It can be hard to know what kind of gift will tickle a foodie’s fancy at Christmas time – will a hamper do the trick? Or should you opt for something for the kitchen? Don’t worry – we’ve gathered a selection of the most stylish, thoughtful gifts that the foodie in your life will love this Christmas.
We’ve considered all types of food-loving person in this gift guide – from the gadget lovers to the gourmands, the coffee aficionados to the enthusiastic cooks. The gift ideas we’ve pulled together are beautiful, useful and, above all, covetable for even the fussiest food lover.
Please note, all items included in the list below include prices and stockists for those based in the UK – but should hopefully provide inspiration for food lovers around the world this Christmas.
Top Christmas gifts for foodies
Ultimate Christmas Hamper, Ottolenghi
For a festive hamper that does more than just deliver the usual suspects of mince pies and traditional Christmas pudding, look no further than the Ultimate Christmas Hamper from Ottolenghi. This bumper box of goodies features 21 Ottolenghi products, including some festive treats with a twist, like a cloth-wrapped Christmas Pudding infused with Lebanese arak, plus wines made especially for his restaurants. You can also expect a Christmas cake and a Panettone Classico from Milan, as well as marmalades, rubs and relishes, which should see the lucky recipient through the festive season and help them pep up their cooking when they’ve tired of the usual Christmas flavours.
£370, ottolenghi.co.uk
Pestle & mortar, John Leach Pottery
An essential piece of equipment for any enthusiastic cook, the pestle and mortar is often the best way of creating powders, pastes, sauces and dressings for a wide range of dishes. The Muchelney Pottery is home to the Leach family business in Somerset, where products are hand-thrown using local clays. The distinctive toasted finish of the pottery looks great and means every product is unique.
£37, johnleachpottery.co.uk
Fiasconaro x Dolce & Gabbana Mandorle Di Sicilia Panettone
This limited-edition Christmas treat is the perfect present for design-loving foodies. You can choose between a red or blue tin – but really, what matters is inside: a classic panettone, enriched with raisins, flavoured with Vecchio Samperi Marsala wine and studded with Sicilian almonds. In a departure from the norm, there’s no candied citrus in the recipe. The luxury sourdough cake is then wrapped in ribbon before being boxed up in this aesthetically pleasing container, suitable for any kitchen worktop or on-display larder.
£58.99, souschef.co.uk
Cast Iron Shallow Casserole Dish, Le Creuset
You can’t go wrong with a classic piece of kitchen kit and it’s hard to beat a Le Creuset casserole dish. A culinary mainstay in any cook’s kitchen, this quality dish goes from hob to oven to table, looking stylish along the way, particularly in this sophisticated ‘Garnet’ – a colour that will look festive on the table during Christmas dinner too. The heat-resistant knob on the lid means no burnt fingers, and the light enamel interior makes for easy cleaning. The dish is made from cast iron, which keeps contents warmer for longer, as well as creating the best environment for even cooking and browning.
£265, lecreuset.co.uk
Honey & Co tea towels
Tea towels are an essential rather like socks; it never feels like much fun buying them for yourself but receiving quality, tasteful ones for Christmas, at least as an adult, is something of a pleasure. This mixed set from much-loved London restaurant Honey & Co. includes three colourful designs that feature pomegranates, lemons and oranges, adding a dash of vibrancy to the kitchen. What’s more, they’re produced by a social enterprise that empowers Indian women to earn a living by handcrafting textiles. The set includes three tea towels made from 100% organic cotton.
£35, honeyandco.co.uk
The Classic Christmas Hamper, Mouse & Grape
There’s little in life that beats a lavish cheeseboard alongside a great bottle of wine. Thankfully, this carefully curated hamper from cheese and wine specialists Mouse & Grape covers both bases. The Christmas hamper features a Sancerre from the Loire Valley and a Cru Bourgeois Supérieur from Bordeaux as well as Comté, Stilton, Rachel and Manchego cheeses. It also comes with preserves, crackers and honey, so the recipient will have all they need to dig in immediately.
