It’s not an over-exaggeration to say that the gift of a Christmas hamper is one that’s universally, unequivocally, adored.
No matter who you are, or what Christmas means to you, a basket on the verge of bursting with goodies will always be welcomed with open arms. Better yet if those goodies happen to be things you can eat or drink.
Whether you’re struggling to think of the perfect gift for someone special, want an indulgent treat to spoil deserving friends, or just like the idea of a lavish, abundant treat that the entire family can tuck into together on December 25, the gift of a foodie hamper always pays off.
This year the selection is bigger, badder, and tastier than ever, with more retailers launching festive bundles of joy. There’s something for everyone, every taste, and every budget, from cases of premium gin, and stacked parcels of chocolate to F&M-stamped baskets packed to the wicker rafters with festive fare.
Vegan Christmas hampers have had an impressive upgrade and are now more indulgent than ever, while there are plenty of teetotal packages for merrymakers who don’t drink.
And, it’s key to note, they’re not all wildly expensive either - good news with the headlines as they are. With options galore across the scale, we’re confident you’ll find a Christmas hamper that won’t burn a hole in your finances.
If there’s one thing we can all agree on, it’s that the end of the year is the time to stuff ourselves silly with the nicest, tastiest morsels around, guilt-free (that’s what January’s penance is for).
Eat, drink, and be merry with our edit of the best Christmas hampers for 2022 below.
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Selfridges Selection The Christmas Feast Hamper
Best for: glad tidings galore
If Christmas isn’t the time to overdo it, when is? Gather your favourite faces and prepare to dive headfirst into the very best of Selfridges Foodhall with this epic 34-piece compilation spotlighting the finest festive fare. It’s all here in decadent style: from silky smoked salmon for Christmas morning, to a Wiltshire ham to add to your December 25 lunch, along with plenty of preserves and condiments to take the most special lunch of the year up a level.
There’s also sweet treats aplenty (think large mince pies, an iced Christmas cake that’s been slowly maturing for six months, and Stollen bits, plus plenty more to keep your dentist up at night) as well as savoury items - stonking huge cheeseboard, anyone? - and plenty of plonk to see you through to New Year’s Eve.
In fact, get this hamper and the only thing left to buy on the Christmas shopping list will be the turkey itself.
It is on the pricier end of the scale, so those looking for a less extravagant indulgence can find the scaled-back but still utterly fabulous Mini Classic Christmas hamper for £85. It’s packed with sweet treats including a traditional Christmas Pud.
Buy now £500.00, Selfridges
The Fortnum’s Classic Christmas Hamper
Best for: indulgence fit for a king
If you’ve never tried a Fortnum’s hamper before, Christmas is the best time to do it.
The luxury grocer packs the very best of its incredible food hall into this huge hamper which holds 11 gourmet items designed to bring a sparkle to Christmas Day.
Once you’ve heaved it indoors (be warned, it will take two of you), flip open the F&M-stamped treasure chest to find enough festive fare to see you through well into the New Year. There’s pretty tins of tea and a selection of biscuits to dunk into your brew, plus festive preserves, pickles for Boxing Day sarnies, cognac butter to melt onto desserts and three bottles of wine: sparkling, red and white to pair with every course in your special lunch. There’s also a St James Christmas Pudding to share with loved ones.
There are dozens of F&M hamper and food gift box options, from a seriously splurgey £6000 to a pleasing £45, so you should be able to find the perfect bundle of joy, whatever your budget.
Buy now £200.00, Fortnum & Mason
Panzer’s The Christmas Connoisseur hamper
Best for: Christmas Day, boxed
The legendary north-west London deli doesn’t do hampers in wicker baskets but instead in easily recyclable boxes in its signature spruce green, and expertly hand-tied with a pink and green ribbon. We’re not complaining; we can’t see it getting any reaction other than a wide, Cheshire-cat grin. And with good reason, the quality and taste of Panzer’s food draws in crowds from all over the country.
For Christmas, there are six hampers to order, ranging in price from £69 to £525 in the appropriately-named Going Overboard hamper. The Christmas Connoisseur gets our vote thanks to its list of contents which include a packet of Panzer’s Smoked Salmon (we’ll save it for Christmas breakfast), cheese and port, Christmas cake for after lunch, and nuts and chocolate to nibble at afterwards. We’ll be impressed if you can move a muscle afterwards.
Buy now £165.00, Panzer’s
Melrose and Morgan The Chocolatier Chocolate Hamper
Best for: the picky sweet-toothed
North London’s premium grocer Melrose and Morgan is waiting to help you have your tastiest Christmas yet with its 2022 hamper offering. Everything from a fine cheese selection to a craft beer and pickles hamper is on the menu, but we say it’s not Christmas unless Florentines of some description are involved.
