Finding the perfect gift can be a tricky business.
It’s challenging even if you happen to know the person in question very well. Unless they’re bold enough to give a current list of their deepest wants, it’s often a roll of the dice as to what you’ll eventually hand over under wrapping paper.
That said, there are a few failsafes; gifts that are all but guaranteed to get the right reaction no matter what.
Flowers are up there, as well as a fancy bottle of bubbly - only if they drink, of course. However, few offerings can top the present of a great food basket.
There’s a reason why hampers are one of the best things to take to your host’s house come Christmastime: they’re stuffed to the buckles with special, tasty fare with something for every age. But why restrict hamper-giving to the end of the year when you can spread the joy over the other 11 months of the calendar?
From hampers heaving with delectable bites, to bundles of hard-to-source ingredients, and boxes of their favourite snacks, these are gifts that won’t have a second to spend time in a forgotten cupboard gathering dust.
Whether you’re looking for a gift for a special birthday, welcoming a new arrival to the family or another special occasion like a wedding, housewarming or graduation, we’ve made it our business to find the very best options to delight unsuspecting friends and family.
All the hard work of curating the boxes has been done for you - the most you’ll have to do is scroll down our edit to find your favourite and order for delivery right to your doorstep. Easy.
See the best food gift baskets below
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Fortnum & Mason The Taste of Fortnum’s Hamper
For truly posh hampers, those in the know make a beeline for Fortnums. The Green Park grocer has some of the best around, packed in a honey-coloured wicker basket stamped with the letters F&M.
It’s a flashy collection with options running into the triple figures but if you’re only looking to make a moderate splash, The Taste of Fortnum’s Hamper has enough to tickle the taste buds at well under £100.
Tea, preserves and buttery biscuits and bakes are tucked into a huntsman hamper that looks straight out of Little Red Riding Hood.
Buy now £70.00, F&M
Selfridges Selection Birthday Treat gift box
The birthday boy or girl will feel thoroughly spoiled with this food-filled gift from legendary department store Selfridges. A box in its signature egg-yolk yellow is packed with a selection of lip-smacking gifts: think chocolate, tea and preserves, all designed to complement the birthday cake at the party.
See Selfridges full selection of food hampers here.
Buy now £75.00, Selfridges
Harvey Nichols Making Memories Together Hamper
This globally-inspired bundle of joy will take you across continents via your tastebuds, making it a lovely gift for the jetsetter in your life.
There's snacks galore from fiery wasabi peas to a moreish Mexican snack mix, sweets in the form of Turkish delight, posh pistachio biscuits and Champagne-spiked preserves and truffles, plus a bottle of rose Prosecco to wash it all down with.
This is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Harvey Nichols’ offering. See the lot here.
Buy now £90.00, Harvey Nichols
M&S Spanish Food & Wine Pairing Gift
Who doesn’t like a spot of tapas? Forgo the restaurant booking and bring the flavours of the Iberian peninsula to them thanks to Marks & Sparks. The high street favourite has put together the best of its Spanish produce into a hamper to delight foodie fans of the Mediterranean country.
The curation has been put together for M&S by legendary First Dates maître d’ Fred Sirieix, apt reassurance that this box will leave you with a smile on your chops.
We’re talking a bottle of M&S Collection Rioja, Manchego cheese, an Iberico charcuterie selection, crackers, quince paste, olives and marcona almonds. There’s even a tasting notes booklet to enhance the experience. An epic treat they won’t forget in a hurry.
See the rest of M&S’s food offering here.
Buy now £65.00, M&S
Cartwright & Butler The Sweet and Savoury Selection with Red Wine
Connoisseur Cartwright & Butler knows a thing or two about compiling the thirst-trap equivalent of a hamper, so it’s no surprise that this curation is suitably lipsmacking, featuring all kinds of goodies. There’s a bit of everything here, from cheese wafers to caramelised onion chutney and chocolate fudge, while the undisputed star of the show is the bottle of Cielo del Sur Merlot: well-rounded, plush and mouthfilling. The dream team.
Buy now £62.00, Cartwright & Butler
Snowdonia Cheese Co. Cheese & Wine Wicker Hamper
We don’t know what we love more about this generous haul from Snowdonia Cheese Company, the wicker basket or the goodies within it. Scrap that: it’s the goodies within it.
Expect four luxurious cheeses – including Truffle Trove, an extra mature Cheddar, and Rock Star, cave-aged and rich – plus Miller’s fig and sultana toasts, Willie’s chocolate and a bottle of Montes Colchagua Carmenère, an intensely fruity Chilean red. Delish.
Buy now £80.00, Snowdonia Cheese Company
Artisan Deli Market Wine & Cheesestopper Hamper
Artisan Deli Market fills its hamper with luxury food items sourced from small businesses. This Wine & Cheesestopper selection takes you around the world with its flavours. Begin your foodie voyage in Argentina with a Malbec before heading back across the Atlantic by way of Spanish acorn-fed pork Iberico Salchichón.
Cheese-wise, you only need to look to the striking Whirl Herbs & Garlic that has an exterior of Red Leicester and cream cheese and herb filling to see that this is a gift set that’s sure to impress.
Buy now £58.00, Artisan Deli Market
Melrose and Morgan The Traditional Picnic
Having a picnic party? Posh North London grocer Melrose and Morgan has the finest fare in the (literal) bag - complete with biodegradable plates and sets of cutlery.
Available for two, four or six diners, the carefully packed bundle is full of fresh food which means this is a gift that’s designed to be devoured within a few days.
There’s a huge salad box, which had three types when we tried it, as well as palm-sized hunks of sausage rolls, huge Scotch eggs, tubs of feta-stuffed sweet peppers and olives, a punnet of juicy strawberries, melt-in-the-mouth brownies and one of the most addictive pots of hummus we’ve ever had. There’s also some Torres Black Truffle crisps, because is it even a picnic without a packet of crisps?
As most of the produce is fresh, delivery is restricted to London addresses. The only thing you’ll need to bring is a blanket to sit on and a rumbly belly.
£55 for two, £95 for four, £140 for six diners.
Buy now £55.00, Melrose and Morgan
The Newt Orchard Hamper
Set in the rolling fields of Somerset, The Newt offers a serene restaurant, hotel and gardens to explore. If you can’t make it out there for a weekend, bring a taste of arguably its best produce to your door instead. The estate is home to vast apple orchards, from which it makes top drawer cyder.
The Orchard hamper is appropriately apple-themed, with boozy bottles, refreshing juices and baked treats featuring this star ingredient. One for the lover of finer things, it’s a gourmet feast they won’t want to share.
Buy now £95.00, The Newt
Ladurée Pampering Hamper
A posh treat is bound to go down well, especially if they like sweets on the fancier side - and let’s face it, who doesn’t? French confectioner Ladurée’s virtual emporium is where you can find all sorts of beautifully packaged morsels guaranteed to make them smile.
The Pampering Hamper selection includes a box of assorted flavour macarons, a pot of organic strawberry jam and 28 squares in dark and milk chocolate. Oh, and there's a box of loose leaf Marie Antoinette tea. C'est tres chic.
Buy now £105.00, Ladurée
