The ATF Christmas Gift Guide 2025

What do you get the partner, friend or family member who’s already eaten everything? Food lovers like ourselves have a tendency to be fussy and have tried it all already (endlessly greedy things), so restaurant gift vouchers can be risky business if you don't have access to their scoring sheets. Never fear - ATF is here with some food and drink ideas that should reach the heart of any wannabe chef or general glutton through the best route there is - their stomach...

KITCHEN NOTIONS

 

Sumac and the rest, Izz Café, €5.50

Anyone who’s been to Izzeddeen Alkarajeh and Eman Aburabi’s Cork city café will have dreamed about recreating the flavours at home. Good quality sumac is a crucial first step, key to the citric acidity of their iconic mussakhan and fattoush. Good stuff isn’t always easy to source in Ireland - all the more reason to treat someone to this premium brand imported from Palestinian farms. While you're there you may as well add tahini, za'atar and a premium date selection to your basket. You'll need a copy of their book Jibrin too so they know how to use it all.

Best Sellers Gift Box, Achill Island Sea Salt, €35

It doesn’t get much more fundamental to the cooking process than salt, so go all-in with this taster trio from Achill Island. The cooking nerd in your life will relish tasting the nuance of the natural, smoked and seaweed salts from the handmade pinch pot, and there’s inspiration aplenty from the salted caramel fudge and nougat in there too. There’s even an-the go sliding salting tin. Y’know, for emergencies.

Bushmills Aged Balsamic Vinegar, Burren Balsamics, €37.95

For an Irish twist on an Italian classic, have a look at Burren Balsamics, who’ve racked up awards aplenty with their wide range of vinegary delights. For a kitchen geek it can only be the genuine article aceto balsamico di Modena, aged for three years in Bushmills casks to add notes of smoky oak.

La Cultivada Organic EVOO Tasting Box, Sarah & Olive, €57.50

If you’ve ever had the hand taken off you for reaching for the wrong olive oil, here’s just the thing for that person. Three taster tins of La Cultivada’s finest organic EVOO are packaged up with tasting notes, recipes and recommended food pairings, and Sarah & Olive offer a yearlong tasting club subscription too, if you really want to spoil them.

CHRISTMAS CONDIMENTS

 

12 days of cheese pairings, Folláin, €14.99

It’ll be a very merry Chessemas for you and yours with any of Folláin’s gift sets, 50% of the proceeds of which are going to charity Simon from now through to the end of the year – that’s one way to feel good about yourself when lying in a food coma. We’re all in on this set of a dozen chutneys and relishes for cheese, complete with pairing suggestions for each.

Gift bag, McNally Farms, €16.95

Get someone hooked on family farm produce with this three-piece gift set from McNally’s. Their homemade butterscotch sauce, cranberry and port sauce, and raspberry preserves are perfect to pimp up Christmas dinner in a dash, and the reusable produce bag they’re packed in is perfect to head back down the farm and stock up on organic veg year-round.

Christmas gift box, Sage, €60

The surprise success of Sage’s retail range during the pandemic played a big part in chef Kevin Aherne deciding to shutter the Midleton restaurant entirely after 16 years back in 2024. Cork’s loss is the rest of Ireland’s gain, and you can get this twelve-dip set of favourites with a festive twist, and limited edition new arrivals delivered anywhere in the country.

Preserves advent calendar, Gran Grans, €85

We got gifted this one ourselves a few years back, and not since childhood had we rushed so quickly down the stairs every December morning. Galway-based Gran Grans’ collection of homemade jams, chutneys, relishes, marmalades and mustards are locally sourced and perfectly portioned to keep the Christmas spirit rolling all December long.

CLASSES & TOURS

 

Ultimate Dublin Food Tour, Devour, €79

We know, we know – a food tour? But this three-hour trip through Dublin’s best from Devour is no ordinary tour, not least cos we put it together for them. Between generous servings, a fair share of food history, and deeper dives into locations you might think you already know, this is a tour with the added insight to appeal to even the biggest food fans.

Gift vouchers, Ballymaloe Cookery School, from €85

Throw a bread roll at the Food and Wine Restaurant of the Year awards and you’re sure to hit a Ballymaloe alumnus – the Cork Cookery School has trained generations of Irish chefs since Myrtle Allen became the first female Michelin star chef in the country all those years ago. Let your loved one believe they’ll be next with a gift voucher for a trip down south.

