From tinned fish to baked goodies, you can deliver the best-tasting treats to their door—even if you don’t live close by.
Hunting down the best food gifts is serious business, and I treat it with the care it deserves. I'm a foodie in an area of the country best known for its tavern-style pizza and not so much its fresh seafood or world-renowned bakeries. That's all fine and dandy, but what if I'm craving cookies so sinful only a populous city could conjure them? Thanks to the magic of the internet, it's all at my fingertips. Whether you're treating yourself or someone else, our top picks—like the aforementioned cookies, from Last Crumb—arrive safe and sound at your doorstep in ready-to-eat condition. The world is your oyster (and I mean that quite literally, if future testing has anything to say about it).
Best Chocolate-Covered Strawberries
Photograph: Louryn Strampe
Shari's Berries
Gourmet Drizzled Strawberries
Shari's Berries is a popular choice for chocolate-dipped fruit, and while the decorations can vary slightly, the year-round offerings of strawberries are all delicious. Choose from six, 12, or 24 berries, all of which arrive safely packed for immediate consumption. (This is an important note, because if you don't plan on eating them immediately, you'll need to refrigerate them, which can make them sweat and make the coating less pretty.) The berries taste great, dipped in their “chocolatey” confectioner's coating, and they look impressive and appetizing right out of the box. They're shipped in a gift box, and you can attach a gift message or a personalized card. I think these are an excellent gift for basically anyone—just make sure the recipient is ready to house a bunch of sweet berries right away, because they don't keep well for days on end.
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| Shipping Speeds and Costs |
Shipping costs vary by delivery date and location. |
| Additional Shipping Details |
Orders include ice packs. Orders arrive in a gift box. |
| Gift Options |
Gift notes and cards are available. |
Best Box of Chocolates
Photograph: Matthew Korfhage
Richart
Initiation Chocolate Box
In his in-depth guide to the best chocolate delivery boxes, my colleague Matthew Korfhage says this is the best gift-box option. The box includes a selection of 16 filled chocolates and 16 squares of dark and milk chocolate. The filled flavors vary often, but each bite is a delight, offering a taste of something unique and curious without forcing your giftee to consume an entire bar's worth of the stuff. They'll also get a little booklet with more information about each inclusion, and the treats themselves are carefully nestled into a gift box. If you're shopping for a chocoholic, look no further.
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| Shipping Speeds and Costs |
Shipping costs $25. Shipping is free on orders over $100. |
| Additional Shipping Details |
Ice packs are used for warm-weather deliveries. |
| Gift Options |
Arrives in a gift box. Gift messaging is available. |
Best Cookies
Last Crumb
Core Collection
Last Crumb's cookies are expensive. But they're so damn delicious. I love the luxe gift-box packaging and cheeky branding (for example, a 24-pack is called a DiCaprio), but I love the cookies even more. There are 12 flavors in the Core Collection, with additional flavors coming around as limited-edition offerings. They can be microwaved or heated in the oven before eating, and the individually wrapped, sealed cookies can be kept on the counter for two weeks or in the freezer for two months.
I tried Last Crumb cookies in Everything but the Candles (a birthday cake flavor bursting with rich vanilla icing and tons of sprinkles); The Floor is Lava (a chocolate lava cake that's sweet but cocoa-forward, slightly bitter, and best enjoyed over the course of a few hours, one bite at a time); and What the Velvet, which was my favorite of the bunch. The red velvet confection was sticky, gooey, chewy, chocolatey goodness, complete with a cream cheese center that elicited noises I won't describe here. The cookies are thick and decadent, and they're made with high-quality ingredients like slow-churned Plugrà butter with an 82 percent butterfat content, premium chocolate from Barry Callebaut, and freshly ground Tahitian vanilla beans. I've eaten a lot of cookies in my life. I've never eaten a cookie like this before.
There are special, seasonal, limited-edition bundles available from time to time. For Mother's Day, you can check out The Mom Edit, which has six different varieties ranging from banana cream pie to blueberry muffin.
