For some, shopping for others is a delight. For the rest of us? An exhausting brain tussle and last-minute panic.
It can be pretty challenging to shop for other people’s tastes, but somehow even more so for the people you know well.
Will they really like that top or have they got six versions of the same thing hanging up in their wardrobe already? Aren’t they allergic to that star ingredient in the skincare you’ve been considering? Is that gadget life-alteringly clever, or liable to become a trip hazard lying forgotten in a dark, dusty corner?
Yet there is hope in the present-giving minefield. Food.
In our experience, foodie gifts always go down a treat - given you’re already aware of their taste and allergy requirements, that is - and can be shared generously or squirrelled away to savour alone. For fans of cheese, a gift box brimming with the stuff is a no-brainer.
From proudly British classics to Continental wedges from France, Switzerland, Italy, Holland and beyond, there’s a bundle of foodie happiness bound to send the turophile in your life into raptures. We’ve even found decent vegan options for those who want to sink into rich, creamy, animal-free bites without guilt.
Best cheese gift boxes at a glance
- Best for softies: Pipers Farm Artisan Cheese Box - £33, Pipers Farm
- Best for the whole hog: DukesHill Ham & Cheese Hamper - £59, DukesHill
- Best for connoisseurs: Pong The Classic Cheese Hamper - £79.95, Pong
- Best for big bashes: Paxton & Whitfield Mini French Cheesecake - £45, Paxton & Whitfield
- Best for seamless delivery: Thornton & France Letterbox Hamper Cheese Please - £24.95, Amazon
- Best for an easy win: M&S Red Wine & Cheese Gift Box - £40, M&S
- Best for cultured curds: cheesegeek Elton - £44.25, cheesegeek
- Best for celebrating domestic dairy: Fortnum & Mason ”A Portrait of British Cheese” Collection - £85, F&M
- Best for unlocking a new addiction: Snowdonia Cheese Company Luxury Cheese & Wine Hamper - £75, Amazon
- Best for discovering new favourites: The Cheese Society Glorious Gourmet selection - £65, The Cheese Society
- Best for guilt-free gorging: On The Table Plantbased Cheese and Saucy - £68, On The Table
For those who don’t wish to spend a small fortune, we’ve spotlighted budget options in our edit below, but don’t worry big spenders: there are plenty of deluxe parcels for readers who want to push the boat out in stupendously cheesy style too.
Keep reading to find the best - shop now
Pipers Farm Artisan Cheese Box
Best for: softies
If your recipient always shoots for the soft option on the cheeseboard, they'll adore Pipers Farm's selection. The mix of artisan farmhouse varieties includes Baron Bigod, Cropwell Bishop Blue Stilton, Bix, Pitchfork, and Lincolnshire Poacher, all made from cow's milk.
Buy now £33.00, Pipers Farm
DukesHill Ham & Cheese Hamper
Best for: the whole hog
Make a real meal of it by sending this DukesHill hamper to celebrate a special moment. The lined and buckled basket holds two cheeses - Cote Hill Blue and Isle of Mull Cheddar - that pair perfectly with a honey-baked baby ham, along with fruit chutney, Piccalilli and crumbly oatcakes.
Buy now £59.00, DukesHill
Pong The Classic Cheese Hamper
Best for: connoisseurs
Artisan cheese is packed alongside crispbread crackers and chutney in a smart wicker basket to delight someone special. The classic selection includes Welsh soft cheese, a sharp, artisan cheddar, some creamy stilton and a camembert, making it a winning delivery for any kind of celebration.
Buy now £79.95, Pong
Paxton & Whitfield Mini French Cheesecake
Best for: big bashes
What's a party without a cake? For recipients who would choose a cheeseboard over a sweet dessert any day of the week, deliveries don't get much better than a box stamped with Paxton & Whitfield. The company has been in the cheese-selling business since 1797 which makes them perfectly placed to curate the finest selection to tickle tastebuds.
