If you’re struggling to think of a present that’ll really knock their socks off, a hamper is the sort of crowd-pleasing gift that everyone loves. It’s not much of a stretch of the imagination as to why: a basket stuffed to bursting with delicious gourmet goodies. What’s not to love?
A good food hamper should have a mix of food and drink, and sweet, savoury and umami to cover all bases and preferences.
Christmas is when food hampers shine brightest. Take them to hosts if you’re away for the festive period, pick a lavish one to spoil someone special or splash out on a heaving wicker basket as a decadent treat that the whole family can tear into together.
Every year the hamper selection on offer swells as retailers flex their creative arms and curate new bundles of Yuletide joy to suit different tastes and trends. As well as luxe booze-free options for teetotal merrymakers, there are plenty of free-from hampers out there too, ensuring everyone can dive in with glee by the time December 25 rolls around.
Expenditure-wise, they’re not all as eye-watering as you’d imagine. There are lots of lovely and indulgent options across price brackets; we’re confident that you’ll find a Christmas hamper that won’t financially derail the rest of your festivities.
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 fanciest, tastiest morsels around, guilt-free (that’s what January’s penance is for).
From cases of premium gin and stacks of chocolate to those coveted F&M-stamped wicker baskets groaning with festive fare, here’s your cue to eat, drink, and be merry this Christmas with our edit of the best hampers of 2023.
We’ve ordered them in price descending order (high to low) to make them easier to shop by budget.
Let’s get cracking
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Selfridges Selection The Christmas Feasting hamper
Best for: glad tidings galore
If not at Christmas, then when? Gather your favourite faces to help you dive headfirst into the finest fare that Selfridges’ Food Hall has to offer with this greedy 30-piece compilation spotlighting the best the department store has to offer.
It’s all here in a 27-inch wicker basket: from coal honeycomb to fill out stockings, to a boneless 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 (belt) notch.
There are also sweet treats aplenty (think generously-filled mince pies, a 1kg Panettone, 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: think Champagne, mulled wine, port and more.
In fact, get this hamper and the only thing left to buy on the Christmas shopping list will be the turkey itself. For the full list of contents, click the link below.
Shop the full Selfridges Selection Christmas range here.
Buy now £500.00, Selfridges
F&M The St. Nicholas Hamper
Best for: feeling jollier than the main man
Named for the season’s MVP, Fortnum & Mason’s hamper sings to the rafters with Christmas spirit. Unfasten the leather fastenings and flip open the honey-hued lid to find 17 treasures nestled within. There’s a lot to unpack here, from the posh grocer’s much-loved Christmas musical tin, spiced chutneys and boxes of premium hot chocolate and teas - not to mention plenty of biscuits to dunk them in.
There’s also a St. James Christmas Pudding to round off lunch and cognac-laced butter to drizzle over other desserts. And it wouldn’t be Christmas without booze; thankfully there are three bottles - red, white and sparkling - to enjoy inside.
Buy now £360.00, F&M
DukesHill It’s A Wonderful Life hamper
Best for: excessive merriment
Picture the best of Christmas fare in one beautifully presented straw box, and you're imagining DukesHill's hampers.
The 14-strong selection spans everything from the brand's famous 1.2kg Wiltshire Ham and a packet of smoked salmon to crumbly shortbread and milk chocolate honeycomb. The traditional festive highlights are there too, of course: luxury mince pies, Boxing Day chutney and a hefty Christmas Pud, ready to steal the spotlight come lunchtime. There's also a bottle of cava to wash bites with.
We don't want to spoil the surprise but if you want to check out the full list of contents before you commit to this foodie whopper, hit the link below.
Buy now £195.00, DukesHill
Made in Oldstead The Ultimate Festive Hamper
Best for: glorious grazing
From celebrated chef Tommy Banks comes this Made in Oldstead Ultimate Festive Hamper, designed to tickle those with gourmet tastes.
There's a fine balance of traditional Christmas treats made with cheffy flair with some elements designed to finish yourself to add a sense of satisfaction and fill your home with festive cooking scents.
