The best Christmas hampers

Forman & Field's hamper comes with a beautiful bottle of gin that can be reused as a vase

(Image credit: Forman & Field)

published 2 December 2024

It's hard to beat a festive hamper crammed with delicious treats, so we've rounded up a few of the best to indulge in this Christmas. From fine wines and colourful macarons to Tuscan olive oils and pecorino cheese, these boxes are filled with an assortment of edible gifts. As the countdown to the celebration begins, treat the foodie in your life – or yourself! – to one of these indulgent hampers.

Thank You Hamper for Her, Forman & Field

For that friend or family member who loves a G&T, you can't go wrong with this luxurious wicker hamper from Forman & Field (pictured above). The standout item is a beautiful bottle of gin from Cygnet, the premium spirits brand founded by Welsh mezzo-soprano Katherine Jenkins, distilled using Welsh water and a blend of 12 botanicals including pink grapefruit, chamomile flower and lime peel. It's accompanied by a hunk of vine-wrapped goat's cheese, a jar of truffle honey, a royal fillet of smoked salmon and a box of artisan chocolates. Best of all, you can reuse the pretty gin bottle as a vase and save the wicker basket for your next picnic.

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Unsurprisingly, Rick Stein can be relied on to deliver outstanding foodie goods. The celebrity chef's gourmet hamper is stuffed with treats directly from his deli in Padstow. Each wicker basket contains two bottles of Stein's Spanish wine, spicy apple and walnut chutney, figs in cognac, two boxes of moreish oat biscuits, and a tin of raspberry butter shortbread. There's also a gluten-free version available and, for those who want to go all out, an extravagant 'Christmas celebration hamper' packed with everything from Stein's Christmas pud to a festive candle and jar of cherries in kirsch.

What started as a side hustle making cookies in her flat turned into a fully fledged business when Stephanie Giordano set up her bakery in east London. Her intricately designed iced biscuits and cupcakes look almost too pretty to eat. We love the classic Christmas hamper that features a box of colourful macarons, a personalised bauble cookie, a bag of festive cookie nuggs, and a box of classic vanilla Christmas cookies in an array of charming seasonal shapes.

Italy has long been regarded as a culinary mecca and you can't go wrong with a hamper bursting with Tuscan goods. Fattoria La Vialla produces its own wines, olive oils, cheeses and biscuits at its family-run biodynamic organic farm near Arezzo in Chianti. Its 'typical' hamper is brimming with rustic goodies including a jar of rich, spicy tomato sauce, fennel sausages, extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar and a generous hunk of 12-month-aged pecorino. The hamper also comes with two bottles of wine and a selection of sweet treats – the chocolate truffles and crumbly biscuits with walnuts and raisins were delicious.

This decadent hamper from DukesHill, the family-run business known for championing artisan producers, is ideal for tucking into over the entire festive time, not just the night before! Brimming with savoury and sweet selections, the assortment of goodies includes cracked black-pepper crackers, salami, olives, caramelised hazelnuts, handmade Scottish shortbread, a box of addictively good fudge and a Christmas classic mini panettone. And everything is packed inside a charming wicker basket with leather straps.

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Irenie Forshaw is a features writer at The Week, covering arts, culture and travel. She began her career in journalism at Leeds University, where she wrote for the student newspaper, The Gryphon, before working at The Guardian and The New Statesman Group. Irenie then became a senior writer at Elite Traveler, where she oversaw The Experts column.