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
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.
Fiasconaro x Dolce & Gabbana Mandorle Di Sicilia Panettone
This limited-edition Christmas treat is the perfect present for design-loving foodies. Choose between the classic red tin or a new blue design – 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.
£54.50, 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 good cook’s kitchen, this quality dish goes from hob to oven to table, looking stylish along the way, particularly in this rich new ‘Nectar’ colour. The heat resistant knob means no burnt fingers through oven gloves, and the light enamel interior makes cleaning up easy. Cast iron construction ensures that food will stay warmer at the table for longer, as well as creating the best environment for even cooking and browning.
£249, 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 and 20% of sales are donated to the #CookForUkraine campaign. The set includes three tea towels made from 100% organic cotton.
£35, honeyandco.co.uk
Whole Baron Bigod, The Fine Cheese Co.
There’s little in life that beats a lavish Christmas cheeseboard and there’s something particularly special about a full wheel of cheese, whether it’s a Stilton or this Baron Bigod weighing in at 1kg – it’s a rich, earthy, Brie style made from the milk of Montbeliarde cows in Suffolk. Giving someone the opportunity to taste a fresh, uncut cheese makes a great gift for a lover of good food.
£41.35, finecheese.co.uk
Christmas Gift Set, Hermanos
Many people who appreciate good food also appreciate good coffee, so a bag of quality beans is often a safe bet at Christmas. Hermanos began as a pop-up in Walthamstow, London, in 2018 and is dedicated to sourcing specialty coffee direct from farmers in Columbia. The company now has nine cafes in the capital and an online shop, where you can order this gift set containing two bags of their limited-edition Christmas beans and a double-walled glass cup with a Hermanos-branded lid. The festive box includes information cards on both varieties with tasting notes and provenance details.
£32-£55 (depending on bag size), hermanoscoffeeroasters.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.
£130, 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 or £80 for four, 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.
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. Each of the terracotta rainbow bottles is handmade and thus unique in design, as well as serving the primary purpose of protecting that precious oil from flavour-deteriorating light.
£37.99, 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.
£24.95, johnlewis.com
Blok knife
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
