Christmas Gifts
for Francophiles
1. French cheese
and crackers gift box,
€16.50, Sheridans cheesemongers (Comté, camembert and
crackers): the perfect gift for your French friend who can't make it home for
Christmas or a French cheese lover. I have never met anyone who doesn't like
Comté cheese, so this a safe bet.
2. Ladurée macarons gift boxes, €15.80,
Ladurée: I have a big crush on these boxes, especially
the red one, it’s classy, looks like Christmas and of course contains 6
macarons. The macaron eater in your life would love it, I'm sure!
3. The French
Kitchen, Michel Roux Jr,
RRP €36.50, (in any good book store): Get this book for people who enjoy
watching Michel Roux Jr on Masterchef and love to cook French cuisine. You
might even be lucky enough to sample the recipes.
4. French Food Tour Gift vouchers,
€45.50, (ahem... by yours truly): Sorry for the shameless self-promotion but I
believe a voucher for one of my French Food tour could be a lovely gift for
Francophiles. Ah go on...
5. My Litte
French Kitchen, Rachel
Khoo, RRP €28.99 (in any good book store): Mr. FFID got me this book as I'm a
big fan of Rachel Khoo. It features recipes from a few foodie French regions
(Brittany, Lyon, Provence...). The design and pictures are beautiful and Rachel
always adds a great twist to French cooking.
6. Mastering the
art of French eating, Ann
Mah, www.amazon.com:
The story of journalist Ann Mah, who followed her diplomat husband to Paris and
found herself alone after he is sent to Iraq. She then starts a journey of
discovering French food to fight her loneliness. Ann writes about many classics
of French cuisine and you find a recipe at the end of each chapter.
7. The Paris
Gourmet, Trish Deseine, RRP
€32.50, (in any good book store): The locals always have the best recommendations
when it comes to visiting a city. Irish woman Trish Deseine gives all her
foodie recommendations in this book. From markets to shops, form restaurants to
her little tips, this is the must have for a great food experience in the
French capital.
8. Macarons,
Pierre Hermé, www.amazon.com:
Macarons are tricky to make but Pierre Hermé is the master of French macarons, so
get this book for anyone who'd like to become a macaron expert.
9. Moët &
Chandon champagne bottle,
€46.99, O'Briens: I think Champagne is always a good
idea. Nothing like a bottle of bubbly under the Christmas tree, it can be
enjoyed then on Christmas Day or to celebrate the new year.
10. La France
hamper, €125, Terroirs: This hamper may be something to offer
to a foodie couple that love French food. Wine, nougat, rillettes, cornichons
and many more delights are to be found in a hat box. What a gift! (Order only,
not ready to pick up in the shop).
My little
tips:
- Make your own
French food hamper: Places
like Fallon and Byrne, Chez Max Epicerie, Paris Bakery, Donnybrook Fair, Terroirs sell
lots of French food. Get a selection of products and put them in
a beautiful basket.
-Buy your
macarons at the last minute: Macarons last 3 days in the fridge, buy them
at the last minute in Cocoa Atelier or Ladurée.
-Buy
kitchenware: I personally think that TK Maxx is a great place to find Le Creuset products or even baking tins/moulds at reasonable prices.
- Chester
Library Gift shop: Because of the Costumes Parisiens exhibition in the Chester
Beatty Library you'll find quite a few French themed books like Paris Gourmet
for example in the gift shop. I bought a cute note book there myself a few
weeks ago.
- Weekend to
Paris/France: check prices for flights on Ryanair or Aer Lingus, they're
not too bad usually in January and book a nice hotel. A little surprise trip is
always a great idea!
Buy Irish
1. Irish Artisan
Food box, €65, Sheridans cheesemongers: This hamper is full of
great Irish products like Durrus cheese, Gubbeen salami, Cashel blue... Lovely
pressie for someone who loves Irish food!
2. The Night
before Christmas hamper,
€31.95, Pandora Bell: This gift box contains some lovely
Pandora Bell goodies: Honey Nougat with Orange and Almonds and Honey Nougat
with Almonds and Pistachios a bag of Salted Butter Caramel's with Fleur de Sel
and a bag of Pandora Bell's Crumbly Butter Fudge.
3. Magazine
subscription: If someone
you know likes to keep up with all the Irish foodie news why not offer
them a magazine subscription to Food & Wine (€41.80) or Easy
Food (€30).
4. Irish craft
beer mixed case, €49, O'Briens: Now this is some present for Irish
craft beer lovers. Give them 20 bottles of some of the finest Irish craft beers
and they'll be delighted.
5. Chocolate
baubles, €17.95, Cocoa
Atelier: Those baubles look incredible! They're available in white, milk or
dark chocolate and filled with marshmallows covered with chocolate. Yum!
6. Smorgasboard, €34.99, Smorgasboard:
I recommend it because I was given one last Christmas. Smorgasboard is a board
game for foodies made in Ireland. It's great fun especially if you play after a
dinner party with your food loving friends!
7. Cheeseboard
gift box, €45, Slated: Get this elegant gift for that cheese
eater in your life, this gift box containes an elegant Slated Cheeseboard and a
Stainless Steel Cheese Knife.
My little tips:
-Make your own
hamper: Irish farmhouse cheeses, Irish craft beer, Irish chocolates, Irish spirits...
- Afternoon tea
gift voucher: I got a voucher for the Merrion Hotel Art tea last year for
my in-laws and they loved it. Places like the Merrion, the Shelbourne, the
Westbury and the Westin are great for an afternoon tea. I think a voucher is a
good idea for the mammies, daughters, besties...
- Restaurant
gift voucher: If you know someone's favourite restaurant, it will make them
happy for sure.
- Cooking
classes: For all the future masterchefs out there, get a voucher for a
cooking class in Cooks academy or Donnybrook Fair for example.
- Visit Bord Bia Christmas market this weekend if you
can to get a few products for your loved ones.
- Kat from The
Purple Page has a great foodie gift list on her blog here if you need a different perspective and more
ideas.
Happy Christmas
shopping!
In this article I
compiled a list of things I own or I'd like to get for Christmas (I hope you're
reading this Mr. FFID!). I've not been asked to promote any of these products
on my blog and opinions are my own as always.
Pictures:I used
pictures from Amazon's website for the books and for the gifts I took them
from each business' website.
