Food and drink lovers tend to be quite "particular", people who know what they like and don't like, and aren't afraid to let people know (in other words they can be pretty hard to buy for). As we are also those awkward people, we've done the leg work for you this year, and let you into what we'd like to find under the tree this Christmas...
For the Cocktail lovers:
Craft Cocktails' Christmas Collection, from €17.50
Every year we look forward to Craft Cocktails’ Christmas collection, with flavours like 'Gingerbread Punch', 'Festive Old-Fashioned', and 'Mistletoe Margarita'. €12.50 gets you a double serve or it's €35 for a bigger bottle that serves seven. They also offer a personalisation service where you can add your message to the label on any cocktail. Order by 13th December for personalised orders, or by 19th December for non-personalised orders, or you can collect from Cuckoo Lane until 12:00 on 23rd December.
Keep Her Lit Candles, from €15
These handmade candles from Dublin based couple Alex and Dan are the perfect gift for your cocktail comrades (or Guinness girlos). While they're currently fulfilling Christmas orders, keep an eye on their instagram, or catch them at the Bohemia Flea Market in Phibsborough on the 14th of December.
Coffee Cocktails, Vice Coffee Inc, from €22.50
Vice know a thing or two about Irish coffee, so treat your gift receivers to the best in the 'biz with Vice's Christmas drink kits. Choose either the OG or espresso martini (decaf versions also available) - a welcome kitchen addition for anyone during the madness that is December. Find them in Vice.
For the Wine lovers:
The ATF x Lilith Wine Club, €100
After years of talking about it but wanting to get it just right, we've finally launched our ATF Wine Club with our favourite wine shop, Stoneybatter's Lilith. All the love is going into these monthly cases, with the number one objective to get people more excited about wine - what could be a better gift for the wine lover in your life to unwrap on Christmas morning.
For the Foodies with a Sweet Tooth:
Bon Chocolatiers Chocolates, from €16
Bon Chocolatiers are be the best Irish chocolates we've tried so far, and if any time of the year is worthy of a splurge on treats, it's Christmas. The Festive Treats collection features Christmas spiced s’mores and Cointreau and blood orange, and a twelve piece, four flavour box costs €31.50. Currently sold out (!!) while waiting for them to restock, we're ordering the cute as a button Rockin' Robin Irish Hazelnut (€16) - a multilayered treat in the shape of a robin made with Irish hazelnuts from Glenidan farm in Westmeath.
For the Foodies that have everything:
Araucaria Ceramics, from €15
Dan Woodsmith is Ireland's it boy when it comes to pottery. Based in the Dublin mountains, you might have seen Araucaria Ceramics in places like Scéal Bakery, Woodruff, Dede at the Customs House in West Cork, or even the Michelin starred Kol in London. The butter dishes (€65 or €95) are a minimalist's dream, as are the salt pigs (€40), and you can never go wrong with a solid mug (€35). Each item is hand thrown using stoneware clay as well as local, hand dug Irish clay. Catch Dan at Killruddery market on the 14th and 15th of December from 10:00 to 16:30, or order on his website.
The Long Apron, Abito, €53
Quite possibly the coolest apron on the market currently is Abito I Live's latest long apron. Made from 100% cotton duck (a heavy, woven cotton fabric), the heavy weight cloth can be worn whichever way you like, with two deep pockets to carry all your kitchen essentials while cooking.
Cookbook Stand, €69.95
One of those useful items that you could never justify buying yourself but would actually really love, this solid ash cookbook stand from Caulfield Country Boards in Kells is available on nookandcranny.ie - perfect for your pals that are a bit of a whizz in the kitchen.
Gefu Meat Thermometer, €37.95
Similar to above, a meat thermometer is not something you would think about treating yourself with but they are such a game changer when it comes to cooking, especially if you are on turkey duty. This handy one has a magnet on the back so you can monitor the temperature easily. Get it here.
Dublin Food Tour, Devour Food Tours, €79
Give the foodie in your life the gift of experience with a food tour around our fair city, complete with a morning of sausage rolls, seasonal pastries, Irish cheese, icon-status toasties and the freshest seafood at some of the best spots in the city curated by your friends here at ATF. You'll get an injection of history and culture too as you walk through St Stephen's Green, Trinity College, Central Plaza, past Molly Malone and through Dublin's Victorian Architecture. Starting back up in March, it's a gift for their springtime selves.
