Authentic French gifts for Christmas can be ordered easily online. And a gourmet food gift from France doesn’t need to be limited to wine or cheese.
Here are 3 types of gourmet gifts from some of France’s top food artisans that you can find on Amazon.com. You know you’ll be offering a well-made, delicious product that will “wow” whoever receives it.
What’s more, the packaging for these products – particularly the teas – is so beautiful that friends and family will love receiving them as gifts.
1. French Teas:
The French are masters at mixing herbs, fruits, and flowers to create delicious tasting blends for black or herbal teas (called “tisanes” or “infusions”).
They love drinking black tea in the afternoon and herbal teas after dinner. There is no theine in the plants used for herbal teas, so you won’t be kept awake at night.
And the therapeutic benefits of plants have been recognized in France for centuries: some are used to help digestion (hence the “tisane” after a meal), and others for their calming effect.
Where to buy high-quality French teas on Amazon.com:
“Palais des Thés” Teas
I’ll start with my all-time favorite flavored tea from Palais des Thés, called “Paris for Her.” It was developed by Master Pastry-Maker, Pierre Hermé exclusively for the Palais des Thés. This tea has beautiful notes of rose, raspberry, and lychee (like Hermé’s famous macaron, the “Ispahan”).
This is my after-lunch tea and would make a fabulous gift:
-Palais des Thés “Paris for Her” tea on Amazon.com
For a well-rounded selection of 10 Palais des Thés teas (with another of my favorites: the Thé du Hammam) presented in a beautiful gift box:
-Palais des Thés Signature Classics Indulgence Tea Set on Amazon.com
Advent Calendars are a tradition in France for the holidays, and Palais des Thés has a lovely one where you can discover 24 of their teas:
-Palais des Thés 24 Days of Tea Advent Calendar on Amazon.com
The founders of Palais des Thés also have an excellent book for anyone looking to enhance their tea knowledge:
–Palais des Thés book: “Tea Sommelier: A Step-by-Step Guide” on Amazon .com
Mariage Frères Teas
Mariage Frères is another French brand of high-quality tea I use every day.
They have one of the best Earl Grey teas I have ever tasted (the bergamot used is of very high quality and doesn’t have a strong, artificial scent as many do):
-Mariage Freres Earl Grey Imperial Tea
They are masters at balancing wonderful blends of aromas in their flavored teas. Here are two of my favorites:
-Mariage Frères Marco Polo Loose Black Tea in a tin caddy on Amazon.com
-Mariage Frères Wedding Impérial Tea on Amazon.com
2. French Jams and Jellies:
The French know how to start their day off right: not only with a great baguette and real butter but also with artisanal jams and jellies. They consume 4.4 kg (almost 9 lbs) of them per person per year!
If you want to know the difference between jam, jelly, preserve and marmalade, you can find out more here…
Where to buy high-quality authentic French jams, jellies and marmelade online:
Alain Milliat
Alain Milliat is a French specialist in high-quality jams and fruit juices. He uses particular varietals of fruit for superior taste and quality:
–Alain Milliat’s Apricot Bergeron Extra Jam on Amazon.com
–Alain Milliat’s Sengana Strawberry Jam on Amazon.com
Favols
Favols is an artisanal producer from the southwest of France and a top-quality French brand. Several jams are pure fruit and have no sugar added:
-Favols Les Fruitessences Strawberry Spread (Fraise) | 100% Fruit | No Sugar on Amazon.com
-Favols Les Creatives Confit of Rose Petals Jam on Amazon.com
Beautiful Jam Jars for Your French Jams and to Offer as Gifts
If you or someone you know would enjoy displaying high-quality jams in beautiful jars, here’s a selection of jam jar sets and individual jam jar styles on Amazon.com:
- Godinger Silver Art Leaf Jam Jar with Spoon on Amazon.com An individual jam jar with a glamourous look worthy of a fine French jam. Gorgeous!
- Godinger Crystal Jam Jar with Stainless Steel Spoon on Amazon.com A charming and well-made crystal jam jar.
- Set of 3 White Ceramic Jam Jars on a Matching Tray by Comeon on Amazon.com This melon-shaped set also comes in green and reminds me of a French Provençal style. Very cute!
- Set of 3 Jam or Condiment Jars on a Matching Tray by Comeon on Amazon.com This pretty, modern style set of 3 jars with matching tray and spoons comes in several colors: white, pink, blue, green and yellow
3. French Olive Oils:
French olive oil production is small but excellent in quality, which is why it makes a great gift for Christmas. There is very little low-quality olive oil produced in France.
Other countries with huge olive oil production have oils that vary from high to low quality. France, with its small production output, has chosen to keep the quality of its olive oil high (and that’s reflected in the price!).
There are 8 French olive oil Protected Designations of Origin (called AOPs) as well as many mono-varietal oils (such as Picholine, Lucques, Olivière, Salonenque, etc.). So there is definitely a distinctly French olive oil production with its unique characteristics.
Are you wondering how to select the best French olive oil? In this blog post, you’ll find 3 criteria to guide you.
Where to buy high-quality French olive oil online:
Most high-quality olive oils are not found in supermarkets, so you need to look elsewhere. Specialty stores and online shops are more reliable sources.
Below are three excellent French olive oil brands available online at Amazon.com:
Chateau Virant
The Cheylan family have been running Chateau Virant for 4 generations.
Their olive oil from Aix-en-Provence has a Protected Designation of Origin (“A.O.C. in French) and has won more prizes in international competitions than any other French brand. They are truly experts on the subject (and lovely people too)!
-Chateau Virant A.O.C. Olive Oil from Aix-en-Provence, France on Amazon.com
Castelas
I have visited the Castelas family mills and they are beautifully organized and expertly run.
Nicolas Alziari
-Nicolas Alziari Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Protected Designation of Origin) Nice, France on Amazon.com
Both Castelas and Alziari regularly win top prizes in olive oil competitions and are highly respected French artisan olive oil producers:
Conclusion
I hope my suggestions inspire you to find delicious French Christmas gifts for your friends and family (or you!). They’ll bring a little “Je ne sais quoi” to the table for the holidays.
Let me know how your shopping goes!
And if you’d like to add some French flair to your holiday meals, then sign up for “The French Holiday Challenge” . In this 4-part FREE TRAINING, I’ll walk you through how to enhance your own holiday meal with traditional French style. Sign up below:
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A Traditional Christmas Dinner in France