Subscription Boxes for Foodies (…that are actually affordable!)

It used to be that if you had a foodie in your life and you were looking to buy them a gift, you would buy them a hamper. Don’t get me wrong, the wine and chocolates in hampers always go down a treat, but who needs more jam or a box of crackers to go stale at the back of the cupboard? Luckily, in recent years, there has been a rise in the number of subscription boxes for foodies.

I absolutely love a subscription box – it is quite literally the gift that keeps giving! It’s also perfect for people who don’t need more ‘stuff’. I love how they can be often be posted through the letterbox so there’s no worrying that a hefty parcel will be delivered when they are out and they will have to traipse to an industrial estate to collect it, taking the shine off the whole experience.

I have rounded two of my favourite subscription boxes for foodies below – they are both ones I have personally gifted to family members over the last couple of years so I can vouch for the quality. They all also have gift options that are under £40 which in my opinion makes them pretty affordable for a special gift. Or maybe you’d like to treat yourself…? There are tons of subscription boxes for foodies out there that cater for huge budgets so I have been pleased to encounter relatively affordable options.

The Spicery

I bought a 6 month subscription last Christmas for my dad and it was a big hit. He is a massive curry lover and also loves cooking so it was the perfect gift for him. I went for the Friday Night Curry option and the pictures of the finished meals that he sent me made my mouth water. They send you spices through the post, along with recipe cards, then the recipient just needs to buy a few readily-available ingredients then they are ready too cook their very own restaurant-quality curry.

How it works

Taken from The Spicery website:

When prepaying for 3, 6 or 12 months we initially send the first box with a voucher enclosed. The voucher then needs to be redeemed for the recipient to receive their remaining boxes directly through their letterbox.
You can order the subscription using your address for delivery (and then giving the box and voucher to the recipient yourself) or you can have it delivered directly to the recipient (on a date you choose). Either way, the voucher will need to be redeemed within 18 months, with the recipient entering their own address details to receive the subsequent boxes, which we send out at the end of each month.

If you use the code NICOLA-152693 at checkout you will get 10% off any order over £20.

Pasta Evangelists

This is a new one for me, but when I read that they supply Harrods I knew that they were the real deal when it comes to helping to create authentic pasta dishes at home. I have ordered this for someone’s upcoming birthday (hope they won’t read this and know that it is them!) and I will update this post with their verdict. I must confess to being tempted to order some dishes for myself – it’s not massively cheap but compared to going out to a fancy Italian, there are huge savings to be made. I dare you to have a look at their meals and not drool.

How it works

Adapted from the Pasta Evangelists website:

Send your favourite foodie (*however many months you choose*) worth of pasta with our Gift Subscription.

They’ll receive X deliveries (dependent on which subscription you choose) of fresh, artisan pasta meals over X months.

Simply select how many portions you’d like to include in each delivery. If you’re gifting a subscription to a family of 4, for example, we’d recommend sending 4 servings in each delivery. 

Upon receiving their gift, your favourite foodie will be able to set their own gift subscription up, choosing their favourite pasta dishes, preferred delivery days and much more.

What happens next?

1. We’ll send out a gift certificate to you by 1st class Royal Mail, which you can give to the recipient. Please let us know in a note at checkout if you’d prefer to receive a paperless version by email.
2. The recipient can then activate their subscription on our website using their gift certificate. During activation, they will be able to enter their delivery address, preferred delivery day and select the meals they’d like. 
3. For the duration of their gift subscription, we’ll invite the recipient to choose their favourite dishes from our weekly selection.

If you this use this link, you will receive £10 off your first order.

Do you have any experiences of any other food subscription boxes/gifts? I’d love to gather even more ideas.