For the ones that love a good hamper:
Christmas Hamper at Gannet Fishmongers, from €25
Gannet Fishmongers in Galway aka eatmorefish.ie are doing god's work by encouraging this island with incredible fishing grounds to eat more fish. Their website is like ASOS for fish fans, (a tad bit more chaotic) with a plethora of tinned fish as well as fresh and frozen Irish fish. For Christmas, they're assembling customisable hampers which you can choose yourself by selecting the hamper option on their website and filling up your cart with a selection of tins. It's then packed up nicely, with a personalised card, and sent off to the foodie of your choice.
Folláin Christmas Hampers, from €11
Folláin's Christmas selection hampers are a great one stop shop for the cheese and / or jam lovers in your lives. With 50% of all online sales going straight to the Simon Community, this one is a no brainer.
A West of Dingle Sea Salt Gift Pack, €29
We are low key obsessed with West of Dingle’s salts. The whiskey smoked adds a deep layer of umami to everything, the smokehouse rub makes every dish taste like it's come off a charcoal grill, and the lemon and rosemary have taken our oven roasted vegetables from satisfactory to showstopping. Gift the four-pack to your favourite at-home chef.
For the Whiskey Lovers:
Irish Whiskey puzzle, €45
A 1,000-piece, hand-drawn jigsaw puzzle all about Irish whiskey, its flavours and traditions. Learn about the uisce beatha passively; perfect for passing the time during that void space between Christmas and New Years when no one knows what day it is.
Glendalough Distillery Gift Pack, €50
Glendalough's single grain double barrel whiskey comes in this neat little set with a whiskey tumbler. Matured in flame-charred ex-Bourbon American oak, and finished in Oloroso casks from Montilla, this whiskey won gold at the 2024 New York International Spirits Competition. Available from their website or Dublin airport, which is a handy one if you are travelling this Christmas.
For the Subscription nuts:
ATF Insiders, €55
Not to toot our own horn or anything, but the perfect gift for the ultimate foodie who wants access to exclusive events, and loves a bit of Insider info, is an ATF Insider subscription. At only €55 per calendar year, it includes entry into nine giveaways a month, event invitations, exclusive content and direct access to our team to ask all and any of their pressing questions about eating out.
The Little Cheese Shop monthly subscription from €42.50
For the Irish cheese fans, The Little Cheese Shop in Dingle choose four cheeses of different textures and strengths that are sent at the end of each month complete with crackers, chutney, and tasting notes. From €42.50 per month, there's the option to send a one off, or treat your foodie friend to a whole year of cheese.
Brack Club, The Cupcake Bloke, from €65
We are devo each year when barm brack leaves the shelves once Halloween is over, but lucky for us, Graham Herterich (aka the Cupcake Bloke, aka the Brack Angel of Ireland) has given the people what they want with his Brack Club memberships. (Does anyone remember the time he paired it with blue cheese? Mind = blown). Starting from January 2025, give the gift of fruit bread from the Gods with three or six month subscriptions of the good stuff.
For the Book Worms:
The Old Spot Cookbook, €35
Marking a decade on Bath Avenue, The Old Spot Cookbook brings together the greatest hits from its award-winning gastropub. Recipes include their mussels pil pil, short-rib lasagne, and their deep fried mac and cheese.
The Blasta Book Collections, €58
Blasta Books are now gearing up for series three of their lovely collections of cookbooks (to be released in 2025), highlighting Irish authors and chefs. Each specialises in a different type of food, from Bahay's 'Masarap', to Lily Ramirez-Foran's 'Tacos', and cost €15 for one or you can buy a bundle of four for €50. Pre-order books 13-16 the next collection for recipe joy delivered throughout 2025.
The Story of Tayto, €19.95
Tuck into a bag and get stuck into the history of Ireland's self appointed mascot - Mr. Tayto. Read about the weird and wonderful backstory of our nations crisp - how they changed the snack game globally, their interesting marketing tools, and how Frank Kelly (aka Fr. Jack) was the voice of a Tayto record player made out of cardboard in the 70s. The Story of Tayto has gotten great reviews and the Irish Times are calling it "genuinely entertaining".
An Irish Food Story: 100 Foods That Made Us, €25
Jp McMahon's latest book tells the story of Irish history, culture, and identity through 100 foods that shaped the nation. With entries from barley, milk, and stout, to crispy pancakes, Ribena, and jambons, An Irish Food Story is a delicious reminder that what we eat says everything about who we are.
Irish Food History: A Companion, €45
For the serious food nerds out there, this absolute beast of a leabhar goes in depth into the history of Irish food from the Ice age to the present day. A whopping 850 pages, it won best Food and Drink Book at the 2024 A Post Irish Book Awards.