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| Shipping Speeds and Costs |
2-day delivery and custom date delivery is $25. Overnight delivery is $40. Overnight delivery is only available if you place an order Monday-Thursday by noon Pacific time. Shipping is free on orders over $100. |
| Additional Shipping Details |
Cookies are not packed in a cooler box. They're baked to order and individually sealed. |
Best Ice Cream
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Courtesy of Graeter's
Graeter's
Ice Cream Bundle
Graeter's French pot ice cream is creamy, luscious, and thick. I tried the brand's holiday flavors, which were all excellent. Peppermint Stick was like Christmas morning in a pint, Spirited Eggnog was sweet and spicy, and Toffee Chip felt like I was sinking my teeth into sticky candy without having to floss immediately afterward. All told, six pints come in the bundle, and they would have lasted me a long time had my family members not immediately wolfed them down. But I can't blame them, because this stuff is good. Year-round, the company offers over 30 flavors to choose from to build your own bundle. There are other seasonal flavors that come around, too. Given the richness and depth of its holiday flavors, I assume they are all delectable.
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| Shipping Speeds and Costs |
Shipping costs between $10 and $50. |
| Additional Shipping Details |
Orders are shipped with ice packs. Graeter's guarantees that ice cream will arrive frozen. |
| Gift Options |
Gift messaging is available during checkout. |
Best Brownies
Photograph: Louryn Strampe
Photograph: Louryn Strampe
Photograph: Louryn Strampe
Killer Brownies
Best Seller 8-Pack
Killer Brownies are, in a word, scrumptious. They've got layers and layers of flavor—yes, they're sweet, but they've also got a little kick of salt; rich, nutty, toasted butter; even the floury, breadlike notes are delicious. The brownies are thick, soft, chewy, and melt-in-your-mouth. They're available in a myriad of styles, including layered with buttery, salty caramel or paired with an M&M-studded blondie bar that encompasses everything good about vanilla. Depending on the option you choose, they'll arrive in a gift tin or a gift box.
You can heat them or freeze them—mine thawed perfectly after being frozen for two weeks, though they can keep for up to a month if stored properly. The individual brownies are also massive. Each one weighs around a third of a pound. Smaller, bite-size desserts are available, too. Word to the wise: Don't look at the calorie counts. Just enjoy the brownie, preferably with a glass of milk.
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| Shipping Speeds and Costs |
Shipping is free. Choose your delivery date during checkout. |
| Additional Shipping Details |
Ice packs are included if necessary. |
| Gift Options |
Gift options and messaging are available. Arrives in a gift box. |
Best Tinned Fish
Photograph: Louryn Strampe
Fishwife
Starter 7-Pack
There's a good chance every tinned fish enthusiast has heard of Fishwife, but I'd be remiss not to include it in this delicious list. These are not your grandpa's sardines. Or mackerel filets. Or juicy, smoky hunks of salmon. Fishwife gets it right, down to the smallest details, like the gorgeous packaging. (Ordering via the Fishwife website gets you the option to snag gift tins, which are adorable and make for excellent organizers around the house). The tinned fish flavors are to die for. My favorite is the Smoked Salmon with Fly by Jing Sichuan Chili Oil—the spicy, slightly crunchy chili crisp complements the fish perfectly. The Sardines with Preserved Lemon are also scrumptious, with a sour bite that elevates the experience to something special—even if you're still just pairing the fish with a saltine cracker.
Every tin has thought and care behind it, from the hand-packed albacore tuna, which is packaged at a traditional Spanish cannery, to the Cantabrian anchovies, which are sourced from an MSC-certified sustainable fishery. Fishwife even offers recipes to help you use its tinned fish in imaginative new ways. If you're shopping for someone who prefers savory over sweet, Fishwife is worth checking out. There are seasonal offerings at times, like the limited Mother's Day Gift Tin. Just be aware that these promotions tend to sell out quickly.
