Recently I tried Brozen Box, an indulgent gelato subscription box, and had just as much (well, almost as much) fun making gelato as I did eating it. It also got me thinking about the best foodie subscription boxes in the UK – the ones I’ve tried, the ones I’ve gifted and the ones that I’m desperate to try.
I’ve always loved the idea of subscription boxes as it gives you something to look forward to every month, and helps you try things that you might not have otherwise chosen to try. From salami to socks, you can pretty much get a subscription box for anything!
Lockdown has been the perfect opportunity to try subscription boxes as we’ve all needed things to look forward to. Foodie subscription boxes such as Brozen Box have been perfect for (excuse the pun) satisfying my taste for adventure whilst travel restrictions have been in place, and kept me entertained when I would otherwise have hopped on a plane for a couple of days exploring somewhere new.
Let me tell you about my recent experience of Brozen Box, and then share the best foodie subscription boxes in the UK that I’ve found.
Brozen Box: A Heavenly Gelato Subscription Box
What is Brozen Box?
I love a small business, and it seems that more and more people are becoming passionate about supporting small businesses. I think the pandemic has played a part in us wanting to shop small and local, but it was growing anyway.
Brozen Box definitely fits into the small business category. It was founded by twin brothers Ben and Joe, who grew up making ice cream on a small farm in Cornwall from ingredients they’d foraged themselves. In 2015 they cycled across Europe in search of the best gelato they could find (excellent trip idea that I may well borrow from them), and then set up a gelato stall in a Bristol market.
They then wanted to find a way of helping people enjoy fresh, creamy gelato at home, and started Brozen Box! Ingredients are carefully sourced, and all dairy is from Jersey.
Each month Brozen Box send out a themed box, which includes everything you need to make three unique flavours of gelato, inspired by flavours from around the world. This month’s theme was Spanish Summer, which included Black Apricot & Almond, Spanish Spiced Figs and Lemon & Olive Oil.
You can choose a one, three, six or twelve month subscription, depending on your budget and how much you (or the person you’re gifting to) loves gelato. There is also the option to purchase previously released boxes as a one-off, instead of signing up to a monthly subscription.
A one month subscription or one-off box costs £23, and the monthly price reduces depending on how much months you choose, down to £19/month for a twelve month subscription.
What’s in a Brozen Box?
Everything you need to make three flavours of gelato! Minus the ice cream machine, which you’ll need to have already. The gelato can be made by hand, but it takes a lot more effort.
Inside your Brozen subscription box you’ll get a carton of gelato base, ingredients for your three flavours, three tubs for your gelato, and a recipe card. Some of the ingredients were in a jar ready to be mixed in to the gelato, whereas other needed chopping – which is a great way to pass the time whilst you’re waiting for the gelato to churn!
How Do You Make Gelato With Brozen Box?
If you have an ice cream machine, it’s incredibly easy! You’ll make all three flavours at once, and start by pouring the gelato mix straight from the carton into your ice cream machine. You will need to chill the ingredients for at least two hours before.
If there are any ingredients that need chopping you can do this now, otherwise just sit back and relax (or stare at it) for 40 minutes! To flavour the gelato, half fill each tub with the churned base (which, by the way, is tasty enough to eat on its own). Add in the ingredients, mix, add the rest of the gelato base, and mix again.
Then it’s a painful couple of hours whilst the gelato sets in the freezer, before diving in with a spoon. Whatever anyone tells you, it’s is perfectly acceptable to eat all three gelatos by yourself, straight out of the tub.
You can find out more about Brozen Box and treat yourself here
If gelato isn’t your thing, here are some more foodie subscription boxes for you!
Best Foodie Subscription Boxes: Cheese
Imagine a box of cheese arriving on your doorstep every month. I can’t think anything more joyful. There must be a lot of people who agree with me, as there are a lot of cheese subscription boxes out there.
