From luxury feasts to indie artisan buys via incredible puddings and charitable boxes, these are the must-buy hampers for this year.
Christmas is coming… but what shape it will take and who we’ll be spending it with still seems a bit uncertain this year as we wait out winter lockdown 2.0 and cross our fingers for something approaching the old normal. That’s why we’ve decided to compile the ultimate list of Christmas hampers for 2020 (alongside our other inspiring Christmas gift guides).
After all, is there anything more indulgent, comforting and spirit-lifting than the arrival of a wicker basket (or equally eco-friendly box or tote) filled with goodies to eat, drink and be merry? So whether you’re buying for yourself or sending some love to much-missed friends and family – we’ve got something for you.
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Alongside the old-school traditional luxury of Fortnum & Mason and Harvey Nichols, we’ve also chosen incredible tasting gift boxes from foodie names such as Brindisa, Jikoni, The Proof, hicce and Cutter & Squidge with special hampers for all of those Christmas moments that we hold dear (a breakfast of smoked salmon and caperberries, a cheese tasting selection, gin cocktails, Boxing Day pickles and charcuterie and a New Year’s Eve feast with prosecco).
We’ve also put together thoughtful gift ideas for vegans and gluten-free eaters and brilliantly original hampers from independent businesses such as Marshall & Brown. In short, these are little parcels of love that literally no one can resist so order your favourite one now – for yourself and for someone who’ll be thrilled to find one on their doorstep this Christmas.
Guzzl Food And Drink Selection Hamper
Best Christmas hampers: Guzzl Food And Drink Selection Hamper Brixton-based Guzzl sells produce from small, independent food and drink producers and this is just the place to make the hamper of your dreams. They’ll put a selection together for you if you don’t have time but otherwise this is your chance to hand select gorgeous products from local honey to craft ales.
Fortnum & Mason’s The Grosvenor Hamper
Best Christmas hampers: Fortnum & Mason’s The Grosvenor Hamper The ultimate Christmas hamper comes with wine (vinho verde and dão tinto), Royal Blend tea and Colombia El Jordan Estate coffee, sweet treats including Piccadilly Salted Caramel Biscuits, jams and mustards… Just add The Crown.
Harvey Nichols Party Starter Hamper
Best Christmas hampers: Harvey Nichols Party Starter Hamper Parties may look a little different this year but that’s not to say we won’t be embracing olives, artisan cheese straws, blood orange and clove negroni, and prosecco. Hic!
Hotel Chocolat’s Little Christmas Hamper
Best Christmas hampers: Hotel Chocolat's Little Christmas Hamper A little festive delight for every age group, tuck into caramel pecan, milk chocolate puddles, salted caramel snowflakes and caramel slabs. Open on the 24 December to see you through Christmas.
Melrose & Morgan The Smoked And Pickled Hamper
Best Christmas hampers: Melrose & Morgan The Smoked And Pickled Hamper Locally sourced, The Smoked And Pickled Hamper is the delectable showcase of one of London’s most acclaimed fish smokeries, The Secret Smoke House with the very finest smoked salmon, Brindisa caperberries, M&M’s own sweet cucumber and seeded spelt squares plus a bottle of Domaine de Bassac Margalh de Bassac Blanc.
Cartwright & Butler Christmas Afternoon Tea Hamper
Best Christmas hampers: Cartwright & Butler Christmas Afternoon Tea Hamper Hunker down for a delightful afternoon with Cartwright & Butler’s Spiced Plum Preserve, shortbread, gingerbread fudge, tea, cheese flat bread and fruit candies. How lovely.
Shop Christmas Afternoon Tea Hamper at Cartwright & Butler, £60
Petersham Nurseries Luxury Hamper
Best Christmas hampers: Petersham Nurseries Luxury Hamper This is the hamper to make Christmas really special: full of preserves, jam, crackers, Panettone Milanese, excellent wine and Villa Marcello Prosecco Millesimato Brut, olive oil, cheese and crackers from the iconic foodie destination.
Marshall & Brown Kingston Hamper
Best Christmas hampers: Marshall and Brown Kingston Hamper Celebrating all the best of Caribbean food and drink, Marshall & Brown’s hamper has Mama Brown’s rum cakes, six The Jerk House Sauces, artisan rum truffles, a bottle of Appleton rum plus red onion marmalade, apple cider and beetroot and orange. Sunshine in a box.
The Little Leopard Co Hungry Leopard
Best Christmas hampers: The Little Leopard Co Hungry Leopard The perfect little hamper present for locked down loved ones – this carefully curated box contains chipotle chilli sauce, sea salt and black pepper crisps, mixed nuts, Banoffee pie caramel popcorn, chocolate and a biscuit. It’ll pick anyone up.