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| Shipping Speeds and Costs |
Standard ground shipping costs $10. UPS 2nd Day Air shipping costs $19. Shipping is free on orders over $75. |
| Additional Shipping Details |
Most products do not require refrigeration and don't arrive in a cooler box. If refrigeration is required, ice packs will be included. |
| Gift Options |
Gift tins are available. Gift notes are available for an additional dollar. |
Best Caviar
Imperia Caviar
Kaluga Hybrid Reserve Caviar
I admit that I was influenced to try this by TikTok. And I regret nothing. Caviar has this aura of mystery and intrigue, and Imperia leans into this while also making caviar feel more accessible than it would if you ordered it at a restaurant with a snooty waiter peering down their nose at you. Case in point: I ate mine with crème fraîche, chives, and kettle potato chips. While wearing pajamas. In bed. And every single mouthful was fantastic, and nobody was judging me based on my ability to pronounce things or whether or not I knew how to open the tin (which I didn't until I googled it). This little container of fish eggs is sourced from river beluga, or kaluga, at sustainable fishing farms.
It can be kept in the fridge for up to three weeks, unopened, though the company recommends consuming it within a week of purchase; It should be consumed within 48 hours once opened. You can shop add-ons, too, such as a mother-of-pearl spoon, which doesn't impart any flavors that could alter the experience. And the experience is downright fantastic. The caviar is pleasing to look at, with a dark-brown and amber hue, and the flavor is like the ocean concentrated into a tiny drop—in the very best way. The eggs are large and mild, with a buttery, nutty flavor, a salty kick, and a velvety texture that pairs well with blini. Or potato chips. You do you.
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| Shipping Speeds and Costs |
Custom delivery dates can be chosen at checkout. Flat-rate overnight shipping costs $30. Shipping is free on orders over $300. |
| Additional Shipping Details |
Caviar is shipped with cooling packs and a FreshTag which indicates whether or not the items stayed cool during transit. |
| Gift Options |
Gift sets are available. Gift messaging is available at checkout. |
Best Charcuterie Board
Boarderie
Classic Cheese & Charcuterie Board
This board is a grazer's dream come true. I will admit that after trying this board for the first time, I seriously considered forgoing groceries and just keeping a running stock of them coming. Every time I walked past my fridge, I was tempted to reach in and grab another perfect bite. The boards arrive prearranged and ready to eat—you might just have to unwrap some plastic bits and pieces from the trays. The small board serves two to three and comes with 17 hand-selected cheeses, meats, fruits, nuts, chocolates, and olives; There's also a medium board that serves four to five and a large board that serves nine to 10. Gift options are available as well—you pick the board, and the recipient picks the delivery day. There are special holiday boards for events like Mother's Day and Christmas, too.
Boards are available in Classic, Medium, or Large sizes, serving between two and 14 people, depending on which you choose. (Large is pictured.) Every item on the board is yummy, but my favorites were the creamy, savory Gouda; fruity and salty blueberry Wensleydale; earthy black truffle salami; and the pairings of dried cherries and seasoned olives. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. You'll also get bamboo forks, spreaders, and tongs to help with serving everything up. This would make a fabulous gift for a hostess or your favorite charcuterie enthusiast.
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| Shipping Speeds and Costs |
All orders are shipped using FedEx Priority Overnight shipping and are delivered Tuesday through Saturday. You will choose the delivery date. Shipping is free. |
| Additional Shipping Details |
Boards are shipped with insulated liners and ice packs. |
| Gift Options |
Gifting options are available (you pick the board, the recipient picks the delivery date). Gift messages are available during checkout. |
Best Meats
Photograph: Wired
Harry & David
Fine Meats Steakhouse Club
We have a whole guide to the best meat subscription boxes, but this option from Harry & David is our favorite for gifting. It's expensive, but my colleague Adrienne So says that her tester box still looms in her memories. She says the New York strip steaks were finely marbled and perfectly trimmed, with the ideal amount of fat to lend a crispy bite to the edges without being too fatty overall. Each box comes with aged, hand-trimmed, premium meats like filet mignon or lobster tails, and they'd make wonderful gifts for anyone with a penchant for grilling.