Mexican Cooking Class, Picado, €95

Mexican pantry Picado has been stocking Dublin kitchens with top quality produce for over a decade now. Their second, more spacious site opened on Cork street at the start of the year and plays regular host to five kinds of classes, from tortillas and tamales to gorditas and enchiladas. New dates are released periodically but you can go ahead and get a gift voucher now.

Cocktail tasting, Bar 1661, €165

A cocktail nerd’s fantasy, this three-and-a-half hour, twenty-eight drink odyssey through the award-winning menu at Dublin’s beloved Bar 1661 gives deep insight into the art and magic of mixology from some of the best in the biz. There’s food served along the way too. There’d have to be.

COOK/BOOKS

 

The Dublin Coffee Guide, Lilliput Press, €24.95

Gorgeous photography and a real expert guide make an essential (and very literal) coffee table book of this ode to Dublin’s every-growing café culture by Paddy Kirk, who’s been showcasing the city’s best independent shops on Instagram since 2020.

Scéal, Dubray, €29.99

Given the word “scéal” is Irish for story, it’s fitting the Greystones-based bakery should put out a book that’s more than just recipes – it’s a broader narrative of the community of customers and suppliers that support every small food business. Now that’s worth supporting.

Good Things, Books Upstairs, €39.95

Blockbuster book and series Salt Fat Acid Heat put Samin Nosrat on the culinary map, and now she’s back with a more informal but still informative tome in Good Things, a guide to the food she loves to share with friends and family. What could be better to share in turn with yours?

2026 series, Blasta Books, €58

It’s a rare year that one of the Blasta Books doesn’t make it onto our list of the best new food books, so why not go all in and get someone the set. This new 2026 series spans bean feasts to Brazilian food, toasties to quick dinners. They’re delivered every three months throughout the year to ensure the fun never stops.

DRINKS

 

Mulled wine for Palestine, Dublin Cocktail Lab, €19.50

With 15% of all sales going to an Irish-led community gym in the West Bank, Dublin Cocktail Lab’s mulled wine for Palestine is a great way to make a splash with every splash of festive cheer. That good cause edge is hard to resist but if you're out for a more cocktail-themed gift you can't go wrong with their six-pack gift set, and Christmas is not Christmas without their hot whiskey syrup.

Rare Apple Ice Wine, Killahora Orchards, €29.50

The climate might not suit grapes all too well here, but that hasn’t held Cork-based Killahora Orchards from bottling what still stands as one of our favourite dessert wines around. Their rare apple ice wine has a delicious, fermented butterscotch sweetness that makes an apple dessert pairing dream for the aspiring sommelier in your life.

Bitters Gift Set, Beara Bitters, €30

Help them kick their home cocktails into high gear with this Beara Bitters set, featuring the all-organic company’s three signature flavours in one handy package. From orange-infused whiskey sours and aromatic old fashioneds to smoked pear-studded mezcal, the opportunities are endless – let’s just hope you’re invited over to taste test.

Christmas cocktails, Craft Cocktails, €35

Serve seven a very merry nightcap, or have a ho-ho-holy hell of a Stephen’s Day hangover all to yourself with any of Craft Cocktails’ Christmas range. Mistletoe margarita and gingerbread punch sound right up our alley, but it’s the festive old fashioned we can’t stop making eyes at.

SUBSCRIPTIONS

 

ATF Insiders gift subscription, All the Food, €65

We might be a bit biased here, but as bang-for-your-buck goes on food gifts this one’s hard to beat. From monthly prizes and exclusive invites to a weekly news roundup and direct access to our team for all the niche intel you need, a yearlong membership to ATF Insiders is a fast track way to making your foodie friends very happy indeed.

Cheese Club, various, from €34.95

Who wouldn’t want the sweet smell of cheese wafting through the letterbox once a month? Ireland now has ample monthly cheese clubs, featuring a different selection each month along with chutneys and crackers, notes on each cheese and food pairing ideas. Check out Sheridan's, The Little Cheese Shop, Indie Fudie and Mike's Fancy Cheese.