Need a wine delivery to go alongside your cheese? I’ve written a blog post about my favourite wine to drink at home and where to order it from.
Paxton & Whitfield
A friend of mine raves about her monthly cheese delivery from Paxton & Whitfield, and given that they have been sourcing and maturing cheeses for over 200 years, they have a wealth of cheesy experience!
Become a member of their Paxton’s Cheese Club and receive four carefully selected cheeses each month, chosen for the season. A three month membership is £120 so it’s not the cheapest, but that’s reflective of the quality, and you get huge hunks of cheese too!
George & Joseph
I love to promote local businesses, so I’m thrilled that this Chapel Allerton based cheesemongers has a subscription box! If you live in or near Leeds, I recommend that you head to George & Joseph as soon as possible to pick up locally produced Yorkshire cheeses alongside all the chutney, biscuits, wines and Yorkshire ales you need to go with it.
If you purchase their monthly cheese subscription box, you’ll receive three cheeses each month, specially selected from small cheese producers by head cheesemonger, Stephen.
For a one-month subscription you’ll pay £25, and this reduces based on how many months you choose, down to £22 per month.
The Courtyard Dairy
Another Northern business, and an award-winning one at that… Cheesemonger of the Year at the World Cheese Awards. The Courtyard Dairy is based near Settle in the Yorkshire Dales, and prior to lockdown I was booked onto one of their cheese making courses, which hopefully will be rearranged soon.
As well as courses, cheese & wine hampers and gift boxes, they have a monthly cheese subscription box which comes with tasting notes, cheese information and crackers. The selection will include new cheeses, previously-unknown cheeses, cheeses under development, and the best seasonal cheeses.
I particularly love the flexibility with this box, as you can choose how often your receive the boxes (monthly, bi-monthly, quarterly) and how many cheeses you want in each box (three or five).
The Cheese Geek
Another expert in the cheese gifting game is The Cheese Geek, who pride themselves on providing tailored cheese subscriptions to each individual customer. Alongside four to five cheese, your monthly delivery will also include cheese information, tasting notes, pairing tips and a scorecard.
Boxes contain a mix of famous cheeses and lesser-known cheeses from small producers, and you’ll also get a no repeat guarantee, meaning that you’ll never get the same cheese twice in a year.
They also have a range of cheese boxes to choose from their website as a one-off purchase, a pic ‘n’ mix option and even a cheese app.
Best Foodie Subscription Boxes: Meat & Charcuterie
Farmison & Co
It might sound a bit weird to give someone the gift of meat, but if you know someone who loves to eat meat and is passionate about supporting traditional farming and butchery, then actually this is perfect! It’s also a great subscription for your own household, so doesn’t have to be a gift at all.
Farmison & Co give me the opportunity to tell you about another business local to me, as they are a Yorkshire based business. It’s owned by John Pallagi, who was born in Middlesbrough and is the son of a Hungarian father and a Yorkshire mother who met in a bakery, and Lee Simmonds, who is Leeds born and bred.
Their ethos is to encourage everyone to eat better meat, they use heritage breeds to preserve them, and they work with farmers that they’ve known for years and who use traditional farming and husbandry methods.
They have a range of meat subscription boxes to choose from, depending on the type of meat that you enjoy and how many people you would like to feed, and you can choose automatic deliveries for every week, fortnight or month.
Cure & Simple
A bacon subscription?! Yes, Cure & Simple will deliver bacon to you once a week, once a fortnight, or once a month. The bacon is vacuum packed, and because it’s made using an old fashioned preservation process, it doesn’t need to be refrigerated until it’s been opened.
The bacon comes from happy, healthy, outdoor reared or free range pigs in East Anglian and South East England, and is flavoured using the finest, freshest herbs.
Sign up to the bacon subscription and you’ll get a variety of flavours and cuts such as unsmoked, oak smoked and original smoked back bacon, streaky bacon and pancetta.
The Great British Charcuterie Co.