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| Shipping Speeds and Costs |
Shipping cost varies based on order subtotal and delivery date, which you can choose during checkout. Shipping costs range from $9 to $26; Orders over $150 will be charged 17 percent of the subtotal for shipping. |
| Additional Shipping Details |
Steaks are shipped with dry ice or gel packs. |
| Gift Options |
Gift messaging available at checkout. |
Best Seafood
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Photograph: Scott Gilbertson
Wild Alaskan Seafood
Wild Combo Box
Wild Alaskan Seafood offers delicious, wild-caught seafood boxes full of delicious frozen fish. This combo box includes rockfish, coho salmon, sockeye salmon, pollock, Pacific halibut, and Pacific cod. The portions are generous (though sometimes on the thin side) and the fish tastes fresh and cooks up beautifully despite arriving ice-cold. We've tested this box through sautéing and grilling, both with excellent results. It's especially nice for land-locked folks who can't just pop down to a local market to peruse the catch of the day. The packaging is nice and recyclable, too.
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| Shipping Speeds and Costs |
You'll choose your delivery date and schedule at checkout. Shipping is free. |
| Additional Shipping Details |
Orders include dry ice packs. |
| Gift Options |
Gift boxes are available. |
Best Snacks
Photograph: Louryn Strampe
Nuts.com
Mother's Day Gift Box
Maybe it's because I'm a specific mix of a foodie and a gear nerd, but I literally remember where I was standing when I had a snack from Nuts.com for the first time. (In Miami, in a kind-of gross hotel room party, while working too many hours for a startup.) The brand is known for its mail-order snacks, and I have yet to try one that I dislike. The Chili Mango and Honey & Heat Snack Mix are my favorites, but in my experience, you legitimately cannot go wrong. There are hundreds of options of snacks to choose from on the website.
Nuts.com also offers seasonal boxes, like the Mother's Day gift box, which contains a mix of sweet and salty snacks, plus a pistachio-scented candle and body scrub. The items are all wrapped in plastic bags in the gift box upon arrival, which keeps them fresh, but they taste good enough that the presentation shouldn't matter. At one point, I legitimately begged my best friend to get the box away from me. Those Cheesecake Bites are out of this world.
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| Shipping Speeds and Costs |
Shipping is free on orders over $59 |
| Additional Shipping Details |
Meltable items ship with special packaging when necessary. |
| Gift Options |
Gift options are available during checkout. |
Best Bagels
Photograph: Louryn Strampe
Ess-a-Bagel
New York Bagel Brunch
Maybe your gift recipient is always talking about how they don't have a good bagel place around. Maybe you're responsible for hosting and you simply cannot be bothered. This brunch kit will save the day. It includes a frankly staggering amount of bagels and Nova lox from the New York chain Ess-a-Bagel, plus cream cheese. There are options for add-ons like whitefish salad or cookies as well. It all arrives tightly wrapped and refrigerated, and you can either serve it immediately or pop the bagels in the freezer (though spreads and salads should be consumed within a week.) I am still thinking of the thick, chewy goodness in every bite of my Pumpernickel Raisin bagel. Through its merchant shop on Goldbelly, there are a few variations of this brunch, but either way it's hard to beat if you want to impress (or feed a lot of people at once).
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| Shipping Speeds and Costs |
Shipping is free. |
| Additional Shipping Details |
Orders arrive with cold packs. |
| Gift Options |
Gift options are available during checkout. |
Best for All Occasions
Photograph: Louryn Strampe
Letterly
Custom Gift Trays
Letterly's custom gift trays are ideal for event-based gifting. Choose your combination of numbers, shapes, or phrases, and then choose your filling. Options include artisan popcorn, flavored mixed nuts, dried fruit, candy, chocolate, and a few mixes of those options; there are choices for vegan and Kosher diets as well. Button the whole thing up with an optional “Thank You” or “Happy Birthday” message on the outer cardboard sleeve. The trays are plastic-wrapped for safe transport, and you can include a gift message as well. Limited-edition holiday collections are available, too, like the “Mom” tray for Mother's Day.