Groaning with enough food to feed six grazers, highlights include a glass jar of chicken liver parfait, cheeses, chutneys and jams, a ham to glaze once it's out of the oven, bake-at-home Christmas cookies and bottles of the most heavenly chocolate milk we think we've ever had (both warm or fridge-cold is a delight - just shake thoroughly before opening).
Final deliveries will be made on December 21.
Buy now £195.00, Made in Oldstead
Panzers Christmas Connoisseur
Best for: gluttonous decadence
It may not come in a wicker basket, but we'd argue that unwrapping a forest green and salmon pink box from Panzers is just as exciting. Especially the Christmas Connoisseur box, which is stuffed with the kind of delights that would sweep a foodie off their feet. We're talking fine cheeses, crackers, port and nuts, along with delicious sugary nibbles - including a 1kg Christmas fruit cake - to satisfy your sweet tooth. And it wouldn’t be Panzers without a packet of its legendary smoked salmon to enjoy too.
Buy now £159.00, Panzers
Selfridges Selection The Panettone hamper
Best for: a bellisimo Buon Natale
Panettone has become a festive fixture these last few years, though of course, it’s been a staple in Italy since... well, forever. This small black hamper from Selfridges makes the baked treat the star of the show with themed spreads and drinks to pair with the mini version and the 1kg giant that is also included in the mix. Best to wear something elasticated before tucking into this selection.
Buy now £150.00, Selfridges
The Newt Classics Hamper
Best for: West Country produce
Straight from the award-winning Somerset hotel, restaurant and gardens, The Newt’s Christmas hamper selection is at the top of our wishlist this year. While the goods won’t come packed in a traditional wicker basket, the wooden branded box they are delivered in is just as smart.
The Classics compilation piles in The Newt’s finest, favourites and bestsellers as well as a few choice extras from sister farm Babylonstoren. We’re talking ripe Somerset cyder marmalade to smother on hot buttered toast, scrumptious cheeses, pretty tins of olives and almonds, rich chutneys, smooth chocolate and bottles of fine cyder including The Winston. It’s a cider so smooth and refined, we’d happily put it in the same taste category as France’s premium fizz.
A stonkingly well priced luxury hamper for the treasures within.
Buy now £145.00, The Newt
Le Coq Epicier French Pantry hamper
Best for: adding a certain je nais se quois to your Crimbo
Take a leaf out of our Continental cousins' festive playbook by arming your pantry with the finest French ingredients and watch simple snacks and meals spring to life. Fira Market stocks a selection of curated food and drink hampers from artisanal producers with bundles grouped according to theme or country of origin: France, Italy and Spain. Each one promises to take the "ordinary to the extraordinary".
Buy now £129.00, Fira Market
Snowdonia Cheese Company Christmas Cheese, Charcuterie & Port Wicker Hamper
Best for: curd is the word
Take it from an addict: once you’ve tried Snowdonia’s award-winning produce, it’s very hard to go back to civvy cheese street. For a gift that will inspire cheeseboards for any and every meal, our money is on the Christmas Cheese, Charcuterie & Port Wicker Hamper. The parcel contains everything you need to get on your merry way - think a 10 Year Old Tawny Port, four truckles of cheese including the monumental Black Bomber, and crackers, chutneys and nibbly bits galore - plus a handsome slate board to pile everything on.
Buy now £120.00, Amazon
The British Hamper Company The Night Before Christmas Hamper
Best for: Christmas guest brownie points
With so much thought going into the big day, it can be easy to forget about the days either side of December 25. Come to the rescue with The Night Before Christmas Hamper, full of indulgent nibbles, festive treats and two bottles of award-winning wine to keep you stuffed in style. A nice gift to take if you’re being hosted for Christmas.
Buy now £119.97, The British Hamper Company
Liberty The Strawberry Thief Heritage Suitcase Hamper
Best for: vintage fans
A hamper in which the packaging is on equal footing with the contents, Liberty's suitcase-style offering is full of sweet and salty nibbles to enjoy. Wrapped in the brand's Strawberry Thief print, the case is good quality and while it probably won't stand up to the vigours of modern travel, it will serve beautifully as a piece of home storage.
