Best Christmas hampers for 2023: top festive picks for all tastes and budgets

Our verdict

If you’re looking for a hamper that will keep everyone happy, the Spirit of Christmas Basket by John Lewis will almost certainly hit the spot. It’s packed with traditional Christmas treats that can be enjoyed by the whole family throughout the festive period. 

Adults can make their way through the three bottles of alcohol - Imbizo Cabernet Sauvignon, Maple Falls Mulled Wine and Waitrose San Leo Prosecco - while the younger members of the family can nibble on some of the tasty treats including Reid's Shortbread Reindeer Bites and Joe and Seph's Double Chocolate Caramel Popcorn. There’s also chocolates, nuts, mince pies, crisps and Christmas pudding to be devoured too. 

It’s pricey but there’s 11 items in total packed into this festive basket and it’s available to order now, so you can get one present ticked off your Christmas list at least.

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Our verdict

This one is for afternoon tea lovers. While it may not have all the fancy extras that some of the more luxurious Christmas hampers have, this would make a lovely treat for someone who has a bit of a sweet tooth. 

The Burmont’s Ultimate Great British Afternoon Tea Hamper does require some effort from your loved one as it comes with Wrights Scone Mix for baking the scones, but we think this makes it even more fun. 

The gift also comes with a tea tin containing 40 tea bags, as well as clotted cream and five different preserves for adding to their freshly baked scone. The only thing they then have to do is decide whether to add the cream or jam first! 

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Our verdict

Hampers can get expensive, especially if they come in a fancy basket or include alcohol, but this one by Prestige Hampers has seven delicious treats for under £30. Packaged in a gift box, the Seasonal Treats hamper includes yummy clotted cream fudge, delicious artisan chocolates and crumbly orange and cranberry biscuits. 

Teabags are also included so your recipient can make a cuppa and enjoy it with the Walkers Shortbread Biscuits. Finally, the box comes with a jar of strawberry jam that they can enjoy on some hot buttered toast on Christmas morning. A great box of staples for devouring over Christmas and beyond.

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Our verdict

This one is the ultimate gift for chocolate fans. Send someone this luxury Hotel Chocolat Christmas hamper and they’ll be devouring the sweet treats for weeks to come.

And this is no average chocolate gift. The wicker gift hamper comes with treats in a variety of flavours and textures, from light and chewy macarons and dessert flavoured chocolates, to solid chocolate batons in two flavours (milk and raspberry-white) and Salted Caramel Puddles. There’s also a box of chocolates containing 27 of Hotel Chocolat’s bestsellers. 

All of these can be enjoyed with a glass of red wine and not forgetting the delicious Chocolate Velvetised Cream, a vodka chocolate cream providing a gentle alcohol warmth. At £150, this hamper is expensive, but Mumsnetters really rate Hotel Chocolat hampers for their variety. 

Our verdict

It’s the season for cosy nights in and what better way to enjoy that than with a glass of red wine and some gourmet nibbles? One to enjoy with your partner, the fruity merlot can be washed down with some Mr Filbert’s Dry Roasted Peanuts, Buiteman Sun Dried Tomato Biscuits, and delicious Savoursmiths Truffle and Rosemary Potato Crisps.

The lucky recipients can then finish off with something sweet as the box also includes a Linden Lady Milk Chocolate Bar, House of Fudge Clotted Cream Fudge Bar and Yorkshire Popcorn Salt and Sweet. All of this comes packaged in a nice black and white gift box that the couple will have fun opening on Christmas morning.

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Our verdict

This offering by Cartwright & Butler is what you probably imagine when you think of a Christmas hamper. Packaged in a large natural wicker basket that will sit nicely in your home afterwards, it comes with plenty of food and drink for the whole family to devour.

For those with a sweet tooth, there’s a whole host of treats, including chocolate, fudge, lemon and dark chocolate Viennese Whirls, sweets and cake. When it comes to savoury, there’s cheese straws, wafers for cheese, and chutney. For the adults, there’s a bottle of merlot, sauvignon blanc and champagne - or whole leaf tea bags for when you want a rest from the booze. 

It’s very expensive, but customers love the tins and jars that the treats come in which can also be reused after, so it’s a hamper that can be enjoyed long after the food and drink has gone.

Our verdict

If you have £300 to spend on a Christmas hamper then look no further than this basket of delights. When we looked for hamper recommendations on our forums, Fortnum & Mason came up frequently as a sought-after hamper choice among our Mumsnetters, mainly due to the gorgeous wicker basket but also the tasty treats that come inside it. 

They have lots of different baskets, but this one has a Christmas theme for setting you up for the festivities - and it looks stunning too. There are biscuits galore to nibble on, with flavours such as maple, pecan and orange florentines, festive flapjack, Christmas tea and Christmas pudding-inspired biscuits which can be eaten alongside two different types of tea or a cup of Christmas blend coffee. There’s also chocolates and vegan Reindeer carrot sweets. 