My mixed fruit and nut tray was filled with tasty treats, including pistachios, candied almonds, macadamia and Brazil nuts, dried kiwi, apricot, pineapples, apples, raisins … it was a smorgasbord of goodness. I think a larger tray would be a good gift to bring to a party, but I was perfectly happy to munch on the “25” I received over the course of a few days. Is it the most personal gift in the world? No. Is it perfectly acceptable for the majority of occasions where you need to give someone something? Absolutely, yes.
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| Shipping Speeds and Costs |
Gifts can be scheduled up to three months in advance. All orders ship via UPS 2-Day Air. Shipping costs between $18 and $30. |
| Additional Shipping Details |
Ice packs are used for warm-weather deliveries. |
| Gift Options |
Gift messaging is available during checkout. |
Best Gift for No Guesswork
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Courtesy of Sugarwish
Sugarwish
Custom Gift Box
Gifting food can be difficult, but Sugarwish makes it really easy. You pick the snack category, from candy and cookies to nuts and chips (or a variety), and purchase a gift card for that amount. Sugarwish will contact your recipient, who will get to pick out whatever snacks they want to receive. Maybe you wouldn't peg your giftee as someone who likes dill pickle cashews or black licorice, but they'll be able to select their favorites without the need for you to guess what snacks suit their fancy. Everything arrives in a perfectly presentable gift box, and best of all, your recipient is guaranteed to like it.
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| Shipping Speeds and Costs |
Shipping is included in the gift box price. |
| Additional Shipping Details |
Orders are shipped in packaging according to the contents. |
| Gift Options |
Gift messaging is available during checkout. |
Best Pasta
Courtesy of Rubirosa
Rubirosa
Pasta Sampler and Marinara Sauce Set
Though perhaps best known for its thin-crust “tie-dye” pizza, Italian restaurant Rubirosa in Nolita is exactly the kind of old-school, family-owned red-sauce joint NYC is famous for. Even though it’s been in business since 1960, it still attracts celebrity fans like Meghan Markle and Harry Styles. It also, to this day, makes its own pasta and marinara sauce, which it sells in its shop.
If someone on your gift list is a fanatic for either pasta or New York City—or both—they will love this set. It includes a trio of Rubirosa’s dried pastas in a holiday-popcorn-style tin (lumache, which is the restaurant’s signature shape, fusilli, and reginetti), as well as three jars of the classic marinara, made with plum and pear tomatoes. The pasta shapes are ridged to hold more of the sauce, which my family confirms is the best jarred sauce we’ve ever had. —Kat Merck
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| Shipping Speeds and Costs |
Shipping is free. |
| Additional Shipping Details |
N/A |
| Gift Options |
Gift messaging is available during checkout. |
Best Olive Oil
Brightland
Classic Minis Gift Set
Brightland's olive oil sampler is so nice to look at. It arrives in giftable packaging with four 3.4-ounce bottles of different olive oils: Awake Extra Virgin, Alive Extra Virgin, Lucid Lemon-Flavored, and Rosette Garlic Flavored. Awake is bolder than Alive, and both are delicious. The flavored oils are fantastic as well—if I were a woman with less willpower, I fully could have eaten an entire loaf of bread with the Rosette oil. Brightland's cold-pressed oils are made in California with sustainably farmed olives. The variety in this pack is solid, offering options suitable for cooking, dipping, baking, and dressing. I have lofty plans to make some focaccia with the remainder of mine.
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| Shipping Speeds and Costs |
Shipping is free on orders over $90. Otherwise, it adds $10. |
| Additional Shipping Details |
None. |
| Gift Options |
Gift notes are available at checkout. |
Best Salt
Photograph: Kat Merck
Photograph: Kat Merck
Jacobsen Salt Co.
