The Best Subscription Gifts Available In Ireland

Who wouldn’t love the regular arrival of culinary delights at their door?

Over the years, we've come to learn that one is either born a master at the art of gift-giving...or not. And for those of us who were skipped by the gifting gene, this season represents a time of idealess turmoil instead of festive shopping sprees. But rather than throw in the towel and settle for socks, this year why not give a gift that - quite literally - keeps on giving?

A monthly subscription will continue to surprise your lucky giftee with thoughtfully curated boxes doled out throughout the calendar year—with zero effort on your part. Not only will a regular delivery of their favourite treats always be gratefully received, but unlike socks, you don’t need to worry if they’re going to fit and you definitely don’t need to keep the receipt. Gift them a recurring delivery over a set period of weeks or months, or go for a rolling subscription (that you could renew next year if you were feeling lazy). Even if you’re purchasing last minute, a food subscription box gift means months of treats long after the Christmas biscuit tins are empty.

Whether they go crazy for cheese, are complete chocoholics or enjoy nothing more than discovering a new cuisine, there's a foodie subscription gift to suit everyone on your list. Below, we've rounded up just 10 of the best subscription boxes to gift this year...

1. WineLab Subscription

While an order from WineLab.ie alone makes for a thoughtful Christmas gift, why give one bottle of wine when you could give twelve? Make your loved one (or yourself - no judegment!) a member of WineLab's First Look Club. Every month, WineLab will send you a mixed case with one special bottle that’s part of the First Look Club. This will be an exclusive wine that WineLab has identified as having potential to join their repiteriorie of fines wines, and they want you to have the first look at it before anyone else. You can choose to have a two, three or six bottle case delivered each month. Once you’ve received your pack you’ll be invited to a group video meetup with the winemaker where they’ll tell you a bit about the wine, how they do what they do, and you’ll have an opportunity to tell us what you think. Prices start at €90, see winelab.ie for more inforamation.

2. The Twelve Hotel Cocktail Club

At this stage let's just treat Dry January as a very nice idea in principle. The Twelve Hotel in Barna, Co. Galway has teamed up with Powers Whiskey for their new cocktail club. Each month, members are treated to three three specially created bespoke batched cocktails which serves six, as well as some rarities, treats and little surprises included in every pack.The cocktails arrive to your door in an innovative Brown Bag vacuum seal and costs €90 for one month's subscription or purchase three months with a 10 per cent discount. Boxes will be sent for the last week of each month, except for the December box, which will arrive before Christmas Day. The Twelve Hotel cocktail subscription box is strictly limited meaning once the numbers are reached, you will not get in. So not only are you giving the gift of cocktails but a gift to an exclusive club. To buy a subscription, see thetwelvehotel.ie or call 091597000.

3. Great British Bake Off Subscription

Trust us, all the keen bakers have this at the top of their Christmas lists this year. A brand new monthly subscription, brought to you by the GBBO team, which delivers a recipe alongside all the dry ingredients you’ll need for your bake as well as a handy piece of GBBO equipment. Box One (which will be delivered in February) contains the recipe for a classic chocolate cake, all of the ingredients and a gorgeous cake stand so that your finished bake can be displayed with pride. At under €25 a box, we think this is really great value and one of the prettiest subscription boxes we’ve ever laid our eyes on. Available from Bake Off Box (£19.99 - €22 approx - per month, first box will be in February).

4. Irish Taste Club

Describing their service as being like ‘an Irish Farmers Market delivered to your door’, Irish Taste Club was established with the goal of cutting out the middle men and supporting the small Irish artisan producers who have cropped up increasingly in recent years - something that's especially important to support this year. What's more, this service also delivers to the US meaning if a loved one can't get home for Christmas and is missing not just you but delicious Irish food, you can send a box to them. Previous boxes have included goodies from small producers such as The Be Sweet Company’s delicious butter fudge, Clare Jam Company chutneys, LubDub Foods near to nature bars and Galway Food Co’s shortbread. A one month subscription costs €42, with the option of three months for €122. A thoughtful gift for loved ones in the US or your good self, safe in the knowledge that you are supporting local producers. See irishtasteclub.com for more information.

5. Sheridan's Cheese Club

The expert mongers at Dublin cheese mecca, Sheridan’s have an Irish cheese subscription service that makes for the best Christmas gift any foodie or cheese-lover could hope for. Each month, Sheridans expert mongers select four cheeses for their ripeness and seasonality to send to their cheese club members along with tasting notes on each of the cheeses. This foursome of fromage will be delivered straight to your door along and is available in 3, 6 and annual subscriptions. To order for Christmas, please select a future ship date (January) to process your order and a giftable certificate link will be provided immediately with your order confirmation email. Prices start at €45 and can be ordered from sheridanscheesemongers.com or by phoning 046 9245110.

