More and more people are shopping online for gifts by post, including food and drink treats for the family, or to send as a gift to others. Whilst you may not be using the high street shops so much, it’s still possible to support small businesses online. There have been lots of new start-ups offering gift and subscription boxes, so I have compiled a few of my favourites in the food and drink category that I hope you’ll take a look at.
This gift guide includes the following food and drink gift boxes:
Silly Greens
Panda Sweets
Blue Tea Box
Blue Coffee Box
Love Corn
Manly Man
AD: gifted
Please note that some, not all, of these boxes have been gifted to me for review. Rest assured that all thoughts are my own and I have only included boxes that I am entirely happy to recommend to you.
With many aspects of life still uncertain, you may be wondering if you’ll be able to see friends and family at Christmas again this year. Being able to chose a gift online that’s already wrapped and can be sent direct is ideal. Or maybe you feel that you deserve a treat yourself but still want a surprise. Many of the options I’ve featured below have that option.
Silly Greens
This one is perfect for those who love gardening, being eco-friendly, and healthy eating. Silly Greens send out subscription boxes of Micro Green Seeds that are all ready for you to grow-your-own window sill vegetables and herbs. They come in a letterbox friendly recylable box via Royal Mail with the seedlings already growing in peat free, organic seaweed jelly. Within a week or two, you’ll have your own homegrown microgreens. A great introduction to gardening or growing your own, with no minimum subscription.
Read more on the SILLY GREENS website.
Panda Sweets
Panda sweets offer a huge selection of British retro sweets from the 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s. Just browsing the website takes you on a huge trip down memory lane. Who else remembers buying a quarter of sherbert pips or cola cubes with their pocket money on a weekend? Or trying bubble gum for the first time? Fond childhood memories!
The website is really easy to navigate (if you don’t get sidetracked with so many choices 😂) with browse by type, flavour, brand, even colour. There’s a whole section of sweets available for those with specific dietary needs including vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free, sugar-free, and more. If you still can’t find what you’re after there’s a search bar.
I received the “Pick n Mix” sweet box which can be found in the gift section. My box came by royal mail and I was pleased to see there was no unnecessary packaging. My sweets came in a plain resealable tray box with the 1kg of assorted sweets in a sealed plastic bag to ensure that they maintain freshness until you open them. These are great for a family get together or perhaps a Christmas Day alternative to the traditional box of chocolates.
As I didn’t want to eat mine in one go, I decanted them into old Douwe Egbert jars, so they look kinda nice too.
My selection comprised of marshmallows, dolly mixtures, chocolate rainbow drops, and an assortment of foam and jelly sweets. They smell divine, just like an old fashioned sweet shop.
Head over to the Panda Sweets website, for more and if you’re ordering before 28.2.22 use the code TEAANDCAKE for an extra 15% off.
Blue Tea Boxes
Blue Tea Box supply individual gift packs or monthly subscription boxes of ethically sourced tea from around the world. All packs are loose leaf tea so are especially good if you are working towards a zero waste lifestyle. There’s something very special about brewing tea in a teapot (or infuser if you like the more modern touch).
I love the choices Blue Tea Box offer for ordering your gift or subscription box. First, decide what sized box you want (priced from just £6.99 a month), whether it’s for you or a gift for someone else, then if you want your tea to be black, green, fruit/herbal or a surprise.
You then have a check list of ingredients to exclude if you have allergies:
* Caffeine.
* Gluten.
* Nuts.
* Dairy.
* Liquorice.
What a fantastic option!
On opening the box there were three 45g resealable pouches (you can also chose 1 x 75g). The packs are labelled with a best before date that exceeds a year. Each comes with an information card telling you all about the tea, what flavour notes it has and the best way to brew. I chose the black tea option and my box came with Russian Caravan, Assam Mangalam Second and Rukeri.
I was really pleased with the quality and taste of the teas and it’s so nice to try different flavours. My favourite was the Rukeri which is a luxury black tea and was absolutely sublime.
To order: Head over to The Blue Tea Box company.
Blue Coffee Boxes
Alongside the aforementioned Blue Tea Box is the Blue Coffee Box. They supply monthly gift and subscription boxes from £7.99 per month.
This coffee gift box arrived quickly in a long narrow box that fits through the letterbox, so no need to wait in for delivery. The delicious coffee aroma wafted up immediately. The coffee is ethically sourced worldwide but roasted in the UK.
On opening the box there were two 227g resealable pouches. Each is clearly labelled with the roasting date which advises that it’s best drunk within 4 weeks, but is good for three months. Each pack comes with a bright, colourful information card telling you all about the region and coffee. I enjoyed both the flavours I tried and the rich smell just added to the experience. I just love the smell of fresh coffee.
Ordering is simple on the easy to navigate Blue Coffee Box website where you’ll find a whole host of information about the company and the boxes themselves.
Boxes are available in single or double pouch boxes. Chose your size of box, type of coffee preferred, strength of roast, or you can even opt for a surprise! State whether it’s for you or a gift for someone (a gift card with your personal message will be put in the box). It’s that simple.
To order: Head over to The Blue Coffee Box.
Love Corn
I discovered Love Corn snacks a couple of years ago, and will say they are absolutely amazing. A great alternative to crisps that have so many positive attributes. They are gluten free, vegan, low in sugar and calories. The barbeque and salt and vinegar flavours are my favourites, but they also do sea salt and habanero chilli, all of which are packed with flavour and crunch.
They’re not just for snacking on either, they can be added to salads and stir fries for an extra taste sensation. The chilli gives quite a punch and would be ideal.
Love Corn are most commonly sold in 45g packs but smaller 20g packs are available. To be honest the larger packs are ample as they are so filling and flavoursome, making them ideal to share if you were that way inclined 😉. The pouches can be resealed too.
They arrive in a bright colourful box and I think this would make a great gift for someone, or even a treat for the family for a quiz or movie night.
To order: Love Corn can be found in many supermarkets but it’s much nicer to get this as a treat box through the post, especially with free UK shipping and 20% if you subscribe to their newsletter.
Head over to the Love Corn website to see the variety of boxes available. Prices start from just £10 for a box of 10.
Manly Man Gift Boxes
If you’re reading from the US, you might like to check out these wonderfully unique gift boxes aimed at men from the Manly Man Co. Who wouldn’t want a box of bacon roses, beef jerky flower bouquets, some single malt caramels, or just some bacon scented wrapping paper to wrap up something else? Click for more like this.
It would be great to have something like this in the UK.
I hope you’ve found a gift or subscription box here that might interest you for yourself or as a present from someone. Companies seem to have got on board the fact that people don’t always want to commit to a monthly subscription and now sell individual boxes which makes it so much easier when you’re shopping for gifts for others.
If you’re looking for more gift ideas read more reviews HERE
As with all online shopping please make sure you are using secure payment facilities.
I’d love to know if you’ve come across any of these boxes before, or if you think you might order one now for someone.
Do you subscribe to monthly subscription boxes?
Tea & Cake For The Soul 
What fab ideas.
Panda Sweets sound fab. I love retro sweets, they’re usually one’s from my childhood. lol
I love the Love Corn snacks. They are something I was sent to review and I have gone on to buy them since. x
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retro sweets are the best aren’t they?
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Thank you, it isn’t something that I have looked into much.
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Some great gift ideas here!
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