A thoughtful, indulgent and practical gift idea – and a present the whole household can enjoy – a Christmas hamper is always a winner. With such huge variety available, it's easy to find a hamper you know your friends and family will genuinely appreciate. You may even save them a trip to the supermarket, which is especially convenient over the festive period when guests are constantly popping in, with a treat to go with their coffee or mulled wine. Plus, the hampers themselves make for lovely home accessories and picnic hampers, so it's a gift that keeps on giving.
In our roundup of the best hampers, we've reviewed a mix of savoury, sweet, vegan, boozy and organic treats. Browse below, and find the perfect hamper for your loved ones.
Best Christmas hampers in 2024 at a glance:
- Best for luxury: Dukeshill Star of Wonder Christmas Hamper
- Best for couples: Made in Oldstead Yuletide Grazing Hamper
- Best for families: Fenwick Hamper
- Best for pets: Ski-sonal Dog Christmas Gift Box
- Best on a budget: Highland Fayre Christmas Treats Hamper
For more gifting inspiration, check our roundup of the best gifts for walkers.
Best Christmas hampers – tried and tested by the BBC Countryfile Magazine editorial team
Fenwick hamper
- RRP: £105.00
- Hamper material: Wicker basket
- Number of items: 6
- Delivery details: Free UK delivery, delivered in 7-10 days
- Vegetarian: Yes
The Fenwick Hamper features a range of products from their notorious food hall. The hamper itself looks great, with the contents inside displayed nicely featuring the classic Fenwick-green tissue paper. This particular hamper is a great non-alcohol option, featuring festive must-haves and coffee.
Stand-out inclusions are the mince pies (a great take on a classic) and the Boxing Day chutney (quite unique but still delicious). Other items include Christmas coffee, chocolate coins, Christmas pudding and the lovely addition of a Fenwick Van Bauble, a gift the recipient can continue to enjoy year after year. Although expensive for the amount of products included, everything looks, feels and tastes indulgent.
Dukeshill Star of Wonder Christmas Hamper
- RRP: £225
- Hamper material: Wicker basket
- Number of items: 18
- Delivery details: Free delivery dispatched 24 hours before delivery date to ensure freshness of products
- Vegetarian: No
The Star of Wonder hamper from Dukeshill lives up to its name. Unfasten the two leather straps on this chunky 20” wicker hamper and the wonders revealed scream heartiness. Sweet teeth are catered for – and in some style – but it’s at the savoury end of the taste spectrum that this hamper excels.
It’s worth noting that, by and large, these are grown-up flavours. Yes, there are sweet treats, and plenty of them. The handmade shortbread and mince pies were devoured in minutes by the younger mouths of the family, but even then, the fig and nut panforte was one for the more sophisticated palate – on which it delivered in spades.
Once the little ones had gone up the stairs to bed, the hamper really began to deliver. A tour of Britain produced Wiltshire ham, a sensational Morangie Brie from the very top of Scotland and a very generous (and delicious!) chicken liver paté with port, all topped off with proper piccalilli and traditional Boxing Day chutney.
We saved the snacking nuts and sables as an accompaniment to the prosecco, which went down a treat as aperitifs for lunch the next day, and still the hamper remains at least half full.
Sophistication appears to the watchword here (although a small quibble is that I was surprised the prosecco wasn’t something a bit less everyday), and it seems impossible to over indulge. But don’t worry – we’ll do our best!
Freckleface Calm & Unwind Luxury Hamper
- RRP: £60
- Hamper material: Wicker basket
- Number of items: 4
- Delivery details: 3-5 working days
- Vegetarian? Yes – all beauty products are vegan-friendly
Freckleface are a family-run business specialising in homemade beauty products that are vegan, locally sourced and ethical.
I was excited to try the Calm & Unwind Luxury Hamper and thought it was a great spin on traditional hampers. The products are designed to soothe the senses and boost your wellbeing. It arrived at my door in a beautiful wicker hamper, small enough that I can use it for a multitude of storage ideas in the future, without it taking up too much room.
