Best Sustainable Foodie Gift Ideas

In short, the basics of sustainable gift shopping are the following:

Give memories rather than things. And if you want to give a thing, make it yourself or buy something local and ethical.

There is a hierarchy to sustainable gift-giving. The suitable buying hierarchy is as follows:

Try to buy less.

Have a big group of friends? See if you can organise a secret santa between you to reduce the amount of pressies that need to be bought! Also, consider giving experiences rather than things. For example, give the gift of a doing course on something, or a meal out.

Buy second hand

If you cannot buy less, then consider buying second hand. Charity shops are chocabloc full of gorgeous one-of-a-kind finds! And online shopping on websites such as eBay or adverts has made second shopping a little more targeted and less of a gamble!

Make your gift

Next, if you do not find something special to gift second hand, consider making something to gift. From a food item, to a picture frame, you can get nice and creative with this one. However, do make sure that whatever you are making is going to be something that you know for sure the person will love and make use of.

Shop local

The next level in the sustainable gift-buying hierarchy would be to shop local. Peruse the craft markets, get in touch with your artist friends and shop with independent business owners. When you shop local, more money will stay in your local economy, making more of your neighbours happy this Christmas.

Shop ethically

And lastly, if all else fails, at least try to shop ethically. Buy fair-trade, choose plastic-free and avoid items made by those working in unfair conditions for unfair wages. Use your money this Christmas to cast a vote for the world that you wish for.

Who should I buy a sustainable foodie gift for?

So, we all have a special foodie person in our lives right? To be honest, who here doesn’t like food? But for this post, I’m specifically thinking now about those two or three people in your life that are super creative with their cooking or baking, or love eating out, or are just obsessed with kitchen gadgets and gizmos.

Let’s review some sustainable Christmas gift ideas for that special foodie person

 I have put the following list together based on some ideas of my own, as well as YOUR brilliant suggestion from my recent Instagram story question! Of course not every present would suit every person. Gifting is a very personalised thing. So pick and choose from the list, and see what you feel would suit you and your foodie best.

Sustainable foodie gift idea number 1: Restaurant voucher.

Is your foodie in question obsessed with a particular local restaurant? Then great, consider getting them a voucher for that exact place. However, there may be a voucher available in your town, city or country that could be used in several different restaurants, which may suit better for the adventurous eater!

Sustainable foodie gift idea number 2: A cooking or baking course.

There are a whole host of courses out there for the foodies amongst us. From chocolate making courses to cheese tasting sessions, and from cocktail classes to full week-long baking retreats. Get googling to find a course to suit your food loving friend, and perhaps down the line you may even benefit from some of the fruits of their labour!

Sustainable foodie gift idea number 3: Invite them over for a meal

Sometimes giving the gift of your time may be the best present yet. Offer them a meal at your house. Make an occasion out of it. Break out the bubbly. Make a bit of fuss. It can be a great way to catch up and reconnect.

Sustainable foodie gift idea number 4: Entrance ticket to a local food festival.

I know Ireland is buzzing with delightful food festivals! From wine and cheese festivals, to salmon and whiskey festivals, there is plenty to choose from. If there is an entrance fee, consider gifting this in the form of a voucher. Otherwise, invite them out to join you on the day and promise to treat them to a meal.

Sustainable foodie gift idea number 4: Bake or cook your gift.

If you happen to be a foodie yourself, consider gifting a food or drink item that you prepared yourself! From Christmas cakes to gingerbread men, and from granola’s, to chutneys and homebrews – a home-prepared food or drink can be a very thoughtful present!

Sustainable foodie gift idea number 5: Make “bake-it-yourself” jars or mugs.

Consider preparing some fun jars or mugs containing the dry ingredients needed to make a batch of cookies, or a small cake. I am a huge fan of mug cakes. Consider putting all the dry ingredients of a mug cake in a lovely gift mug. Write up a personalised recipe and hang this with some yarn from the handle of the mug. Or in a see-through jar, layer the different dry ingredients neatly on top of each other, and make sure colourful sprinkles are part of this equation. Again, tie the recipe with some yarn to the jar, et voila!

Sustainable foodie gift idea number 6: Bee-wax food wrap

Bee-wax food wraps (or you can use a vegan wax alternative) are a fantastic way to reduce your use of single-use plastics such as sandwich bags or cling film. You can fold them any way you like to make a little pouch to hold your s’wich, or you can mould them over the edge of your bowl to keep your food fresh. Yes, you could buy them online or in your local sustainable shop. However, I found they were super easy (and great fun) to make! All you need is some 100% cotton fabric and some beeswax. You also need some greaseproof paper and an iron.  There are plenty of tutorials online!

Sustainable foodie gift idea number 7: Items that make the zero-waste journey easier, like lunch-boxes, keep cups, flasks, travel cutlery.

Now, I need to be honest, I am torn between liking and hating these items. Especially when you are gifting them. They key here is firstly making sure that the person you are buying them for does not already have one – or ten. Honestly, I have received so many keep cups that I am now regifting them. And this is becoming increasingly more difficult, as pretty much everyone in my life is now using them! And I’m yet to find someone who doesn’t have a frustratingly overflowing stash of lunchboxes hidden somewhere in their kitchen. But if the foodie you are buying for is starting off on their zero waste journey, and may feel inspired to use some of the items that you are gifting to help them get set-up, then by all means gift them!

Sustainable foodie gift idea number 8: Cookbooks

Of course, as per the sustainable gift hierarchy, see if you can find “virtual” cookbook! There are a whole host of recipe websites and online subscriptions that may make a great gift for your foodie friend. However, there is a hint of magic in flicking through pages with pretty pictures of delicious looking meals. Your local secondhand book shop is bound to be teeming with cookbooks, fitting to all styles and abilities! Shop second hand where possible. There are countless of homeless cookbooks looking for their new kitchen counters!

Sustainable foodie gift idea number 9: Let them grow food themselves!

Reconnecting with where our food comes from has been a real passion of mine. While I do not have a garden, I manage to turn my little apartment into a fully-fledged herb and even small vegetable farm! I actually wrote a post about my experience growing rhubarb which you can find here! Why not gift a few potted herbs, or some herb or small vegetable growing starter kits? All they need is a windowsill and some patience!

Sustainable foodie gift idea number 10: Give a local and ethical food hamper

Fill a decorative wicker basket with any of the following; fair trade chocolate, local cheeses, organic wine, fair trade coffee, some locally made mugs or coffee cups, your local bakery’s mince pies or a variety of local and in-season veg and fruit! If you are going to buy your gift, remember to shop local, and shop ethical.

And those were my top 10 sustainable foodie gift ideas! Of course I’d love to hear your other ideas, so share them in the comment box below!

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