Cookie Time Christmas Cookies on sale in Taranaki now

Lilly Parker is visiting workplaces and taking orders by phone and email from people keen to get their Christmas cookies. Photo / Supplied

Covid-19 has cancelled a lot of Christmas events this year, but it can't cancel the Christmas tradition of buying buckets of delicious cookies, says Cookie Time Christmas Cookies seller Lilly Parker.

Lilly (20) is the Cookie Time seller for the south part of Taranaki, including Stratford, this year, and is busy visiting workplaces around the area collecting orders for the popular buckets of cookies.

"I'm also outside Countdown Stratford some evenings, for people to order from me there."

Normally, Lilly and her fellow Cookie Time sellers would be busy at markets and A&P Shows around the country, but Covid-19 related cancellations this year mean those events aren't running.

"We can still take orders online or by phone if you don't have a workplace we call in to, so no-one needs to miss out on their Christmas cookies this year."

Lilly, who is studying property and commerce at Auckland University when she isn't selling cookies, attended St Joseph's Hāwera and Sacred Heart School for Girls in New Plymouth, and says she is enjoying being back in Taranaki for the holidays.

"I've been doing lots of driving around each day selling the cookies, and I'm enjoying it. It helps knowing it also fundraises for a great cause, with a donation from all sales going to St John and the Cookie Time Charitable Trust."

Cookie Time sellers also get to choose their own local charity to support; Foodbank is Lilly's chosen initiative this year.

Lilly says while she spends long days selling the cookies, the good part is they are a popular treat, and people look forward to the Christmas buckets being on sale. She always has samples for people to try as well, just in case people need a bit of extra persuasion.

Flavours this year are chocolate chip, apricot chocolate, salted caramel, cranberry white chocolate, a gluten-free chocolate chip option and the latest flavour to be released: a plant-based vegan cookie called chocalicious.

They are all delicious, she says, but her personal favourite is the salted caramel cookie.

"They are just so good, definitely my favourite of them all."

• To order cookies from Lilly, contact her via email at lilly.parker@christmascookies.co.nz or call her on 027 239 5026, or 0800 X Cookie.