts, treats and delectable spreads from Candy Empire, DEAN & DELUCA, The Hunters’ Kitchenette, IGGY’s CRAFTS, Miss Empire and more!

First stop that caught my eyes was The Bakery Chef! Now I don’t have to travel all the way to Bukit Merah to visit this western bakery cafe because I can get their cakes at OC Christmas Marketplace! They have Christmas specials including stollen ($30), rainbow log cake ($78) and fruit cake ($50).

And of course, their signature rainbow cakes come in different flavours, including original, chocolate, matcha, calamansi and salted caramel. The Bakery Chef serves one of the best rainbow cake, in my opinion. The pleasant squarish sponge cakes of 6 different colours of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. The sponge cake is so soft and moist. Lightly sprinkled with passionfruit syrup, it has a balance of sweetness and tanginess. I also love their salted caramel version. Each slice costs $5.80.

Armed with a mission to promote clean eating and primal living, The Hunters’ Kitchenette makes an assortment of nut butters in Singapore. These nut butters are made fresh from the oven daily with the finest handpicked ingredients. Currently, they have six types of butters: Almond, cashew, hazelnut, hazelnut with cocoa, macadamia and pistachio. We love the pistachio butter ($19 for 200g) most. It pairs so well with bread! They only use ingredients that are natural, processed very minimally, without any chemicals.

Tea Ideas believes that while life should be spent drinking delicious teas instead of fussing with tea bags. Hence, they have created this unique tea wands, which eliminates the need for bags or teaspoons. Each disposable wand contains high-grade tea leaves and the best thing is, it won’t drip! Very convenient way to drink tea! They have a great variety of tea flavours such as earl grey, ginger cardamom, lemongrass, mango magic, passion fruit, English breakfast, holy basil (non caffeine), lemon tea, masala chai, Darjeeling green organic, seabuckthorn and CHOCOLATE! They have great gift ideas: $135 (120 packets of tea) or $115 (90 packets of tea).

In addition, they also sell high grade Gyokuro Organic Green Tea Powder ($48 for 30 sachets) which is believed to help improves digestive system, enhances bowel movement, lowers blood pressure and cholesterol level. I love their Cha-ppuccina Green Tea Latte. Made with the highest grade Gyokuro green tea powder, their instant Cha-ppucino can be enjoyed chilled or hot anywhere, at home, in the office or on-the-go.

Candy Empire is more than a one-stop-shop for anyone with a sweet tooth, it is a specialty shop filled with gourmet delights from across the world. Here, you can find novelty drinks, jams, chips, dried fruit, toffees, cookies, savoury snacks and confectionery treats sourced from quality manufacturers in Australia, Europe and the U.S.A — a paradise for snack lovers.

Another shop which I spend a lot of time is The Handmade Shop. Originated from Vietnam, they sell a variety of bowls and cutleries that are made with spun bamboo. It is pressed bamboo which is strong, solid and very easy to clean. They have a wide range of colors with matte or glossy finish makes this a popular household product as well as gift for any time of the year.

Some other stalls include Miss Empire and Rachelshoppe which sells jewelry, Gaya Alegria specialising in home décor and Iggy’s Craft with a variety of art dolls.

After shopping at Marketplace, take a lift to the 4th floor and have some cakes and coffee at DEAN & DELUCA.

The Christmas cupcakes are beautifully decorated and the cake base is moist. Certainly a great gift idea! Or you can go for their rainbow and red velvet cheesecake at $75 & $90 respectively.

From now till 25 Dec 2014, spend $50* (in a single receipt) and stand to win prizes like 8N Royal Caribbean Exotic Asia Cruise, staycations at Rendezvous Hotel Singapore, DEAN & DELUCA hampers and more! Enjoy double chances and instant dip with UOB cards.

Other promotions:
• Spend $50 (in a single receipt) to redeem a set of wrappers.
• Spend $150 (max 2 receipts) to redeem an OC Star Cushion.
• Spend $250* (max 2 receipts) to redeem a $20 Far East Organization Mall voucher.

Also, if you are doing your shopping on weekdays (Mon to Fri except public holidays), spend $50 (in a single receipt) and you can redeem complimentary parking for the first 3 hours.

For more information, visit http://www.orchardcentral.com.sg. Don’t forget to like Orchard Central on Facebook at www.facebook.com/oc or follow them on Instagram @orchardcentral for updates!