Find your choice of milk or dark chocolate ones nestled amongst other cocoa-encased treats in The Chocolatier Chocolate Hamper, which features bright packages of delicious confectionery as well as salted caramel almonds for an addictive crunch of salty and sweet.
Buy now £125.00, Melrose & Morgan
The Brindisa Foodie Box
Best for: discerning carnivores
Most meat-eaters will agree that there are few finer things to chomp than wafer-thin slices of Iberico jamon. Spanish company Brindisa is your best bet for slim packets of the decadent cured ham plus more gourmet treats from the Iberian peninsula.
It’s compiled a collection of delicious hampers including The Foodie Box, which has a pack of the Brindisa Ibérico Bellota hand carved ham along with authentic ingredients to help you whip up a Spanish culinary storm at home.
There’s also semi-cured Manchego cheese, Bomba paella rice from Tarragona, Brindisa saffron stamens, Brindisa Epic Judión dried butter beans, Alemany orange blossom honey, plump Perello Gordal olives, Valdespino Jerez cask aged sherry vinegar D.O.P., which has been aged for 8-10 years, and Nunez de Prado Unfiltered Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
The hamper also includes The Missing Ingredient, a book by Jenny Linford, a must-read for any self-respecting foodie, and one that features many of the hamper’s ingredients in its recipes.
Buy now £105.00, Brindisa
Virginia Hayward Alcohol Free Feast
Best for: headache-free indulgence
More people are choosing booze-free lifestyles beyond Sober October and Dry Jan. If you’re shopping for someone who’s given up the sauce, but still want to hand over an indulgent hamper, look to gift company Virginia Hayward.
Amongst its decent Christmas hamper offering you will find this alcohol-free feast, packed with so many treats they won’t even notice the omission of a bottle or two of plonk (though there is a tasty bottle of Belvoir Spiced Ginger Punch to enjoy). The balance of sweet and salty is perfection while orange packaging ties the look together nicely and reminds us of clementines, another Christmas staple.
Buy now £70.00, Virginia Hayward
The Dishoom Cookbook Hamper
Best for: Christmas with a kick
Yuletide fare: rich, decadent - and undeniably stodgy. While we’re not denying the gluttonous ecstasy of Christmas food, a bit of heat is needed to cut through the filling seasonal staples - and Dishoom has just the thing. It’s been offering parcels of tasty loveliness for home delivery since lockdown, and now we’re approaching the end of the year, there’s plenty of bundles ripe for gifting.
Best of them all is this hamper which includes a masala dabba (a cooking staple in every single Indian household the world over), a packet of Ural Dal to make the House Black Daal, a branded tote, a tea towel, and a jar of fiery Chilli Chutney to turbocharge leftover turkey sarnies.
As its name suggests the hamper also includes a cookbook to help recreate the legendary cafe’s best dishes at home.
Buy now £70.00, Dishoom
Tracklements The Festive Four Gift Pack
Best for: making a meal of it
Condiments are the quickest way to turn an ordinary meal into an extraordinary one. If you know someone who has an entire kitchen cupboard dedicated to sauces, chutneys, relishes and the like (guilty), they’ll adore a fab four of festive additions to their collection.
Tracklements has this Christmassy collection to bring new levels of deliciousness to your festive dinner. The pack includes Sticky Fig Relish, Christmas Spice Chutney, Cranberry, Port & Orange Sauce, and Spiced Plum Chutney. You could slather this lot on cardboard and end up with a feast fit for a king.
Buy now £14.15, Tracklements
FAQs
What makes a good Xmas hamper? ›
Christmas hampers usually include shelf-stable food and drink to be enjoyed over the festive season, such as mince pies, Christmas pudding, chocolate, biscuits, crackers, fudge, nuts, jam, chutney, wine, and champagne.
Whats in the Aldi Christmas hampers? ›Aldi's 2021 Christmas Hampers
We're talking everything from a tempting selection of chocolates and cakes, to a delicious range of sauces and savoury surprises, as well as a fan-favourite – Veuve Monsigny Champagne.
Generally, a Christmas hamper isn't complete without a Christmas pudding, Yule log, mince pies, and mulled wine. A match made in heaven, it's no surprise that cheese and wine hampers are so popular. You might most often see this combination as port and stilton, a great hamper combo!
What Christmas hamper went bust? ›In February 2006, Family Hampers, a similar Christmas club, went bust, and consequently pushed Choice Gift Vouchers into administration. Other retailers ended up with huge losses as a result, and Farepak faced demands for cash up front to cover the outstanding money owed.
