9 edible gifts every foodie needs this holiday season
Support small food businesses by gifting these unique gifts.
Credit:
Bokksu / Tippsy / Food52 / Reviewed
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If you’re shopping for someone who Instagrams every meal, consider giving them the gift of food this holiday season. For the true food lover, it's a dream to exchange niche, gourmet food gifts (truffles!) that they normally wouldn’t buy for themselves.
Of course, there are well-known food gift basket retailers like Harry & David, which we tried and loved. But here you’ll find some of the more obscure players with their own niche in the gift giving world.
If you’re interested in gifting subscription-based snacks, sake, or even caviar to your friends and family, read on because we’ve rounded up the best unique food gifts.
1. Cheese
This cheese subscription is the perfect gift for everyone on your list.
If you’re friends with someone who cares deeply about dairy and supporting small-scale cheesemakers, you may want to consider gifting them a Jasper Hill Farm Cheese Club subscription.
Our editor tried this cheese box and was blown away by the quality of Jasper Hill’s cheese. Each box contains at least three cheeses along with pairings, cheese tools, and cheese-themed merch. Whether you’re gifting this cheese club or ordering for yourself, you can skip a month or cancel your subscription at any time.
2. Coffee
A package of tasty seasonal coffee is a great choice for any coffee lover.
If you have a caffeine lover on your list, this Winter Favorite Gift Box from La Colombe should be on your radar. We love the taste of La Colombe's high quality coffee, and this box includes three varieties of medium roast coffees—Winter Toast, Lyon, and La Colombe x The New Yorker— to cozy up with all season long. You can even select from a range of grinds to best suit your loved one, from whole bean to pour over to cold brew.
3. Pickles
These aren't like your ordinary jarred pickles.
Any self-proclaimed pickle connoisseur has likely heard of Grillo's pickles—they're kind of a big dill (har, har). These pickle spears and chips are made with ultra fresh garlic and dill and shipped cold, quite an upgrade from the standard Vlasic pickles you might pick up from the store.
If your giftee usually tries to steal the pickle on the side of your sandwich, surprise them with a few containers of these instead.
4. Chocolate
Raaka Chocolate offers great gifting options, like this pack of mini brs.
In the gift-giving world, chocolate is the universally appreciated present that will always be appropriate, safe, and delicious. The only catch is, standard options can get boring year after year.
To stand out among the chocolate crowd, Raaka reimagined artisan chocolate making and took it to a new level. This small-batch chocolatier produces unroasted dark chocolate for a uniquely rich flavor that we've tested (and indulged in) several times. Raaka also comes in a variety of flavors, and this mixed pack of mini bars has a little bit of everything—which makes it perfect for gifting.
5. Caviar
Roe caviar delivers top quality white sturgeon caviar across the country.
Roe offers high quality caviar from white sturgeon that’s native to Northern California waters. The packaging is luxurious, featuring a wooden box with padded fabric that secures the caviar tin in the middle. The gift packaging comes with a mother of pearl spoon and a tin opener, allowing you to start enjoying caviar right away. For introductory eaters, I recommend the creme fraiche combo to effectively cut the “fishy” and earthy side of the caviar taste.
6. Snacks from Japan
Each beautifully organized box is full of surprises.
If you need a gift for a foodie who typically loves to travel, this Japanese snack subscription box is a super fun option because, really, who doesn’t love snacking?
Each thoughtfully curated box comes with a little booklet explaining the origin, flavor profile, and tea pairing recommendation for every item included in the package, When we tried it, we were impressed with the quality and efforts put into the boxes, which will make Bokksu a thoughtful gift.
7. Seafood
For seafood lovers, Fulton Fish Market is one of the best places to order from.
From razor clams to wild caught yellowfin tuna, Fulton Fish Market can deliver fresh seafood to your doorsteps. One thing we love about Fulton is that its seafood is never frozen (although it's a common industry practice, we prefer to buy fish and shellfish extra fresh to maintain its internal protein structure). Plus, if you want your giftee to decide what goes into the box, Fulton also runs an e-gift card program that gives more flexibility.
8. Tea
Sips by ships personalized tea selections of different varieties to your doorstep.
There's nothing like cozying up with a hot cup of tea this time of year. Whether your loved one is an occasional sipper or devoted tea lover, Sips by provides a fantastic gift. When we tested this tea subscription service, we loved that it introduced us to new tea flavors and varieties from brands we may have never discovered on our own. And its fun questionnaire process offered a uniquely personalized experience.
9. Wine and sake
Winc has a great selection of wines to choose from—and their popular wines sell out quickly.
Alcohol is a popular go-to gift, especially around the holidays. If you don't feel like visiting your local liquor store, we love these two options: Winc and Tippsy.
Winc is a highly customizable wine subscription service that lets you decide the number of bottles and type of wine you’re getting. One of our editors, who calls herself a “casual wine drinker,” loves the Winc-branded wines that were delivered to her doorstep during testing.
If you’re shopping for someone who enjoys sake, Tippsy is another good option that sends three bottles of hard-to-find Japanese sake from small, independent distilleries to their subscribers every month.
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