We’ve partnered with RedBalloon to uncover the best of what our country has to offer. From experiences you can have at home, to weekends away and gift ideas (to treat yourself, and others), we’re encouraging you to make every moment count, think outside the box and get out there to support local businesses and communities.
During our stay-at-home months in isolation, it became something of a communal trend to learn a new skill and become better acquainted with hobbies we’d always yearned to take up — whether it was knitting, sourdough bread-making, or indoor gardening.
For many, this time spent taking part in therapeutic tasks at home became rather enjoyable, and a cherished experience of self-care vowed not to be left behind when restrictions were lifted.
Now, as COVID-19 case numbers rise and some Australians are spending a second dose of time indoors — whether by choice or state-enforced — we’re reminded to embark on those fun at-home projects and experiences once more.
Where we previously had to dig for the resources to learn a new skill at home with delivered pottery kits and virtual cooking classes, now, leading experience platform RedBalloon has kindly collated them all.
Here are our favourite at-home experiences that will make staying at home all the more fun.
Online cooking class
The visual learners out there will know that sometimes recipe books simply do not cut it for helping you cook a new dish at home. With no pictures or video tutorials, many find it hard to nail a new skill in the kitchen, particularly one that requires fancy fingerwork.
Thankfully, there are a number of online cooking classes on RedBalloon to help you level up your culinary skills. From a vegan cooking class and a Spanish tapas cooking course to a live cooking class with two-hatted celebrity chef, Colin Fassnidge, there’s a lot yet to learn in preparation for your next dinner party.
Cocktail-making kits
Speaking of that dinner party you’ll no doubt host soon, how about a round of drinks to toast to new beginnings? Why not show your guests how much you’ve learned when it comes to mixology by whipping up a round of expert-level cocktails. Don’t worry, you won’t be requiring a full bar cart and all the equipment, because RedBalloon has a number of portioned cocktail-making kits to help you get there with ease.
Try the whisky or Amaretto sours cocktail mixer box complete with dried orange slices and tumbler glasses, the cosmopolitan lovers cocktail box with garnishes and a rose gold shaker, or the Brookies Gin cocktail kit with 12 recipe cards. Want to go a step further? This botanical gin-making kit lets you distil your own spirit.
Virtual lesson
There’s nothing like learning a new skill or perfecting an old one to keep the mind fresh and have you feeling inspired. And while you may have had to forfeit any group classes you might have been taking until isolation, please know the possibility is still there to partake in an online class.
From online pilot lessons (yes, really) and one-on-one singing coaching to virtual barista training with home-delivered coffee beans and a smartphone photography workshop, there’s no limit to what you could learn while keeping yourself safe at home. As for the workshop we’ll be taking? We’re going to learn the art of drawing houses with Instagram-famous artist, Georgia Draws a House.
Complete culinary kits
For when you’re looking to whip up a meal but have no desire to hit the shops, RedBalloon has a range of culinary kits that will help you create a home-cooked meal only after delivering just about everything you need to do it.
The perfect pizza oven kit comes with a Masterpro ultimate pizza oven, plus all the ingredients you need to whip up a perfect base — even a bottle of red to enjoy while kneading the dough! The Spanish paella kit comes with a specialised paella pan, plus Spanish rice, all spices and a bottle of red to pair with the meal. There’s also a homemade pasta kit with pasta maker, homemade ice ream kit with Cuisinart ice cream maker (and yummy toppings), plus vegan and dairy cheese-making kits.
Wine tasting
A virtual wine, whiskey, gin, or craft beer tasting is the perfect way to kill an afternoon and spend quality time with a friend at home. With kits delivered to your door, many of which come with links to online tasting sessions led by a distiller or sommelier, you’ll have the opportunity to sample the best of the best and learn something new about you favourite drinks in the process.
Try the Brokenwood Wines six-pack with virtual tastings, the City Winery Brisbane digital wine tasting experience with six wines delivered, Tiny Bear Distillery gin pack and virtual cellar door tour, or the Australia and New Zealand small batch cider box with tasting notes.