Are food hampers worth it? ›The consensus is that supermarket hampers are poor value for money in terms of food. Compared purely to the cost of each item, it is much cheaper to purchase the same items directly from the supermarket. If you are savvy and can look out for products that are on special, you'll save even more.
How do you make a hamper look impressive? ›How To Make Your Own Gift Hamper - YouTube
How do you make a Christmas hamper look nice? ›Easy DIY Christmas hampers for last minute gift ideas - YouTube
What do you put in the bottom of a hamper? ›Regardless of the basket you choose, you should fill the bottom with crumpled paper or another type of filler before adding the gift items. This filler provides an even, decorative base. Crumpled tissue paper is one of the most common options, but shredded paper, shredded cellophane, and straw can also work well.
What is the most expensive Christmas hamper? ›A Christmas hamper filled with fine wines, spirits and delicacies like foie gras, caviar and Alba truffles has gone on sale for £85,605 ($134,650).
Why did Park stop doing hampers? ›But in an email to customers it has said for Christmas 2020 it has taken the decision not to offer hampers or gifts in order to keep its staff safe.
What are good items for a hamper? ›
- Cheese. Who doesn't love cheese? ...
- Chocolate. A delight for anyone with a sweet tooth, a chocolate hamper can be a real treat, be it for birthdays or any other occasion. ...
- Baked treats. ...
- Luxury foods. ...
- Fruit. ...
- Celebratory Items. ...
- Personalised messages. ...
- Champagne.
Filling it with small long-life food items like jams, fruitcakes, chocolate, dried meats, and cheese. You can also add some small bottles of wine if the person receiving drinks. To keep it festive you can put Christmas treats mince pies and candy canes in the hamper.
Who is the hardest to buy for Christmas? ›Particularly if it's for the one you bunk up with, apparently. A new Google survey of 1,012 people found that 34.9% of people think their significant other is the hardest person to shop for. Meanwhile, 24.2% find their parents the toughest while 16.6% have the most trouble buying for the in-laws (makes sense).
What year did Park hampers go bust? ›The Law Commission can only make recommendations for England and Wales, but much of consumer law is reserved to Westminster, so any changes made would affect the whole of the UK. About 116,000 people, including 30,000 Scots, lost money when the company went out of business in October 2006.
Does Asda do Xmas hampers? ›The Sweet Treat hamper is packed with festive favourites such as Christmas cake, florentines, rich coffee and drinking chocolate and specially selected chocolates, fudge and peanut brittle. We've always believed that to truly excel at something, you need to be passionate about it. And our passion is quality.
How long do food hampers last? ›Typically all highly perishable products will have a minimum of 7 days shelf life left on dispatch.
Should hampers have holes? ›Your laundry basket has holes for two reasons. These holes make the basket lighter, giving you the ability to carry more clothes with less strain on your body. The second reason is so that any moisture from the clothing can escape easier.
How do I make my gift basket stand out? ›Gift Baskets - How to Make Items Stand Up Tall - YouTube
How do you make a gift basket look fuller? ›Choose a gift basket filler. Some examples include shredded newspaper, shredded tissue paper, Easter grass, large pieces of confetti, packing straw or colored foam balls. There is no right or wrong type of filler for a basket. Just choose something you like and/or that you feel matches the contents of the gift basket.
How do you keep a dirty hamper from smelling? ›Tips to Prevent Laundry Hamper Odor
Never place damp clothes and towels in the hamper. Allow everything to air dry completely before tossing into the hamper. Add some baking soda to a small potpourri bag or a plastic container with holes punched in the lid to the bottom of the hamper. This will act as an odor absorber.
Is it cheaper to make your own hamper? ›
Making a hamper from scratch yourself can definitely work out cheaper and can make a nicer, better thought out gift than if you just buy one from a store.
Should your hamper have a lid? ›A lid is a good idea if the hamper will be stored out in the open, but is inconvenient in a closet. How large should the hamper be? Although a huge hamper or basket may seem ideal for holding more laundry, a reasonable size is often better, Ms.
What can I use instead of basket for hamper? ›...
Some ideas for you:
- Wrapped cardboard boxes.
- Felt baskets.
- Flat pack boxes designed for flat hampers.
- Tote bags or gift bags.
- Old crockery, bowls, casserole dishes.
- Serving trays.
- Crate boxes.
- Or you could make the container, like a fabric basket.
According to an online holiday shopping survey carried out in the United States in September 2021, toys, apparel, and gift cards were some of the most popular Christmas gifts shoppers were planning to buy – over 75 percent of respondents stated that they wanted to buy such goods as a present during this year's holiday ...
