We Aussies treat our furry friends more like family. And rightfully so! Their unconditional love really is the ultimate feeling.  

And like we do with every other family member, Christmas is the perfect time to treat them, too. 

We’ve got some deliciously purrrr-fect recipes that will make your pets barking mad this Christmas season! 

Homemade festive recipes for your dog:

Chrissy Cookies

Ingredients: 

190g wholemeal flour 

2 eggs 

65g tinned pumpkin 

30g peanut butter 

1/2 tsp cinnamon 

Method: 

Preheat your oven to 180°C/ 160°C Fan/ gas 4. 

Mix all the ingredients together to make a dough, making sure everything is well combined. If the mixture is too dry, add a small amount of water. 

Put some flour onto your surface and roll the dough until it’s ½ inch thick. 

Cut out the dough using a Christmas tree or other Christmassy shaped biscuit cutter. 

Place in the oven for 30 minutes or until the biscuits are hard to the touch. 

Leave to cool thoroughly. 

Snowball cakes

Ingredients: 

1 ripe banana 

75 g peanut butter 

1 egg 

35g honey 

50 g wholemeal flour 

35g rolled oats 

1/2 tsp baking powder (optional) 

60ml water 

 For the snowy topping (optional) 

One tsp of cream cheese or Greek yogurt per snowball 

Method: 

Preheat your oven to 180°C/ 160°C Fan 

Mash the banana and mix in the egg, honey and peanut butter. 

Add flour, oats and baking powder and stir until thoroughly combined. 

Mix in the water, a small amount at a time. 

Divide the mix between six cupcake cases (12 for smaller furry friends), and place in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown

Leave to cool thoroughly and remove the pupcakes from their cases. 

Coat the top of each pupcake with a teaspoon of cream cheese or Greek yogurt. 

Homemade festive recipes for your cat:

Christmas Chicken Bikkies

Ingredients: 

1½ cups cooked and shredded chicken 

½ cup chicken stock 

1 cup whole wheat flour 

1/3 cup cornmeal 

1 tbsp soft margarine 

Method: 

Preheat the oven to 180ºC

Mix and blend well the chicken, stock, and margarine

Add flour and cornmeal. Knead dough and roll to ¼ inch thick.

Cut into one-inch sized pieces or use your favourite kitty cutter and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake at 180ºC for 20 minutes. 

Tuna Crunchie Bites 

Ingredients: 

170g undrained tuna

1 cup cornmeal

1 cup flour

1/3 cup water 

Method: 

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Mix all of the ingredients together

Roll out to ¼ inch thickness and cut into your favourite kitty shapes

Place baking paper onto your tray and cook for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. 

Finally, if you don’t get the chance to make anything, here are some Christmas treats you can buy for your furry family:   

https://www.igashop.com.au/search/1?q=christmas+treats+for+dogs 

https://www.igashop.com.au/search/1?q=christmas+treats+for+cats 

Merry Furry Christmas! 

Disclaimer: The above recipes are designed for dogs and cats. But please be aware of your pets’ intolerances and allergies and substitute out ingredients as you see fit. 

Christmas is a time of love, laughter and indulgence, and it’s right around the corner! And for families with kids, it also means plenty of new toys filling the home.

This year, IGA and our charitable partner Vinnies Australia, continue to work together to brighten the season for Australians. Because with a small act that’s a tonne of fun, we can make sure that your old toys keep bringing joy to Aussie kids in 2024!

So follow along and find out how decluttering and donating your much loved toys can make your Christmas (and everyone else’s) as joyous as possible.

What is decluttering

Simply put, decluttering is the process of looking at what you’ve got in your home and deciding which stuff you want to keep and which to get rid of.

How to do it

Simple really. Just follow our quick tips!

1. Rally the kids

Enlist family members to help! You can go through old toys, laugh and reminisce, and give them the nice moment to decide what they’re ready to have someone else love.

2. Sort, sort, sort!

In your chosen room, get 3 sections ready to sort, group and pile your items.

Section 1: For items that you still want to keep.

Section 2: For items to be donated.

Section 3: For items that need to go.

