I'm not going to lie. I was always kind of skeptical of mail-order food gifts.
I'd see the catalogues come in and wonder how things stayed good, or how on earth people could receive slabs of perfectly marbled steaks by post. It wasn't until my first year of college, when a box of two dozen pears arrived in my mailbox, that I truly changed my mind. I ate at least a dozen of them with a spoon, and spent the rest of my finals week in a pear-filled dream state, munching on them during exams and sneaking them with chocolate in the library.
Since then, I've slowly been trying to expand my repertoire of mail-order food presents. And clearly, many members of our community are too: Years ago Michele Ludmer asked the Hotline for recommendations for a good mail-order food gift and the discussion gets revived year after year. Here are some of your favorite ideas:
Lloreen's in the same boat as I am! A box of pears—like from Harry & David—never disappoints.
TheFritschKitchen loved a package of fresh cinnamon and a cinnamon grater that her mother-in-law sent.
SMSF recommends Nueskes for their delicious smoked bacon and hams. Luvcookbooks also recommends ordering some of their kringle to have on hand during the holiday season.
According to Nancy, you can't go wrong with fresh nuts, especially from the South.
See what other Food52 readers are saying.