Buy now £100.00, Liberty
GAIL’s Christmas Hamper
Best for: the morning of
Christmas morning is rushed enough tearing into presents and getting lunch going without having to worry about feeding everyone breakfast too. Lean on GAIL's to start this special morning right: its Christmas Hamper is loaded with tasty baked treats, from a sourdough speckled with sour cherry and currants, biscotti, crackers, freshly baked buns, mince pies and more. There's also a jar of marmalade made with Seville oranges and the star of the show, a chocolate babka, threaded with delicious milk chocolate.
Buy now £100.00, GAIL’s
Cartwright & Butler Mistletoe & Wine Christmas Hamper
Best for: channelling Sir Cliff
Old school rules Cartwright & Butler’s hamper, full of feel-good drinks, snacks and nibbles to keep you going in style this Christmas. There are sweet biscuits and drinks balanced with spiced shortbreads and nuts with plenty of red wine, tea and coffee to wash it all down with. There’s enough here for a small family or group of friends to tuck into, though no one would blame your for keeping the stash to yourself.
Buy now £90.00, Cartwright & Butler
The Dishoom Culinary 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. The Indian restaurant has been selling parcels of tasty loveliness since lockdown, and there are plenty ripe for gifting.
Best of them all is this hamper which includes a small masala dabba (a cooking staple in every Indian household the world over), a tin of the fabulous house chai, incense sticks, and a branded tea towel to make washing up feel a bit more encouraging.
As its name suggests the hamper also includes a cookbook to help recreate the legendary cafe’s best dishes at home.
Buy now £90.00, Dishoom
Brindisa Charcuterie Box
Best for: discerning carnivores
Most meat-eaters will agree that there are few finer things to chomp than wafer-thin slices of Iberico jamón. Spanish brand Brindisa is your best bet for slim packets of decadent cured ham plus more gourmet treats from the Iberian peninsula.
It’s compiled a collection of delicious hampers including the Charcuterie Box, which has all the nibbles you'll need at your next festive party - and then some. Contents include melty, salty slices of acorn-fed ham, salchichon, chorizo as well as wild boar pate, mini bread sticks and a jar of pickled cocktail gherkins. Offered at an excellent price, delivery for this hamper is free and won't fail to delight the friends and family you'll share it with.
Buy now £85.00, Brindisa
Virginia Hayward Alcohol Free Feast
Best for: headache-free indulgence
More people are choosing booze-free lifestyles beyond Sober October and Dry January. 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 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
Pique Festive Brunch
Best for: starting the big day right
Whether you're hosting or not, Christmas morning is a frenzied time of wrapping paper-ripping and stocking up-ending. Tick a hearty breakfast off your to-do list with help from Pique, the picnic food expert.
Its festive brunch is perfect for preordering and stashing in the fridge for the big morning, loaded with enough grub for up to six people. Take your pick of filled bagels: smoked salmon and cream cheese, crispy smoked bacon, avocado and chilli jam, and avo and slow-roasted tomatoes.
For drinks opt for freshly pressed citrus and ginger juice, or, as it's Christmas, go for the boozy kits - spiced berry bellini or the Pickle House Bloody Mary kits.
There's also a selection of sweet and savoury pastries, fruit and overnight oats. A feast that will keep you nicely stuffed until the big lunch.
Buy now £60.00, Pique
Cutter & Squidge Christmas Afternoon Tea At Home
Best for: starting new traditions
Christmas is full of traditions but if you want to make your own this year, having a festive afternoon tea could be one. From Cutter & Squidge comes this high tea in a box, suitable for vegetarians. It's got the usual cream tea favourites, made to the brand's high standards, with a Christmassy edge coming from crumbly, buttery mince pies and spiced gingerbread loaf cakes with a sweet toffee glaze.
Buy now £33.99, Cutter & Squidge
Tajin Hot Mama Pickle Kit
Best for: a fiery Feliz Navidad
Get the festive fiesta started with this concise hamper full of addictive Mexican flavours. Celebrating some of Mexico’s top brands, the bundle includes a pack of Takis Fuego, a bottle of Tajin Chilli and Lime seasoning (try it on pineapple chunks and prepare to have your mind blown) and a sachet of Tajin Chamoy Liquid that you can drizzle on practically anything. There’s also a giant pickle to round things off - save the brine to make yourself a pickleback to go with this snacktastic feast.
Buy now £8.95, MexGrocer
