With less than four weeks left until the big day, you might be panicking about what to get for that foodie friend. Fear not, dear reader. Starting today and over the next four weeks, I will be dishing (pardon the pun) on the best finds for food enthusiasts in multiple categories. This week, its all about the mail-order or subscription gift. These are gifts that really do keep on giving, month after month, with much to excite and inspire the often-finicky foodie in your life. Most are available in one-, three-, six- and 12-month packages, depending on how much you want to spend, and offer new surprises in each box.
Oh, and theyre all local businesses promoting fair trade, organic, local and sustainable items.
What could be better than that?
What could be sweeter? The Chocolate Union is a monthly subscription to all things chocolate and sweet. This themed collection includes four to five items per month. Novembers theme included chocolate-covered ginger and katsuobushi-caramel fish with salty bonito flakes. October was Beer Garden chocolates, honey-mustard caramels and German Chocolate Cake candy bars. Three-month subscription is $157.50.
Nutritionist approved! This is ideal for the grazers and munchers in your life. Snackbox is exactly what it sounds like, a monthly goodie box filled with 10 to 12 new snacks that are delicious and perhaps even good for you. Each box contains a mix of sweet, savoury, chewy and crunchy snacks, and has included items from Cocolico Chocolates, Monkey Butter, Kitchening by Carly Winstschell, Granola Girl, and Mellifera Bees all local producers as well as fair trade and organic offerings from farther afield. Three-month subscription is $101.85.
The Mediterranean diet has long been known for its health benefits, largely due to the prominent use of extra virgin olive oil. Orazio Scaldaferri, Italian foodie and long-standing member and director of Slow Food Vancouver, has created an Adopt an Olive Tree program with his family in Calabria to offer DOP-certified organic extra virgin olive oil direct from the farm. Adopt a tree and receive a case of six to 12 litres of oil annually, plus a certificate of adoption, as well as an invitation to visit the olive grove and take part in the annual harvest. One-year subscription starts at $169.
For the inveterate and intrepid tea drinker (ahem), Amoda offers the perfect solution. Each month, receive three different teas from artisan producers and blenders, ranging from green and black to oolong, white and herbal tisanes. Each tea comes with a detailed description, steeping instructions and background on the producer. Three-month subscription is $35.
For the passionate at-home cook or food adventurer, The Missing Ingredient offers monthly surprises guaranteed to delight. Curated by Angie Quaale, owner of Well-Seasoned, with four to five new ingredients each month, its never boring and the focus is always on local, artisanal and Canadian. Items include spices, seasonings, gadgets, oils, vinegars, dry artisan goods, sweets and treats. Each box also comes with recipe cards for the included ingredients, as well as background info on the producers, chefs tips on how to re-purpose leftovers, and more. Gluten-sensitive options also available. Three-month subscription is $149.97.