6. GIY's GROWBox

Aptly named 'GROWBox', the cleverly thought out subscription box features four different medium-sized seasonal boxes which each get delivered in early and late Spring, Summer and Autumn so you can keep your garden blooming all year round. The Spring GROWBox (dispatched on Feb 1st) will include tomatoes, chillis, beetroot, lettuce and a surprise seed pack as well as a second delivery (dispatched on April 1st) which will include squash, courgette, peas, carrots and a surprise seed pack. For summer (dispatched on June 1st), you can expect to find chard, kale, french beans, basil and a surprise seed pack. The final GROWBox will arrive just in time for Autumn (dispatched on August 1st), inside you'll find rocket, oriental greens, radish, spinach and of course, a surprise seed pack. Each GROWBox comes with pots and dehydrated compost discs to get every plant started as well as a growing guide to help you continue on to a bumper harvest. Plus! You can also choose to have either GIY book Grow Cook Eat or GIY's children's book Know-it-Allmanac to be included with your subscription for free and delivered just in time for Christmas. All the proceeds from GROWBox sales go back into GIY’s food growing campaigns and programmes to better educate people about food, sustainability and biodiversity. A year's subscription is priced at €89.99 and will include four seasonal boxes. For more information or to find out how you can subscribe, see giy.ie.

7. Bean and Goose Tasting Club

For those who are partial to its rich and comforting delights, chocolate is a gift sure to earn you points in the present-giving department. Rather than give a box of chocolates this year, why not treat the chocoholic in your life to a monthly subscription of delicious Irish made chocolate? Bean and Goose chocolate is made in county Wexford using the complex and rich flavours of single origin chocolate paired with flavours and ingredients that reflect and celebrate the Irish seasons. This year, they have launched the Tasting Club which enables you or the giftee to indulge in a chocolate celebration ev ery month. Subscriptions are available in three, six or twelve month options and prices start at €45. Each month, they will receive a bar of chocolate from the Bean and Goose core range as well as a once off seasonal creation from our Bean Lab. What's more, you can customise the gift with a hand written note making it a personal and thoughtful experience. See beanandgoose.ie for more information.

8. GinBox.ie Monthly Craft Gin Subscription

Why gift one bottle of gin this Christmas when you can send twelve? Each month the lucky giftee will receive a delivery of not only a bottle of premium gin but it will also be accompanied by special treats such as candles, snacks or the best ingredients to make the ultimate G&T. Announced on a monthly basis, TheGinBox features both Irish and international brands. Subscriptions are available from monthly, bi-monthly, or quarterly at a cost of €60 per box including delivery in Ireland, making it ideal for gin lovers who want to try more new products - because who doesn't have one of those on their list? See GinBox.ie for more information.

9. 3fe Coffee Christmas Subscription

For a lot of people, coffee is the first thing they think of when they wake up in the morning. In fact, it's the main reason they even manage to get up out from under the covers. And nowadays, drinking coffee is a more stylised affair than pouring hot water into a spoonful of instant coffee. So whether it's for a best friend who loves nothing more than a trip to her local coffee shop or for the dad who just can't function without a morning cup, 3fe have come up with a Christmas coffee subscription service. Simply choose between a six or twelve month plan and each month they will deliver a different coffee giving the receipient the opportunity to sample some of the best coffees from all over the world as they come into season. It's also an excellent way to learn about different coffees and what to expect from the various growing regions. For Christmas, however, the first month's subscription will be a fresh 250g bag of coffee that is sent out to you so that you have something to wrap to give over the holidays. The receiver will then be sent a monthly 250g bag of a different Single Origin coffee to their address for the remainder of the subscription in the new year. A six month subscription is priced at €75 and can be ordered from 3fe.com.

10. FOOD&WINE X Business Post Subscription

For 20 years, FOOD&WINE Magazine has championed the best of Irish and international food, drinks, chefs and producers. Although the title ceased publication temporarily in 2018, F&W became part of The Business Post group in 2019 and thus became available as a free monthly magazine with The Business Post and on businesspost.ie from Sunday, October 4th. Since then, the magazine is available on the first Sunday of every month, offering readers and subscribers an unrivalled package to include recipes, features, travel and news from the industry. Support Irish print this Christmas by giving the gift of trusted journalism with a subscription to the Business Post newspaper. Each week, Ireland’s leading independent business news title will be delivered directly to your door. Plus, you'll receive FOOD&WINE magazine for free on the first Sunday of every month. Available in 12, 24 or 36 month options and delivered as a luxury gift card to you or your loved ones just in time for Christmas. See businesspost.gifts for more information.