Christmas Gift Guide - Part III - Food and Drink.

I like eating. And drinking things too. Here's some suggestions for tasty gifts.

1. Seasonal beer/Hampers.

There's a pretty decent selection on Amazon. I've chosen this Spirit of Christmas Gift for £18.50 and Brewdog's Punk IPA Gift Set for £8.99. Most good off licences do up little selections or hampers as well and there are plenty of beer subscription sites if whoever you're buying for is seriously into their beer.

2. Cheese!

M&S do an awesome plate which supposedly serves 15-20 people. To me, that sounds like it'll serve me 15-20 times. It retails at £25.00 and can be bought in stores or online.

3. Lindor.

I'm crazy for Lindor and when I first saw their Maxi Ball, I fell in love a little. I know there's one waiting for me in my stocking and I'm gonna bet many other people would be happy to be in the same position. They cost thirteen euro and are available in Superquinns, Supervalus, and other stores nationwide. 

5. Coffee Angel.

Daniel and I went to a talk about Coffee Angel at Electric Picnic a couple of years ago. I'm not a coffee drinker (which makes Italians despair) but I gather this is good coffee and good coffee equipment. They have several locations in Dublin and you can buy this great kit with a grinder, aeropress and single-origin coffee for 64.95e. 

6. Lorina Pink Lemonade.

I'd bathe in the stuff if I could...no, wait, that'd be a waste...never mind. Still, I think a few bottles with a cute bow would be a lovely gift. Lorina usually retails around 3 quid a bottle but there's often deals, so keep an eye out! 

7. Dunnes Ice Cube tray.

I love giving anything heart-shaped to people I love. I'm kinda cheesy like that. Ergo, this ice cube tray. A cute stocking-filler retailing at 5 quid, it'll save money on buying ice. Which I just don't agree with. At all.

8. Avoca Cookbooks.

This trio of cookbooks from Avoca can be bought online or in stores for 26.95e. As well as being cute, they contain deliciousness that any previous visitors to the cafe wouldn't mind having in their home.

9. Where Chefs Eat.

This book from Phaidon is a great idea for serious foodies and can be found in most bookstores, online and in Urban Outfitters. It's a pretty thick volume and designed beautifully so I think the twenty quid pricetag is pretty good value.

10. Nik's Tea.

Best green tea, hands down, that I've ever had. I'm IN LOVE with this brand! It's Irish and can be found in food stores like Liston's, Fallon and Byrne and online and retails around 4 euro. 

BONUS IDEA: Man of Aran Fudge.

This crap is AMAZING. My brother and I used to eat it to stave off boredom when we went to my sister's Irish dancing competitions and it was salvation. I had some recently and it did not disappoint. Like several entries on this list, it's Irish and buying Irish is something we should all be doing as much of as possible. (Even if you're from elsewhere - it all helps!) You can buy gifts of a selection of their 23 different flavours and they're all great. I actually can't say enough good things about this brand. Prices start at just 4.60e.

MY GOD. IT'S BEAUTIFUL.