Salt and Salt Cellar
I live in Portland, Oregon, home to Jacobsen Salt headquarters (the salt itself is harvested in Netarts Bay, on the Oregon Coast), so I can say with authority that just about every boutique and gift shop in the metro area carries a selection of Jacobsen Salt gifts. As it should, as it’s a present that appeals to just about any taste, diet, or budget. A little sprinkle of quality salt can brighten just about anything, from carbonara to chocolate chip cookies. Whether you’re cooking with salt or seasoning at the table, one of the best ways to store it is in a salt cellar—it keeps the salt grains dry, fresh, and accessible, and makes it easy to assess exactly how much salt you’re adding to a dish, since you can see and feel it. Pair a 4-ounce bag of Jacobsen Finishing Salt ($15) with one of these salt cellars ($25) by Portland-based Pigeon Toe Ceramics, known for its chic home decor. The little 3-by-3-inch arch shape comes in “coastal-inspired” gray; granite speckle; or “canyon,” a light terra-cotta. Perfect as a gift for a hostess, in-law, cook, someone you don’t know very well, or even your friend who has everything. —Kat Merck
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| Shipping Speeds and Costs |
Shipping is free on orders over $75 |
| Additional Shipping Details |
N/A |
| Gift Options |
Gift options are available during checkout. |
Best Panettone
Courtesy of Olivieri 1882
Olivieri 1882
Panettone
Panettone, the famous domed Italian fruitcake bread, is a time-honored part of many people’s holiday celebrations. Sure, you can buy one for about 10 bucks at the grocery store, but it will not be a panettone like this, flown in fresh from Olivieri 1882 bakery and café in Arzignano, Italy. Handmade with sourdough and a four-day double fermentation (which makes it easier to digest for the gluten-sensitive), this traditional loaf is preservative-free and redolent with candied oranges. The Classic version also features raisins, Bourbon vanilla, and a texture unlike any panettone I’ve tried: silken, yet still satisfyingly chewy.
If your giftee likes panettone, this is the award-winning Final Boss of panettone that will ruin all other brands for them forever. (“If you don’t know what you’re missing, maybe it’s best it stays that way,” my husband noted.) If they don’t like panettone, well … they’ll probably still like this one. If you’re feeling adventurous, Olivieri offers a variety of seasonal variations, from a heart-shaped Valentine's Day version to Limoncello and Columba, a traditional Italian Easter bread, both plain and in flavors like apricot and salted caramel. —Kat Merck
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| Shipping Speeds and Costs |
Shipping is free on orders over $149, or adds $10. You can't choose your delivery date, but some holidays allow for reservations. |
| Additional Shipping Details |
Ice packs are included if necessary. |
| Gift Options |
Gift messaging is available, in the form of a greeting card for an extra $4. |
Best Marmalade
Courtesy of Marmalade Grove
Marmalade Grove
Marmalade
Created when Ukrainian-born farmer Peter Karpushin ended up with too many pixie tangerines on his Ojai, California, citrus farm during the pandemic, Marmalade Grove is now a full-fledged citrus business. The company not only sells a large lineup of gourmet marmalades (cara cara and hibiscus tea, meyer lemon and honey, ruby valencia and apricot, grapefruit and agave), it ships fresh fruit straight from its groves.
These perfectly giftable jars of marmalade not only look great, they’re some of the best spreads that I, a lifelong marmalade lover, have ever had, tasting fully of the whole fruit and not just bitter rind. A boxed set would make a great present in and of itself, but one jar paired with tea or a fresh loaf of artisanal bread would make a great holiday hosting gift. Marmalade on toast is not the most filling breakfast, but I have now tried them all and I actually think I might buy another box to divide up for gifts. —Kat Merck
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| Shipping Speeds and Costs |
Shipping is free on orders over $35 or with Amazon Prime. |
| Additional Shipping Details |
N/A |
| Gift Options |
Gift options are available during checkout. |
I looked for food gifts that had actual gift options (like packaging or messaging); nationwide, smart shipping; an easy ordering process; and options to suit every palate. I looked for a mix of affordable gifts and luxury gifts, with an emphasis on exemplary companies that are set apart in one way or another compared to competitors in the same space. We're working on finding new gift options for fruit, cheese, and snacks.
Be aware that shipping speeds and costs may vary based on your location and any retailer promotions. Your mileage may vary! When in doubt, shop early for the best chance of on-time arrival without exorbitant shipping costs.
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