Holiday Gift Guide Part II: Food Lovers Ideas #giftsforfoodies #mailorderfood #yummygifts #giftguide2019

The holiday season is now in full swing, so you're likely in the middle of checking items off your holiday shopping list! To save you some time...and stress...I'm sharing my picks for the best gifts for the food lovers in your life! From sweet to savory goodies...and even a great suggestion for beer lovers...I'm sharing my top 10 gift suggestions for food lovers today. There's literally something for everyone here! Keep in mind that most of these items need to be ordered online...so make sure to order ASAP to ensure your gifts arrive in time for gift giving!!!

(1) Compartés Holiday Chocolate Bars. For the chocoholics on your holiday list, the 2019 Compartés holiday collection is a perfect pick! Their artisan chocolate creations are made by hand daily in Los Angeles. These handmade chocolate bars feature classic holiday flavors -- including peppermint, gingerbread, walnuts, and pieces of apple pie and pecan pie. Each bar is wrapped in festive packaging that's hand drawn and designed by Compartés owner Jonathan Grahm. The eight bars in the holiday collection ($11.95 each) include Apple Pie, Spiced Pumpkin, Sticky Toffee, Maple Walnut, Gingerbread, Bourbon Pecan Pie, Peppermint Bark, and Cinnamon Toast! Compartés uses chocolate sourced from South America and adds locally sourced ingredients from California. These holiday bars -- and the entire Compartés holiday line -- can be purchased at their online store.

(2) Panbury's Pies. For a fun, unique food gift...look no further than Panbury's delicious savory pies! Panbury's is located in Atlanta and has a really interesting history. Five years ago, three South Africans ex-pats opened Panbury’s pie shop in Atlanta. They create yummy single-serving pies using traditional cooking techniques and fresh ingredients...with a bit of international flair! Panbury’s is bringing the tradition of the hand pie to America via South African, British, and Australian favorites. Panbury's line of potpies, meat pies, patties, pasties, and cuisines from around the world inspire Panbury’s flavorful, heaping-full hand-pies. These pies are outstanding! My personal favorites are the hearty Steak & Stout and the creative Chicken Sausage Rolls. The pasty is flaky and buttery...and there's plenty of perfectly seasoned filling. There are more than 10 flavors to choose from. My gift suggestion is Assorted Pies and Bites ($75+ free shipping), which lets you to pick 6-12 Panbury's pies of your choice.

(3) Ladurée Paris Holiday Macarons. Ladurèe is quite simply the gold standard in macarons. Their holiday collection includes a Holiday Box of 12 Macarons ($41), which features seasonal and traditional flavors like pistacho, matcha, maple pecan, and rose. For 2019, Ladurée’s chefs have created a macaron filled with chocolate ganache infused with Labrador tea -- a wild  Canadian plant. It has a delicate mint flavor and hints of citrus. To take this seasonal macaron over the top, it's coated in dark chocolate! The holiday collection is packed in an elegant holiday-themed box. Paris-based Ladurèe has U.S. boutiques in New York, Los Angeles, Miami, and Washington, DC. Luckily, they also offer nationwide delivery within the United States. Shipping is quite pricey for these macarons ($40ish) -- they're delicate and must be shipped with cold packs. That said, my shipment arrived in perfect condition. Mail order is a great way to share the gift of Ladurèe macarons anywhere in the country!

(4) Bay Shore Chowders Mix & Match Sampler. One of the foods we most enjoyed in Boston was the local clam chowder -- creamy and rich! This family-owned company has been serving New England chowder and award-winning seafood bisques at Boston’s historic Fish Pier for more than three decades. Chowder isn't something we see much here in Texas, so I was thrilled to discover Bay Show Chowder's convenient mail order option via Goldbelly! Bay Shore's eight-container sampler (on sale for $79 + free shipping!) contains two 20-ounce containers of New England Clam Chowder, Crab Bisque, Lobster Bisque, and Shrimp & Roasted Corn Chowder. The soup is sealed in plastic bags and shipped in a plastic tub -- it can even be frozen. To serve, simply reheat the plastic bag in boiling water until hot. Add some hot French bread, and you can enjoy a classic New England feast anywhere in the country!

(5) Duchess Cookies. There are cookies...and there are Duchess Cookies! This New York City-based bakery offers HUGE, over-the-top, cookies that feature creative flavors...and most are stuffed with decadent fillings! There are more than two dozen flavors to choose from. Two of our favorite Dutchess Cookies were the Galaxy (black coconut ash sugar cookie filled with chocolate ganache) and Oatmeal Apple Pie (oatmeal cinnamon cookie filled with a gooey apple filling). Things to know: each 5-ounce cookie costs $3.75 -- and Duchess Cookies is currently offering free domestic shipping when a dozen cookies are ordered. Dutchess Cookies arrive individually wrapped and are typically cooked to 80% doneness and are intended to be finished by heating in an oven just before serving. Add an ice-cold glass of milk and get ready for cookie nirvana. So good you'll refuse to share with Santa!!

