The Fare Trade Food Subscription Box Review – June 2014

The Fare Trade is a new gourmet food subscription box. Each month the box is curated by a different chef who pairs their food selections with their own recipes. It looked like a really interesting subscription to me, and I decided to sign up for a 6-month subscription when Gilt City was offering a deal on subscriptions. (This deal is no longer available, but I’ll post again if a new one comes up!)

I’m very impressed with the packaging of this box – it would definitely make a great subscription to gift.

The Subscription Box: The Fare Trade

The Cost: $65 a month

The Products: Tastemaker curated products, included extra info and recipes to go with each new food item. (Bonus video content is available for subscribers as well).

Ships to: US only

Check out the Food Subscription Box Directory for similar boxes!

For June the curator is Chef Brooke Williamson

The included info sheet has a letter from Brooke, info on each of the items and why she picked them, and the menu of recipes.

On the back of the sheet is a grocery list shopping guide.

Each recipe has it’s own card. The recipes for June are:

Butter Lettuce Salad with Blue Cheese, Toasted Walnuts, and Grapefruit Shrub Vinaigrette

Pork Porterhouse Cheesy Grits and Anchovy Chimichurri

Smoky Tomato Stewed Lentils with Mustard Greens and Soft Boiled Egg

Maple-Bourbon Baked Apple with Skillet Bacon Crumble and Vanilla Ice Cream

Sierra Nut House Organic Black Lentils – 8 oz Value $4?

Skillet Bacon Spread – Value $13

I couldn’t find these exact lentils on the Sierra Nut House website, so I’m estimating on the value. The Bacon Spread is supposed to be more sweet than savory, and my husband is excited to try it on his next breakfast sandwich!

Nora Mills Granary White Speckled Grits – Value $10

Nonna’s Smoky Sauce – Value $8

We’ve sampled both of these items before thanks to subscription boxes, and I’m happy to have more! I’m always looking for tomato sauces that are dairy-free, have no added sugar and still taste delicious, and the Nonna’s sauces always are a hit!

Hanover Road Old School Peanut Brittle – 3 oz Value $6?

Liber & Co. Texas Grapefruit Shrub – Value $13

One thing I really like about this subscription is that the chef uses the ingredients in ways I wouldn’t expect for recipes. For example, when I see this Grapefruit Shrub, I just think cocktail mix, but Chef Brooke Williamson uses it for a vinaigrette!

Verdict: This month’s box has a product value of $54. Given that it also comes with exclusive video content and recipes, and is very well-curated, I can understand the $65 a month cost. That being said, I’m very happy I got the subscription at a discount!

What do you think of The Fare Trade?