This literal cheese cake, which can feed up to eight people, is made with France's finest, from a rippled rind Camembert to a wheel of beautifully pungent blue Fourme D’Ambert. A tangy Langres PDO finishes the look. Top tier.
Buy now £45.00, Paxton & Whitfield
Thornton & France Letterbox Hamper Cheese Please
Best for: seamless delivery
Returning home to find cheese sweating on the doorstep is no one's idea of a good welcome back. Thornton & France swerves this by parcelling everything you need for a cheeseboard-for-one in a letterbox-sized package, meaning your gift will land in a relatively cool hallway, hidden from passersby. Three small truckles of artisan English cheese are nestled beside mini bottles of port, jars of relish and crackers rounding things off. A perfect gift that'll have no trouble getting into the right hands.
Buy now £24.95, Amazon
M&S Red Wine & Cheese Gift Box
Best for: an easy win
Whether it's a birthday, new job or engagement gift, M&S's food-filled box promises to send your best wishes in the tastiest way possible. The box holds a bottle of Malbec, along with quince and chutneys to slather over portions of two-year-old Cornish Cruncher cheddar and award-winning Cropwell Bishop Blue Stilton.
Buy now £40.00, M&S
cheesegeek Elton
Best for: cultured curds
A thoroughly modern cheesemonger, Cheesegeek is here to satisfy all fromage fanatics with their medley of subscription services.
Connoisseurs of fine cheeses, they offer cheese boxes like The Elton, a box filled with three premium cheeses and two wine pairings in modest measures, and limited edition options for the time of year (good news if you’re struggling to drum up Father’s Day inspiration). If you know what you like, try the pick ‘n’ mix option for wedges to suit your tastes.
The internal packaging is also made from recycled wool rather than shredded cardboard which is a nice consideration.
Buy now £44.25, cheesegeek
Fortnum & Mason ”A Portrait of British Cheese” Collection
Best for: celebrating domestic dairy
Fortnum & Mason may be synonymous with wicker hampers but the royal grocer has taken a different approach with this bumper cheese offering.
Housed in a logo-stamped tote, the experts over at F&M have curated a curd-laden bundle to celebrate the very best of British cheese. There’s drool-worthy dairy from including the Baron Bigod - a Suffolk-made crumbly brie-like variety, Stichelton and Hafod, a Welsh cheddar.
Pile slices on butter crackers, top with Damson, Blackberry and Apple Chutney and wash it down with a sip of Bourgogne Pinot Noir, a bottle of which is also included. It's a cheese festival in a bag.
Buy now £85.00, Fortnum & Mason
Snowdonia Cheese Company Luxury Cheese & Wine Hamper
Best for: unlocking a new addiction
If you have yet to sample the creamy goodness of the Snowdonia Cheese Company’s Black Bomber, be sure to add two of these hampers to the basket - one for your giftee and one for yourself. The wax-sealed cheese is a firm favourite at ES Best and makes a failsafe present idea.
In this smart black basket, the hero cheddar is set alongside Rock Star (vintage cave aged), Beechwood (naturally smoked), Red Storm (red Leicester) and Truffle Trove (black summer truffle) as well as crackers and a 750ml bottle of Montes Alpha Carmenère 2019.
Buy now £75.00, Amazon
The Cheese Society Glorious Gourmet selection
Best for: discovering new favourites
Stinky, mild, creamy, sharp - the full spectrum of cheese is here for true lovers to enjoy. This gift pack selects six cheeses for up to eight people, packing in familiar names with new varieties that will appeal to true connoisseurs. The delivery includes sourdough crackers and quince paste to bring out the cheese's gourmet flavours.
Buy now £65.00, The Cheese Society
On The Table Plantbased Cheese and Saucy
Best for: guilt-free gorging
Booze and cheese - but make it vegan. On The Table answers the brief with this slick parcel, filled with plant-based cheese from Nettle, a Hackney-based producer, fragrant flatbreads and a bottle of non-alcoholic aperitif, Botivo (which does contain wildflower honey, a note to purists).
Buy now £68.00, On The Table