What are the most returned Christmas gifts? ›- Chocolates. Wait, really? ...
- Beauty gift sets. Honestly, we get it. ...
- Scented candles. Again, we're guessing it's the impersonal nature of this gift that makes it easy to palm off.
- Clothes. ...
- Makeup.
Take a look at our Christmas hamper ideas and inspiration, from festive sweet treats and traditional tipples, to Christmas cheeseboard and party ready pamper hampers - we've got you covered.
What is the point of a hamper? ›A hamper refers to one of several related basket-like items. In primarily British usage, it refers to a wicker basket, usually large, that is used for the transport of items, often food.
Why do people buy gift hampers? ›Gift hampers are very versatile. They can be your primary choice if you want to impress someone, and they can also be the best last-minute gifts. The person you are giving a gift to will not even notice that you just snatched the gift up in a hurry because you forgot to get them a present.
What do you put in a hamper for an elderly woman? ›...
Hamper ideas include:
- Chocolates.
- Wine and cheese.
- Fruit.
- Food cupboard hamper.
- Old fashioned sweets (great for reminsicence too)
- Afternoon tea hamper.
- Gourmet foodie.
- Beauty/pampering.
Hampers are great gifts for any occasion. We know that, and if you've ever bought or received a hamper, you'll know that too. Once somebody knows about gift hampers, our data shows that they typically continue to buy hampers as gifts for a number of recipients and for a number of occasions.
What is the most expensive Christmas hamper? ›
A Christmas hamper filled with fine wines, spirits and delicacies like foie gras, caviar and Alba truffles has gone on sale for £85,605 ($134,650).
What are the most returned Christmas gifts? ›- Chocolates. Wait, really? ...
- Beauty gift sets. Honestly, we get it. ...
- Scented candles. Again, we're guessing it's the impersonal nature of this gift that makes it easy to palm off.
- Clothes. ...
- Makeup.
You may wish to give your employees a present, a Christmas hamper, a bottle of wine or even a nice box of chocolates. As long as it costs less than £50 a head, it won't be taxable. If the gift exceeds this value, it will need to be reported to HMRC and will be taxable under the normal Benefit in Kind rules.
What is the most popular Christmas gift? ›According to an online holiday shopping survey carried out in the United States in September 2021, toys, apparel, and gift cards were some of the most popular Christmas gifts shoppers were planning to buy – over 75 percent of respondents stated that they wanted to buy such goods as a present during this year's holiday ...
Who is the hardest to buy for Christmas? ›Particularly if it's for the one you bunk up with, apparently. A new Google survey of 1,012 people found that 34.9% of people think their significant other is the hardest person to shop for. Meanwhile, 24.2% find their parents the toughest while 16.6% have the most trouble buying for the in-laws (makes sense).
What do you fill a Christmas hamper with? ›Filling it with small long-life food items like jams, fruitcakes, chocolate, dried meats, and cheese. You can also add some small bottles of wine if the person receiving drinks. To keep it festive you can put Christmas treats mince pies and candy canes in the hamper.
What are good items for a hamper? ›- Cheese. Who doesn't love cheese? ...
- Chocolate. A delight for anyone with a sweet tooth, a chocolate hamper can be a real treat, be it for birthdays or any other occasion. ...
- Baked treats. ...
- Luxury foods. ...
- Fruit. ...
- Celebratory Items. ...
- Personalised messages. ...
- Champagne.
But in an email to customers it has said for Christmas 2020 it has taken the decision not to offer hampers or gifts in order to keep its staff safe.
What do you put in a food parcel for the needy? ›...
Your typical Food Hamper
- Rice.
- Maize Meal.
- Flour (Self-raising is the best option)
- Pasta.
- Sugar.
- Oil.
- Legumes: Dried beans, Lentils, Split Peas.
- Tinned Foods: Beans, Meat, Fish, Vegetables.
- Health and beauty products. This is, hands down, the most regifted category of items. ...
- Candles. After cosmetics, candles are the next most popular re-gifted item. ...
- Clothing. ...
- Electronics. ...
- Houseware.
What is the 4 gift rule? ›
A trend which has gained traction over the past few years on social media is the "four gift rule". Parents pledge to give their offspring just four presents: Something they want, something they need, something to wear and something to read.
What is the 3 Christmas gift rule? ›The 3-gift rule for Christmas is where we limit the number of gifts we give to each person. Instead of filling up the present list with as many gifts as we can, we stick to 3 gifts with each gift having a special meaning to it.