The hamper contains a wooden hand massage roller, carrier oil, unscented bath salts and Calm & Unwind Essential Oil. The amazing-smelling essential oil (lavender, bergamot, chamomile, petitgrain and sweet orange) can be mixed with the carrier oil (to be used as a moisturiser or a massage oil) or it can be added to a bath along with the salts. I was also pleased to see the plastic-free packaging.
I decided to test out the bath salts with the essential oil. The bath salts took a while to dissolve because I personally like to use a lot of bath salts so I ended up using up the pot in just two baths, but the experience was worth it. The combination of bath salts and essential oil resulted in one of the most relaxing baths I’ve had in a long time.
Worth noting – using a lot of the bath salts may leave a slight red tinge on your tub, which you can clean off afterwards.
Overall this is great hamper for the beauty product lover in your life, or for that person in your life who truly deserves relaxation and a night of pampering.
Ski-sonal Dog Christmas Gift Box
- RRP: £11.99
- Hamper material: Wicker basket
- Number of items: 4
- Delivery details: 3-5 working days
- Vegetarian? Yes - all beauty products are vegan-friendly
The Pooch and Mutt Christmas gift box is the perfect hamper for your furry friend. Although small, the box includes treats, Christmas-themed wet food and dog waste bags. My dog particularly liked the dental sticks, which quickly became the favourite part of her day.
With any dog treats its important to note, all ingredients included are ‘junk and wheat free’. The box itself is made from cardboard and recyclable. Lastly, price wise, at £11.99 it’s great value for money.
Made in Oldstead Yuletide Grazing Hamper
- RRP: £110
- Hamper material: Wicker basket
- Number of items: 15
- Delivery details: Choice between Monday, Wednesday and Friday deliveries, running through 23/12/24
- Vegetarian? No
Led by Michelin-starred chef Tommy Banks, Made in Oldstead is a premium nationwide delivery service that brings the fine dining experience straight to your doorstep.
I had the pleasure of trying the Yuletide Grazing Hamper, and I can confidently say it did not disappoint.
Presented beautifully in a wicker basket lined with raffia, the hamper is packed with an impressive selection of restaurant-quality snacks. With both chilled and dry items included, it’s important to refrigerate it as soon as possible to preserve freshness.
Inside, you'll find two exceptional cheeses, chutneys, shortbread, charcuterie and, of course, mince pies. A personal highlight was the indulgent herb and cranberry pork pie, which felt like a true treat. The cans of wine complement the hamper perfectly, elevating the entire experience.
What I particularly loved was the well-balanced combination of sweet and savoury items, ensuring there’s something for every palate. As someone who tends to favour savoury snacks, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the sweet treats as well. I was even more surprised to find myself both a nougat and fudge convert after trying the delicious offerings from Made in Oldstead.
While the products do have a relatively short shelf life, as expected with fresh ingredients, that won’t be an issue. The irresistible nature of the snacks means the hamper won’t last long at all.
The exceptional quality and attention to detail in the ingredients make this hamper great value for money. It’s the perfect gift for friends and family, offering a hearty, festive banquet that promises to make for an unforgettable night in.
Highland Fayre Christmas Treats Hamper
- RRP: £30
- Hamper material: Cardboard box
- Number of items: 6
- Delivery details: £3.95
- Vegetarian? Yes
Delivered in a fluted open tray and boasting a bag of coffee and five sweet and savoury offerings, the Highland Fayre Christmas Treats Hamper from Dunelm sits at the budget end of the competitive festive hamper market.
Without a lid, the initial presentation is a little underwhelming, although that’s partially understandable when it’s compared to the pricier options out there.
As for the products, the Mr Filbert's Cherry Berry Chocolate & Nut Mix (75g) delivers a flavourful hit of sweet and salty goodness, while the Holmes Bakery Sweet Mince Pie Slices (180g) provide a welcome alternative to classic mince pies. Staying on the sweet treat side, the Grandma Wild's Delicious Crumbly & Fruity Cranberry Biscuits (150g) largely does as it says on the enclosed tin, proving tasty, crumbly and packing a decent cranberry hit.