The Great British Charcuterie Co. is a father and son run business, specialising in high quality British cured meat, working closely with small scale artisan producers across the country with a focus on animal welfare and sustainability. If you love charcuterie, this is the foodie subscription box for you!
For £49.95 a month you can enjoy carefully selected charcuteries products accompanied by crackers, chutney, tasting notes, pairing suggestions and always a little foodie surprise. For the same price, you could also choose a cheese subscription or a cheese and charcuterie subscription.
Good Game
Another charcuterie subscription, Good Game, supply locally sourced game and charcuterie from Topsham in Devon (a link to a post my solo trip to Topsham there).
It’s truly local produce: they have their own pigs, buy additional pigs from friends who have native pig breeds in the local area, shoot their own game or buy it from other locals that they know, buy kit from a local family business, and get spices from Devon producers where possible.
Join their Meat Club and get monthly deliveries of their Charcuterie Selection, Beer Snack Box, Hot One (five spicy chorizos) or Baconeer, ranging from £13 to £28 per month.
Best Foodie Subscription Boxes: Pork Crackling
Snaffling Pig
This might be a rather specific category, but I really didn’t want you to miss this one! Snaffling Pig pork crackling is definitely the best pork crackling (and scratchings, apparently theres’s a big difference!) I’ve ever tasted, and they have a range of subscription box options.
You can get monthly subscriptions of pork crackling, crackling & beer, crackling & cider or the Piggin’ Mystery Box (with or without alcohol). Considering that they do crackling, scratching, porky puffs, salami, nuts and sauces… who knows what you’ll get in the mystery box?!.
I’ve tried quite a few of their crackling flavours and particularly loved the Marvellous Maple and Colman’s Mustard flavours. Pig of doom is incredibly hot (I love a bit of spice but these were pretty much inedible for me), so try these with caution!
Best Foodie Subscription Boxes: Pasta
Pasta Evangelists
Unlike the other foodie subscription boxes in this guide, this one requires some cooking! Don’t worry, it only takes five minutes.
Pasta Evangelists send out pasta recipe kits including everything you need to make your chosen dish (choose from a weekly menu of ten pasta dishes), including fresh pasta, sauce, garnish and recipe card.
You can order once, or you can buy a one, three, six or twelve month subscription. The one month subscription includes two deliveries, and the others include one delivery a month.
You can select how many portions are received in each delivery, and if it’s a gift, the recipient will be invited to select their dishes from the website each month.
Best Foodie Subscription Boxes: Hot Sauce
Bauce Brothers
Bauce Brothers describe themselves as a ‘hot sauce discovery club’. Every Three months they select three hot sauces to share with their club members, and deliver them monthly or quarterly, depending on the plan your select.
You can choose from plans such as Bottle in a Bag (one bottle), Hot Box Club (three bottles) or even an annual subscription, depending on how much hot sauce you, or the person you’re sending it to, plan to consume.
Flaming Licks
Another hot sauce subscription, Flaming Licks was started in 2015 by a former world touring punk rock violinist called Dave.
They send out a monthly box including three hot sauces, chilli jams, chilli chutneys, pickles or chilli marinades, plus a spicy snack. You can choose a monthly or bi-monthly subscription and pay monthly or for six or twelve boxes upfront.
There isn’t the same flexibility as Bauce Brothers when it comes to how much hot sauce you want, but I love how simple the purchasing process is.
What’s the Best Foodie Subscription Box You’ve Tried?
I really could go on indefinitely with these foodie subscriptions! There are spice box subscriptions, afternoon tea subscriptions, baking subscriptions, biscuit subscriptions, coffee subscriptions, curry sauce subscriptions… and pretty much anything else you can think of.
Instead of me researching every category under the sun, I’d love to see which subscription boxes you’ve tried, so leave a comment below!
I’ll also be creating a drinks subscription box post soon, for monthly deliveries of beer, wine, whisky or gin!
Nell xx