3. Take the leap

Grab your piles and commit! Put back the stuff you’re keeping, throw out what needs to go and head to your local Vinnies.

As a proud partner of Vinnies Australia, we can all help make someone else’s Christmas amazing by donating items and making sure they’re continued to be loved. All that with the added bonus of also doing your bit to encourage the reusability of products and reducing landfills!

And lastly

We know decluttering can be hard. So if you prefer to help in other ways, check out the Vinnie’s Christmas baubles available in IGA. Buying a bauble helps support Aussies who are struggling to pay basic expenses like food, bills and rent this holiday season.

Merry Decluttered Christmas, everyone!

Christmas is a time of giving. It’s a time of sharing, and it’s a time to eat great food with family and friends.

Knowing what to get someone for Christmas can often be a hard task, and sometimes even expensive.

Do-It-Yourself Hampers are a great way to give a gift that is personal, tailored to whoever is receiving it, and you can determine the budget you want to spend.

There are many different options out there with what to include in a hamper. You can also check out 8 sustainable guilt-free gift ideas on our page here.

IGA is a network of 1,300 independent family-owned businesses that sit at the heart of local communities across Australia. Independence makes all the difference for these businesses and for our customers and local communities. Free from having to follow a one size fits all mantra, IGA independent owners not only understand local needs, but go out of their way to support local producers, suppliers, and charities wherever possible.

That’s why we love the idea of creating a hamper that gives AND gives back. It’s a double gift hamper!

You can give back to the community by purchasing Community Co products. Community Co proudly support local communities and suppliers through the Community Chest Program. Plus, make sure you look out for products in store that have a Community Chest ticket. To find out more about the Community Chest click here.

Here are just two Hamper ideas you can make yourself by shopping at your local IGA, but the options are limitless. Make it your way and get creative.

Valentine’s day doesn’t need to be just about that one special someone. Why not spread the love even further this month and treat your community to some v-day sweetness. Here are a few thought starters…

Get baking!

No-one can turn down something sweet on Valentine’s Day and our Chocolate Beetroot Cupcakes are the perfect, healthy alternative! For a loving surprise, make a batch of these and drop them off at the doorsteps of people around your community, or go one step further and hold a local bake sale in the theme of red, pink and white.

Get crafty!

Nothing says I love you like something handmade. Spend some time getting creative, whether it be crafting a hand-written letter, framed photo or friendship bracelet and surprise someone who makes your community, workplace, or school a better place.

Get social!

Find your best pink and red clothing pieces and spread the V-day spirit by organising a community walk or get together. This is the perfect opportunity to share some neighbourly love, all whilst getting to know the people that make your community so special.

Get helpful!

This Valentine’s day, consider offering a helping hand to someone in your community who may need it. Whether it be an elderly member who can’t quite carry their groceries or perhaps the neighbour, who needs some help getting their garden up to scratch!

Finally, a reminder to spread the love within your community not only this Valentine’s day, but on all days!

To celebrate a century of Cadbury bringing people together through a love of chocolate, we invited people to nominate someone deserving of recognition for their act of kindness. Each month from May – September 2022, we are selecting 20 pairs of lucky winners.

Cheryl Capon

To celebrate a century of Cadbury bringing people together through a love of chocolate, we invited people to nominate someone deserving of recognition for their act of kindness. Each month from May – September 2022, we are selecting 20 pairs of lucky winners.

Michelle Spicer

At IGA, we’re all about caring for and supporting our local communities. Not only is the physical health of the people within our communities and network important, we want to encourage our local communities to look out for each other and raise awareness about the importance of taking the time to ask, ‘are you OK?’.

R U OK? Day is just around the corner, a day of national action and a reminder that every day can be a day to check in with your friends, family and colleagues. This year, R U OK? Day is on the 8th of September and should remind us all that we already have what it takes to support those we care for.

How to start the conversation

Whether it’s your neighbour, someone you know locally, or someone close to you, asking, ‘are you OK?’ is one of the simplest things you can do to support the people you care about through life’s ups and downs. You don’t need to be an expert to reach out, research^[1] shows that listening and giving someone your time might be just what they need to help them through.