Also included is a slight 56g pack of Slumberjack Breakfast Blend Medium Roast Ground Coffee (56g) and a small pot of Mrs Darlington's Christmas Chutney, the 120g size and runny consistency not going far on our pre-Christmas cheese and biscuits.
Up there with Grandma Wild's biscuits, the substitute of Arden’s Tiny Twists proved the most popular selection amongst my family, their flaky and cheesy puff pastry being demolished by the kids before the adults could get a proper look-in. These were a replacement from what Dunelm bill as Arden's Cheddar Cheese & Red Onion Christmas Trees (60g) on their website, but not an unwelcome one.
Vegetarians are catered for but, bar the chutney, vegans won’t find anything suitable here. No claims are made over if the packaging is recyclable, so I’ll be keeping the box for some DIY hamper action next year.
Overall, with the contents costing around £20 if bought individually, this selection pack feels disappointing, with the £3.95 UK delivery fee meaning that I’d personally prefer to hit my local farm shop or deli and create a DIY option for the £34 outlay. But if you’re time-poor and need a quick, cheap-ish hamper with little fuss, this could possibly fit the bill.
Love Cocoa - The Festive Celebration Hamper
- RRP: £39.95
- Hamper material: Cardboard gift box
- Number of items: 5
- Delivery details: £3.95
- Vegetarian? Yes
This Festive Celebration Hamper from Love Cocoa instantly ticks the festive feelgood boxes, arriving in a quality set of stylish boxes complete with lid and an assortment of strikingly designed chocolate-based treats within.
The chief items in the Love Cocoa (founded by James Cadbury, who continues his family’s heritage) assortment are the Festive Gingerbread Truffles and obligatory salted caramel-flavoured Bauble Truffles. Both are deeply flavoursome, and both are ideal for regifting if you don’t think you’ll be a fan of the rich flavours.
The strong Christmas flavours continue with the selection of Christmas Pudding Milk Chocolate, Peppermint Bark White Chocolate and Gingerbread Dark Chocolate. Each are unusual yet rewarding, with the peppermint being the pick of the bunch.
With the gifts totalling £35 if you were to buy them individually and free delivery, this feels like good value for money. The packaging is recyclable and re-usable, while the treats are free from palm oil and vegetarian-friendly. The B-Certified, 1% for the Planet member Love Cocoa also promise that each purchase will support reforestation projects around the world.
Hayman’s Winter Spritz Hamper
- RRP: £54
- Hamper material: Cardboard box
- Number of items: 7
- Delivery details: Order before 10am for next-day despatch. Order by 20th December for guaranteed delivery by Christmas.
- Vegetarian? Unsure
The hamper contains 1x 70cl wrapped Hayman’s Sloe Gin, 4x Fever Tree Blood Orange Sodas, 2x Hayman’s branded Spritz Glasses & a recipe card to make the perfect Winter Spritz at home. It was sent in a cardboard box and padded out with blue stuffing, although I wish it came in something a little more fancy like a wicker basket.
However, I can forgive the packaging because of how good a value this hamper is. For just £54 you get all of the items above – which includes a full bottle of delicious sloe gin (seriously, this stuff is liquid gold) and two big gin glasses, which you can continue to use after the hamper is finished.
I enjoyed several glasses of the sloe gin, mixed with the zingy sweet Fever Tree Blood Orange Sodas (Fever Tree never lets me down) and I plan to continue to finish the bottle with friends and family over Christmas.
For more present inspiration, read our gift guides:
- Best gift ideas for outdoor adventurers and nature lovers
- Best gifts for walkers: 33 top presents for hikers
- The best outdoor gift cards and subscriptions for friends and family
We've also put together a guide to the best experience gifts and best subscriptions for gifting, which include plenty of ideas for foodies.
