So here it is, Merry Christmas - well nearly.
There’s still a while to go before the big day, and we can’t wait to stuff ourselves silly until we’re forced to change into something with an elasticated waistband.
After the year we’ve had, who could be blamed for wanting to push the boat out this Christmas - and what's more indulgent than a hamper bursting with all manner of sweet and savoury treats to set the celebratory tone?
To help you on your merry way through December 25, we’ve selected the very best Christmas hampers to set under the tree. As well as gourmet treats, you’ll find baskets filled with premium gin and cocktailware, F&M-emblazoned baskets filled with the finest festive fare from the Royal grocer, and indulgent vegan options that will turn the heads of die-hard carnivores.
Whether they’re a treat yo’self gift or a generous present for the ones you can’t be with this Christmas, here are the best hampers to get before they sell out.
Scroll through to see all of them, or if you have a fixed budget, shop by price brackets.
However be warned: the toughest part of hamper shopping isn’t deciding which to buy - it’s deciding whether to give it away at all.
- Hampers under £50
- Hampers from £50 - £100
- Luxury hampers from £100+
See our favourites below
Hampers under £50
Waitrose & Partners Treat Sack
Forgoing a traditional wicker box for a sack this year (welcome news for anyone with space issues), Waitrose brings the taste of Christmas home with a selection of sweet, savoury and boozy treats. Think Salted Butterscotch Mallows, a Mini Chocolate Panettone, Rose Harissa with Chilli Nuts, Shortbread Stars, Turkey & Stuffing Tortilla Shaped Christmas Trees, and a lovely 75cl bottle of Pinot Noir to wash it all down with.
Borough Box Beer Snack Experience Gift
Christmas is about those headline meals sure, but it’s also about snacking, reaching for nibbles to accompany you through a strict schedule of festive telly and Netflix bingeing.
Keep yourself, or your loved one, going through the season with this bumper box of snacks, featuring everything from Howdah’s Bombay Mix to Serious Pig’s Snacking Pickles and Joe & Seph’s gourmet popcorn. Consider the larder well and truly stocked.
Paxton & Whitfield Little Box of Cheese Treats
For the turophiles (that’s cheese lover) in your life, it doesn’t get much better than a selection of cheese from one of London’s most established cheesemongers.
This gift hamper has something for all tastes, from hard to soft, blue and goats' milk cheese as well as a spiced jelly and small 20cl bottle of port - all neatly boxed in a smart Paxton & Whitfield gift box. The experts recommend ordering twin packages and sending the other to a loved one so you can organise a Zoom cheese night and discover the gourmet dairy delights together. Very 2020.
Shop more Paxton & Whitfield at Selfridges
Hotel Chocolat: Merry Little Christmas Hamper
Calling all chocolate fans! You’ll feel like all your Christmases have come at once with Hotel Chocolat’s epic hamper, packed full with sweet treats from the luxury British producer. Escape into a world of cacao with festive editions and bestsellers like chunky chocolate slabs.
Carluccio Christmas Hampers
Carluccio’s all-new Christmas 2020 hamper collection includes options ranging from a mere £55 to full-on Italian feasts for £300.
The £55 Merry Spritzmas Hamper is ideal for anyone wistfully recalling warm summer days: you'll find bottles of Aperol and Prosecco, two Aperol Spritz glasses and a cocktail measure so that you can whip up the perfect Spritz for Christmas (and give yourself a break from all that eggnog). And of course, it's Christmas, so there's a boozy chocolate orange Panettone in there too.
On the luxury end of the scale sits Carluccio’s Grandioso Hamper (£280). Housed in a gorgeous wicker basket, we’re not joking when we say it’s heaving with fine Italian delicacies: think Panettone Tradizonale, Fichi al Rhum (tender figs marinated in rum), extra virgin olive oil, dessert wine, and Prosecco.
Aldi Christmas Vegan Hamper
You can always count on the budget supermarket to deliver modestly-priced hampers that taste anything but. They start from £19.99 through to £99.99 and are packed with festive delights - including a few brand new surprises. The chain has launched its first ever Vegan Hamper which comes with delicious nibbles as well as a bottle of wine.
Hampers from £50 - £100
Cartwright & Butler Helmsely Christmas Hamper
Upgrade tea time to suitably festive heights with this darling hamper from Yorkshire firm Cartwright & Butler. Full of sweets, biscuits and tea for all the family, it comes in a cute basket that can go on to fulfil all your cottagecore storage dreams.
Contents include Salted Caramel Fudge, Demerara Shortbread, Raspberry Preserve, Chocolate Wafer Rounds and English Breakfast Tea.
The Fortnum’s Christmas Box
The thrill of opening a F&M basket shouldn’t be underestimated - after all, if it’s good enough for HRH, it’s good enough for us. Beneath the wicker lid lies a host of gourmet delights from the Piccadilly store, a properly luxurious upgrade from the Finest and Taste the Difference fare that might be your usual treat.