If you’re concerned about someone close to you, here are four steps to help you have a conversation that could change a life:

1. Ask R U OK? – It helps to be friendly, relaxed and authentic. Help the person start talking by asking a question like “What’s been happening lately?” or mention specific things that have made you concerned for them, like “You seem less chatty than usual. How are you going?”
2. Listen with an open mind – Listen to what the other person is saying and acknowledge what they have said when the time is right. Explain you’ve understood them and reassure them you’re always there to listen, whenever they want to talk.
3. Encourage action – Ask them what they have done in the past to help them in this situation. Ask: “What’s something you can do for yourself right now? Something that’s enjoyable or relaxing?” If they’ve been feeling really down for more than two weeks, encourage them to see a health professional. Be positive about the role of professionals in getting through tough times.
4. Check in – Remind yourself to check in with the person again in a couple of weeks or sooner if you are concerned. Stay in touch with them and remind them that you’re there for them. Them knowing this can make a huge difference.

Remember, no qualifications are needed to ask R U OK? and your conversation could change a life. Visit ruok.org.au for more advice, support and resources to help you have an R U OK? conversation.

Father’s Day is just around the corner, and we want to help you with your Father’s Day preparations! For a fun, kid-friendly activity, surprise dad on the day with this downloadable Father’s Day card which can be personalised to suit you!

Simply click the link below to download your Father’s Day card. All you need to do is fill in the blanks, and you can even colour in the card if you’re printing it out.

Want to make dad a delicious breakfast or brunch for Father’s Day? Here’s some of our tasty, healthy recipes to make and enjoy, such as Banana Pancakes, Chocolate & Zucchini Loaf, Quinoa Breakfast Muesli…

To celebrate a century of Cadbury bringing people together through a love of chocolate, we invited people to nominate someone deserving of recognition for their act of kindness. Each month from May – September 2022, we are selecting 20 pairs of lucky winners.

Dave Quillam

Read our interview with Catherine Hill

At IGA, we care about our local communities and supporting locals in need. That’s why we’re supporting the release of SOME HAPPY DAY, and encourage you to do so, too! The main objective of the film, which is written, directed and produced by Catherine Hill, is to humanise homelessness so it’s understood and seen as more than just a number. We’ve interviewed director, Catherine Hill for further information and insight into the making of the film.

5 minutes with Catherine Hill

Q: As the writer, director, and producer of SOME HAPPY DAY, what would you most like for people to take away from this film?

A: I hope people are moved by our story and enjoy the film. I’d love for people to connect to the characters in the film and their different stories.

I’m hoping this film inspires deeper thinking about the world we live in and the people in our local communities who are surviving without a home. This can then lead to changes in the way we think and act, and inspire individual and community action to help address homelessness.

Q: From your experience as a caseworker for many years, how has your experience impacted the making of this film and the actors starring in it?

A: I’ve been privileged to work with men and women who have experienced unfortunate challenges and are homeless because of that. I’m continually inspired by their resilience and I wanted to write a story that would honour their strength and hope for a better future.

Many of my social work colleagues worked on the film as actors and crew. Many of the members of the groups that helped out on the project, have experienced homelessness and that has added a huge sense of community to the making of the film.

Most of our scenes were set in St Kilda, Melbourne, which has a high street homeless population, so we were literally shooting in lanes and alleyways where people live!

Q: Lastly, what are some small or large, impactful things we can do by ourselves and as a community to help those in need?

A: Homelessness is such a deep-rooted issue that it often feels like a single small action will make no difference, but if everyone acts, we’ll then have a million small actions and that’s incredibly powerful.

My mantra is; “you do what you can”. Sometimes it can be as simple as engaging (if you feel it’s safe) with someone who is experiencing street homelessness. That engagement might be as a smile or a hello. It can be just informing yourself more about the reality of how some people don’t have the luxury of secure housing, and the impact that this has not only on them but on the entire community.

I strongly believe in the power of story and encourage people to watch SOME HAPPY DAY. Perhaps consider hosting a fundraising screening in your local community…  Because stories open your heart and that’s where change begins!