(6) Craft Beer Kings Gift Box. If you have a beer connoisseur on your shopping list, then a gift box from Craft Beer Kings is a perfect holiday gift! Whether your recipient loves stouts, IPAs, German beer...and more...Craft Beer Kings has a thoughtfully curated gift they'll LOVE! Beers come in glass bottles or cans...or even a combination of both...depending on which gift box you select. Know what type or flavor of beer your gift recipient loves? Great! If not, then I suggest the Staff Pick Gift Box ($59.99 for six/$99.99 for 12). The beer experts at Craft Beer Kings will personally select a variety of canned beers from the country's best small batch craft brewers. My personally curated box included IPAs, milk stout, lager, a sour beer...and more! As an added bonus, most Craft Beer Kings gift boxes include FREE U.S. GROUND SHIPPING in the! To purchase, simply visit the Craft Beer Kings' online store.

(7) Chukar Cherries Holiday Gifts. During our trip to Seattle earlier this year, we were introduced to Chukar Cherries while visiting Pike Place Market. This Washington-based company is my go-to source for Pacific Northwest cherries, berries, and nuts. Some are even covered in chocolate for an extra decadent treat! I'm spotlighting two great items from their holiday line. The first is the Holiday Original Assortment ($29.95 + shipping), which includes seven varieties of delicious chocolate covered cherries and nuts. It even comes with a "roadmap" of flavors for clarity. Looking for stocking stuffers or mini gifts to give co-workers, friends, and family? Look no further than the Cherry Cheers Holiday Stocking ($89.95 + free standard shipping)! The hand-stitched stocking holds 2.75-ounce boxes of nine different Chukar chocolate-coated cherries and nut varieties, two small bags of dried cranberries -- one with pistachios, Cherry Almond Caramel Twists, and a festive peppermint lollipop, To order these items, visit the Chukar Cherries online holiday store.

(8) Central BBQ Combo Pack. Central BBQ in Memphis makes some of the very best pulled pork and ribs in the U.S. Don't rush to get airline tickets just yet, though...because you can enjoy Central BBQ in the comfort of your own home! Their Combo Pack is a perfect way to sample their sublime pulled pork and their fall-off-the-bone tender ribs. I can vouch that Central BBQ ribs and pulled pork are totally delish -- smoky and juicy! The gift pack also includes a bottle of their signature BBQ sauce and a shaker of their BBQ rub. Add buns and some chips...and you've got a Memphis BBQ feast for dinner! The Combo Pack comes in three sizes -- prices include FREE two-day Standard Shipping: 

• Small ($80): Contains 1 lb. pulled pork and one slab of ribs
• Family ($115): Contains 2 lbs. pulled pork and two slabs of ribs
• Party Pack ($215): Contains 4 lbs. pulled pork and four slabs of ribs.

A few hints on ordering: Orders are normally shipped Monday thru Wednesday...and they must be received by 1:oo PM CST for same day shipping. Orders received after noon each on Wednesday are processed the the following Monday. As an added bonus, readers of The Weekend Gourmet will receive a 5% discount for all purchases by using the code WENDY5 at checkout!

(9) The Cookie Joint's Cookie Fries. For the fun-loving folks on your Christmas shopping list...The Cookie Joint's whimsical cookie fries are a fun and tasty choice! Cookie fries are delicious shortbread cookies that are cut and shaped like crinkle-cut French fries. After being baked, they're placed in classic fry cartons and served with sweet dipping sauces. So fun! They may look like fries, but they definitely taste like cookies. The Cookie Joint ships a dozen different gift baskets nationwide via Goldbelly. Prices range from $55 to $155. My personal favorite is the Deep Fryer Cookie Gift Basket ($99 + free shipping). It includes eight individually wrapped packages of cookie fries -- you can select one flavor or a variety. The gift set also includes small cups of dipping sauces like marshmallow, chocolate, and salted caramel. This gift arrives in a real fryer basket that can be used after the cookies have been eaten. See? Fun!!

(10) Fat & Weird Protein Cookie Butter. With a name like Fat & Weird...what's not to like?!?!? This bakery offers big cookies in a variety of fun flavors -- but I was immediately intrigued by their line of flavored protein cookie butters! With names like Big Booty Dough, they're cheeky...as well as yummy. As a bonus, each 2-tablespoon serving includes 10 grams of protein. Each 14-ounce jar ($15 + shipping) arrives ready to spread...or maybe just dig in with a spoon like I did! There are five flavors to choose from:

• Big Booty Dough: Birthday cake cookie butter with party sprinkles and 10 grams of protein per serving
• The Party Animal: Almond sugar cookie butter with pink sprinkles and animal cracker chunks 
• Belt Buster: Pecan pie cookie butter with pecan pieces 
• Black Beauty: Chocolate sandwich cookie butter, with white chocolate chips
• Cinful:  Cinnamon sugar cookie butter with hints of cinnamon cereal and a punch of cinnamon 

Disclosure: The manufacturers of the items featured in this gift guide provided me samples to try. I only recommend items to my readers and social media followers that I have personally tried and like.