Salt & Sundry Assembles The Perfect Local Gift Basket

Union Market's new Salt & Sundry tabletop boutique is one giant gift basket just waiting to happen.

Owner Amanda McClements stocks her shelves with regional specialties, including locally sourced food, candles, tonics and linens. She works hard to select quality merchandise from close to home, even selling dining tables made by her father in North Carolina.

So we asked the expert to help assemble a food-centric regional holiday basket. 

For the pantry hoarder: Mix and match sweet, salty and spicy pantry essentials with jars of Spoonable's sesame caramel ($13), Big Spoon Roasters' peanut-cocoa butter ($15), and Thai-basil jalapeños from Gordy's ($11), which are even better with a set of tiny Bambu tongs ($4). 

For cocktail fans: McClements recommends Langdon Wood's barrel-aged maple syrup ($18), Xocolatl Mole Bitters from Brooklyn's Bittermens ($18), and Royal Rose's cardamom-clove syrup ($12), with a set of Be Home teak stirring spoons ($16). The shop also stocks vintage glassware for true cocktail connoisseurs.

Gather the items in a crate or basket, or wrap everything in a hand-blocked dish towel from Patch Design Studio ($20). Santa's sleigh has nothing on this lineup.

Salt & Sundry, 1309 5th St. NE (at Neal Pl.); 202-556-1866 or shopsaltandsundry.com