The Proof Merry Proofmas Hamper
Best Christmas hampers: The Proof’s Merry Proofmas Hamper All freshly made – this is Christmas pudding on a whole new level. With candles, a stocking and a bauble plus coffee, orange and dark chocolate biscotti, sea salt fudge, six mini coconut macaroons, chocolate truffles, orange spiced crumble mince pies and other bespoke delights, your sweet tooth will be in heaven.
hicce Boxing Day Hamper
Best Christmas hampers: hicce Boxing Day Hamper Mixing the trad with brilliant independent British suppliers, hicce’s Boxing Day box is full of the day-after delight: including their own chilli jam and apple and pear chutney, Tempus pork rillettes, smoked coppa, spiced salami, Lingua Della Suocera crackers, almonds and olives.
Luliu Gourmet Infused Oil Hamper
Best Christmas hampers: Luliu Gourmet Infused Oil Hamper Inspired by the spice cooking of her grandma and mum, Luliu has created a gorgeous independent range of oils. And the perfect gift for a foodie friend is this selection box of chilli, oregano, rosemary-and-spinach and tumeric-and-chilli-infused olive oils.
Aldi Luxury Hamper
Best hampers for Christmas: Aldi Luxury Hamper The perfect all-rounder to send to friends and family in need of some joy, Aldi’s Luxury Hamper is filled with delights such as Stollen Bites, a Fig, Balsamic & Chilli Chutney Trio (once you open the jars you can’t stop eating them), tea, puddings and more. Christmas in a box.
Paxton & Whitfield Christmas Cheese Treats
Best Christmas hampers: Paxton & Whitfield Christmas Cheese Treats From Camembert to Cheddar via plum chutney, crackers and gingerbread men, Paxton & Whitfield’s handpicked Christmas selection is possibly the most festive thing in the world. Just add some Mariah.
Jikoni Hug In A Box
Best Christmas hampers: Jikoni Hug In A Box Mix up your Christmas menus with this selection of Jikoni’s moreish Mix, three chutney jars, paan and cashew fudge, block print table napkins and a bottle of South Pickenham English sparkling wine from Norfolk.
Marks & Spencer The Gluten Free Christmas Food Gift Bag
Best Christmas hampers: Marks & Spencer The Gluten Free Christmas Food Gift Bag Full of dairy-free chocolate, wheat-free crackers and flapjacks, a Plant Kitchen Christmas pudding and a rather lovely Merlot, this is the thoughtful gift for those gluten-free among us. And all of it comes in an eco-friendly tote bag that’s produced by Cocobagh, a social business venture that supports widowed women in local Indian communities. Thanks M&S.
Shop The Gluten Free Christmas Food Gift Bag at Marks & Spencer, £40
Cutter & Squidge Vegan Hamper
Best Christmas hampers: Cutter & Squidge Vegan Hamper Merry Vegan Christmas to you with a yule log cake, vegan brownies (in two festive flavours) and orange hot chocolate spoons. Thoughtful and welcome, you also get a lovely tea towel to last you the rest of the year.
Brindisa New Year’s Eve Box
Best Christmas hampers: Brindisa New Year’s Eve Box Are you ready to celebrate the arrival of 2021? Do we need to ask? Welcome it in with style as the ever-incredible Brindisa have put together a joyous box of ham, chorizo Iberico slices, cheese, olives, Sarriegui extra virgin olive oil crisps and, crucially, two bottles of Cava Mas Macia Brut. Happy New Year!
Twisting Spirits Luxury Gin Hamper
Best Christmas hampers: Twisting Spirits Luxury Personal Gin Hamper Twisting Spirits craft gin contains a bottle of their festive Douglas-Fir gin, Franklin & Sons’ pink grapefruit and bergamot tonic and rosemary and black olive tonic, a gin guide and a bag of Smoked Chilli Flavour Plant Pops. Cheers to that!
Manteca Classico box
Best Christmas hampers: Manteca Classico A selection of salami, smoked cod roe, date jam, Christmas pudding and amaretti – the restaurant Manteca have compiled all those lovely little delicious things into one box to make the holidays that bit more special.
Marianna Leivaditaki Aegean Christmas hamper
Best Christmas hampers: Marianna Leivaditaki Aegean Christmas hamper The head chef of Hackney’s Morito brings home-cooked delicacies and wine from her native Crete direct to your door this Christmas. Containing her book plus curing paste, anchovy butter, biscuits and sultana grape preserve, this is the foodie choice plus 10% of profits will be donated to Nia ending violence against women.
Shop Aegean Christmas hamper at Marianna Leivaditaki, from £95
Build Your Own Hamper at Le Deli Robuchon
Best Christmas hampers: Build Your Own Hamper at Le Deli Robuchon For a Gallic spin on celebrations, the Build Your Own Hamper at Le Deli Robuchon means you can create your own bespoke selection of jams, cheeses and condiments – c’est magnifique.
Images: supplied courtesy of retailers
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Francesca Brown
Francesca Brown is books editor for Stylist magazine and Stylist Loves; she also compiles the Style List on a weekly basis. She is a self-confessed HBO abuser and has a wide selection of grey sweatshirts. Honestly, you just can’t have enough. @franabouttown