While Fortnum’s has a huge selection of hampers to agonise over (including this incredible feast for a cool £1,000), this miniature box of joy is one of our favourite options. Nicely priced, the contents are a story of guilty pleasures: think indulgent choccies, festive biscuits and marzipan nibbles dressed like teeny, tiny Christmas puds. There’s even a hamper tree ornament that has enough space to store a little surprise for someone special.
Spring just £15 more however, and you can get The Christmas Treat Hamper (£100) which comes with a couple more merry delights including a Christmas Mini Musical Biscuit Tin. If that doesn’t get you in the spirit, nothing will.
Harvey Nichols Season’s Eating Hamper
There’s always an element of excitement when Harvey Nicks unveils its Christmas Hamper offering, and this year is no exception. The London department store nails Christmas gorging with exquisite treats overflowing from sleek, black wicker baskets. Even the smaller gift boxes, hat boxes and hampers have parcels of scrumptious things that will have you rubbing your hands with glee. With this in mind you should be able to find something for an array of price points.
If you have up to £100 to play with, plump for the Season’s Eatings Hamper. In it, you’ll find the usual suspects like panettone and Christmas pudding tucked in alongside surprises like White Tea, Lemongrass & Chilli Peanut Brittle and delightful Dark Chocolate Pistachios.
It’s alcohol-free so if you want a box with some booze in, try the Champagne Breakfast Hamper (£85) instead. It’s perfect for starting the big day in style.
Selfridges Selection Classic Christmas Hamper
Make your way to Selfridges to feast your eyes on their Christmas Hamper selection - many of which have made it straight to the top of our letters to the North Pole.
If you’re looking for a small treat or something to smuggle into a stocking, the Snowdonia Black Bomber and Chutney Gift Set is a tiny bundle of pure joy, costing just £15. The heavenly wax-sealed truckle is the perfect balance of creamy yet crunchy. Get one for everyone you know so you’re not forced to share.
Back to hampers. They start from £35 for a Cheddar and Prosecco gift box to a cool five grand for the Best of Selfridges Hamper (worth a look, if only to window shop).
With some form of restrictions likely in place this year (we know, humbug), the Selfridges Selection Classic Christmas Hamper offers enough provisions for two - perfect for those planning a small, intimate celebration this year. From chocolates to chutney, brandy butter to Sauvignon Blanc (and a Malbec too), there’s plenty to enjoy.
Luxury Christmas Hampers from £100+
Tom Savano Christmas Hampers
Make your Christmas shopping work harder this year by picking up a hamper from artisan cocktail producer, Tom Savano. The brand is flying the flag for small businesses, teaming up with small, owner-run artisan food producers to create five different hampers to suit all tastes.
Not only will you discover new products and help support small independents but all the profits raised will go to Trussell Trust, helping feed impoverished families.
Take your pick from a vegan/GF hamper, one for mindfulness and wellbeing, a chocolatey one, a boozy one and a classic family selection.
M&S All I Want for Christmas Chilled Hamper
Channelling Mariah Carey’s classic, M&S’s generous hamper will have you crooning for joy. It contains some of the finest foods from the store’s foodhall, such as magnum of Conte Priuli Oro prosecco, smoked salmon and large wheel of brie heavily laced with truffle. There are festive special editions in there too, of course - highlights include a golden musical tin stuffed to the rafters with shortbread and a snowglobe gin complete with a light-up base.
Plenty more options at lower price points too, including a lovely All Thing Prosecco gift box for £25. After all, it’s a high street favourite for a reason.
Kylie Minogue Christmas Hamper – “Lovers Edition"
The pop queen has partnered with Wine Delivered to curate two fabulous hampers to enjoy this Christmas. It's filled with chocolate, cheeses and chutneys, plus a bottle each of Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc as well as a few more treats.
There's also a Wild Rose option (£149) for fans of the pink vino. Both come beautifully presented in deep wicker baskets lined with Kylie embossed fabric and details.
Bombay Sapphire Home of Bombay Hamper
If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s to savour the little things. If you’re partial to a G&T, you’ll know there are few greater pleasures than slipping into a perfectly mixed drink. Enter Bombay Sapphire’s Home of Bombay Hamper, fresh from the gin giant’s Laverstoke distillery.
A real treat for true fans, this baby is filled with enough of the spirit to power a battleship. Nestled inside you’ll find five bottles: the classic Bombay Sapphire, Bombay Dry, Bombay English Estate, Bombay Sapphire East and gloriously fruit Bombay Bramble, enough to keep you watered through the festive season and beyond. A cocktail measure and a bar spoon completes the set.
An exceptional gift for the best of friends.
Harrods Distinguished Dozen Wine Hamper
A decadent dozen bottles made for Christmas sipping, this hamper filled with Harrods’ hand-picked selection of fine wine is hard to resist. Designed for the discerning drinker, there are full-bodied reds, light whites, a prosecco and of course, a bottle of Champagne tucked into a strong wicker basket. If Christmas for you means sampling some of the greatest grapes in the world, Harrods’ hamper delivers by the basket load.
Harrods’ hampers stretch into the four-figure mark with options that include food and snacks as well as drinks. Shop the full collection here.