£125, mouseandgrape.com
Festive Blend Coffee Bundle, North Star
Many people who appreciate good food also appreciate good coffee, so a bag of the good stuff is often a safe bet at Christmas. Based in Leeds, North Star works directly with producers and aims to improve the industry and work in a more sustainable way. The company prides itself on its speciality-grade coffee, which you can sample in this Festive Blend Bundle that includes a special blend made with beans from Brazil, Guatemala and Colombia, as well as separate bags of the single origin beans that go into it. It’s a real treat for coffee fiends and is available in whole-bean form or various different grinds.
£44, northstarroast.com
Due La Pera print, Hato Store
Italian industrial designer and artist Enzo Mari created his Serie della Natura in the 1960s and the La Pera is taken from it. This simple but striking print is made in Italy and would make a great addition to a food lover’s home, whether in the kitchen or elsewhere.
£160, hato.store
Tea-tasting session, Postcard Teas
Postcard Teas’ quaint old shop on New Bond Street in London hosts tea tastings every Saturday morning of the month, with different themes for each, including black, green, oolong and aged teas. Session leaders present teas from their areas of expertise, with participants receiving illustrated tasting notes for the varieties tasted. Gift vouchers for the tastings are available to buy online and make a fun and unusual present for someone passionate about their tea.
£15-30 per session, postcardteas.com
Opinel butter knife
The paddle shape of this dinky knife makes it ideal for spreading butter, condiments, tapenade, pâté and the like. Made in France, it has a stainless-steel blade and a light beechwood handle.
£8, boroughkitchen.com
Frantoio Muraglia olive oil
Good olive oil is essential in the kitchen; an attractive bottle of the stuff even more so. This intensely fruit-driven oil is made from Coratina cold-pressed olives native to the Apulia region of Italy, a variety said to be packed with antioxidants as well as carrying an intense flavour. The octopus design is part of the brand’s Pop Art collection and each bottle is handmade and thus unique, as well as serving the primary purpose of protecting that precious oil from flavour-deteriorating light.
£43, souschef.co.uk
Microplane
Any cook will tell you that good equipment can make or break an easy time in the kitchen. If a keen home chef in your life is looking for a piece of kit that’ll make grating and zesting a variety of ingredients a pleasure, a Microplane is the answer. A chef’s favourite, this stainless steel grater/zester is versatile, easy to clean, and looks professional.
£23.41 (at the time of writing), johnlewis.com
Chef’s knife, Blok
Japanese knives have quite understandably become a firm favourite with professional chefs and, as a result, enthusiastic home cooks but there has been a steady increase in the number of craft knife-makers in the UK in recent years. Blok is a small company in Derbyshire that makes a range of knives, including paring, filleting and chef’s, with carbon steel blades and handles made from wood, resins or a mix of both. No two knives are the same and demand is such that the order book closes intermittently so that the team can catch up. However, a batch of knives is sold online every Friday at 1pm on a first come, first served basis and there’s often a small selection in stock on the website. For a spectacular, unique, handmade present that will make food prep a breeze, look no further. Just remember to include a penny.
Prices vary from c. £225-£385, blok-knives.co.uk
Crete Wild Thyme Honey, Fortnum & Mason
The plants from which bees collect pollen give honeys their distinct flavours, so the herbaceous, savoury quality of this one from Crete is little surprise given it comes from bees that predominantly visit the island’s wild thyme. The illustrated label makes this a cute as well as delicious stocking-filler.
£9.95, fortnumandmason.com
The Chef’s Press
Know someone who loves a cheffy tool? The Chef’s Press comes in three different sizes – 8oz, 13oz, and 18oz – and helps achieve that magical thick crust on steaks and lovely char on vegetables. The press forces whatever’s being cooked against the hot surface and has vents to ensure vapour can escape and food sears rather than steams. The different sizes are suitable for different tasks – the 8oz one is great for more delicate items like aubergine and salmon, while the 13oz is handy for steaks and the 18oz is ideal for browning large cuts of meat more quickly before they go in the oven. The presses are dishwasher-friendly too.
From £24, souschef.co.uk
Glass Sardines Tin Tree Decoration
£16, heals.com
