5 Christmas gift ideas for foodies

Got a Christmas list as long as your arm and no idea what to buy for that discerning friend who’ll purse their lips at a pair of socks? We’ve got your pressie-buying sorted with these gift ideas for foodies

Look no further than the Trencherman’s Guide, the gourmet’s handbook to the South West’s finest restaurants, with 106 entries stretching from the Cotswolds down to Penzance and across to Bournemouth.

The stocking-size guide is a gorgeous gift on its own, but, when paired with a crafted South West foodie item, creates a gift bundle that’ll truly spoil someone special.

Here are five gift ideas for foodies that’ll guarantee your friend a delicious festive season followed by a year of incredible eating out in the South West.

The coffee snob

Trencherman’s Guide with an Indy Coffee Guide and Yallah coffee beans

Do you have a friend who insists on frequenting indie coffee shops serving only the highest quality speciality brews, and wouldn’t be caught dead in a Costa? Plump for an Indy Coffee Guide. They’re the sister publications of the Trencherman’s Guide and offer a guide for every corner of the UK and Ireland, featuring a comprehensive list of cafes and roasteries for you both to work your way through. Throw in a bag of ethically sourced, sustainably imported beans from Falmouth roaster Yallah and your chum will also be able to enjoy cafe-quality sipping at home.

The Whisky Chaser

Trencherman’s Guide with a bottle of Dartmoor Whisky

For the whisky connoisseur, it’s worth remembering that the water of life isn’t confined to Scotland. Remote and rugged, Dartmoor is wonderfully reminiscent of the Highlands, and boasts the South West’s only whisky distillery. Its Discovery Sets feature three miniatures of current releases – and new for 2023 is the Christmas Discovery Set (£29.50), with three 50ml bottles of Ex-Bourbon Cask, Ex-Bordeaux Cask and Ex-Sherry Cask presented in a beautiful gift box with Merry Christmas in copper foiling detail on the front. For someone you really love, splash out on a leather hip flask.

The gin lover

Trencherman’s Guide with a bottle of Trevethan Gin and Navas tonics

Inspired by a family recipe created in 1929, historic Trevethan Gin was being distilled long before the more recent explosion in popularity of craft gins. It is bold in flavour, combining exotic global botanicals with those foraged from hedgerows in the Cornish countryside. The Pentillie Castle estate, near Saltash, provides not only water from a natural spring, but also handpicked elderflower and gorse flower as a finishing touch. Flavoured gins include the Christmas Reserve, featuring festive ingredients such as orange, cinnamon, cranberries and locally grown Norwegian spruce. All beg to be paired with a local tonic: our choice is Navas which infuses spring water from Bodmin Moor with botanicals grown in the Eden Project’s famed biomes.

The chocolate addict

Trencherman’s Guide and Willie’s Cacao artisan chocolates

Almost everyone appreciates a choccy-related gift, but instead of reaching for the Roses treat your loved one to a vastly superior, locally crafted set of chocs. There are so many to choose from in the South West, but one consistently lovely option is by Devon’s bean-to-bar specialists Willie’s Cacao. There are numerous gift sets to choose from depending on whether your loved one is a truffle seeker or salted caramel cruncher, but if you’re stuck we suggest opting for the Pure Indulgence Chocolate Gift Set (£68). This curation exudes pure luxury with the likes of salted caramel pearls, award-winning hot choc and sumptuous truffles. 

The cheese fiend

Trencherman’s Guide and a Sharpham cheese subscription

Cheese is packed with chemicals called casomorphins which have the same effect on the brain as drugs (and love), so it really is an addiction – but thankfully one that’s safe and justifiably encouraged. South Devon’s Sharpham offers quarterly Seasonal Subscription Boxes containing three of its handmade award-winning varieties, made from Jersey cow, sheep and goat’s milk; plus a local guest cheese and accompaniments including sourdough crackers and perfectly matched homemade chutney, along with tasting and pairing notes. It costs £30 + P&P per season (free P&P for a full year subscription). Trencherman’s Guide readers receive a 10 per cent discount when using code trencher10 – but numbers are limited so place your orders ASAP.

Enjoyed 5 Christmas gift ideas for foodies? Find out how Nathan Outlaw will be spending his Christmas here.

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