For something savoury, there are Cheese sables with smoked paprika, green olives and two different types of pickles and a mustard for those Boxing Day nibbles. Finally, there’s also a keepsake tea towel and crackers to pull on Christmas Day. It’s definitely pricey but the variety of treats make it good value for money. Plus, the basket can be reused for a long time after the festive season has ended.

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Our verdict

Christmas is the season for popping bubbles and the Marks and Spencers Sparkle Gift Bag has everything you need to kick off this year’s celebrations. It comes with a bottle of Marks and Sparkle, a sparkling grape drink mixed with peach liqueur and edible gold leaf for that something special to drink. 

Pour it into the two included prosecco glasses, which are made from crystal and can be used again and again throughout the festivities and beyond. There’s also a bar of Mallow and Sparkle Bubbly Bar, a milk chocolate and white wine marshmallow bar, to nibble on. We like that all of this comes in a black and gold gift bag which can later be reused as a stylish shopper.

Our verdict

Treat that someone special to a bit of luxury this Christmas. The Harrods Christmas Gift Box will provide all the Christmas essentials but with the splendour that comes with the Harrods name. 

There are five treats to be enjoyed: the Harrods classic Christmas pudding, Scottish shortbread, brandy butter, Winterberry Jam and a tin of hot chocolate.

OK, £50 is a lot for five items but you’re paying for the name and we like that all of them come in gorgeous red tins, jars and packaging, most of which can be kept and reused after. They all arrive inside a gorgeous green decorated box too which your recipient is certain to open with excitement.

Our verdict

Hampers don’t have to cost the earth. The M&S Collection Hamper is a good mid-range option which includes both alcohol and food to keep everyone happy. Tasty snacks include Cornish Cruncher All Butter Biscuits and Rye Sourdough Crackers, which could be enjoyed with a selection of cheese and the included British Ale and Caramelised Onion Chutney.

For family members with a sweeter tooth, the hamper also includes Belgian Milk Chocolate Florentines and All Butter Scottish Shortbread Squares. Finally, adults can open the bottle of Bordeaux Merlot to toast during the Christmas celebrations. 

All of this comes in a lovely wicker basket which can be used as storage after. But some reviewers say this hamper is overpriced for the contents.

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Our verdict

Just like Santa, you can turn up with a sack full of gifts, but this one only contains gluten-free treats. The bag features a range of food and drink delights to brighten up their festive munchies. 

There’s a bottle of Waitrose Prosecco to start the celebrations with a pop and then they can make their way through the Chocolate Chunk Cookies and Panettone and Christmas pudding - all part of the Waitrose Free From range. 

There’s also Booja-Booja Signature Selection Box full of chocolate truffles, Fudge Kitchen Vegan Toffee Slider and Insane Grain Salt and Vinegar Baked Knobbly Sticks. More than enough to get them through the Christmas season!

Our verdict

Much like the Waitrose hamper, which has been designed for those with gluten intolerances, this John Lewis gift bag is packed with vegan-friendly food and drink. Perfect for winter nights on the sofa, the drawstring sack includes a bottle of Chilean Merlot which can be enjoyed alongside a tasty snack of Odysea Houmous and nibnibs Sun-dried Tomato Big Minis Breadsticks.

Stick a Christmas film on and munch on the sweet treats: Joe and Seph's Vegan Salted Caramel Gourmet Popcorn and Choc-Affair Gingerbread Oat Milk Dark Chocolate Bar. There’s also a pack of Angelic Chocolate Orange Christmas Cookies which you can enjoy with a hot cup of tea or coffee. For £50, we think this hamper should have included another treat or two but we like that this bag caters for vegans during the festivities.

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Our verdict

Know someone who’d rather chomp on some cake than sip on some bubbles? Why not send them this Clearwater Hampers afternoon tea gift box for them to devour instead? It includes everything they will need to enjoy a tasty tea at home. 

The white and gold gift box includes delicious delights such as Dundee Cake, Apple and Custard Biscuits, Honeycomb Milk Chocolate, Parisian Macaroons, Raspberry Conserve and Anna’s Almond Thins Biscuits. All of these can be washed down with a cup of Finest Afternoon Tea. 

There’s no prep involved - all they have to do is stick on the kettle and make their way through the treats. Some reviewers do say the items are on the small side though.

Our verdict

We all know someone who loves cheese - and the smellier the better! With this Snowdonia Cheese Company Gift Hamper, there’s a ready-made cheese board to devour on Christmas Day. The gift contains three different types of award-winning cheeses - Little Black Bomber, Red Devil and Green Thunder - for your recipient to make their way through.

They can enjoy chunks of cheese on the Cartwright & Butler wafer crackers and topped off with one of the two Snowdonia chutneys - balsamic caramelised onion and fig and apple. To complete the Christmas cheese board is a Cottage Delight Farmhouse Pork Pate. 

The box isn’t as fancy as the others on the list, however for cheese enthusiasts, they’ll likely be more excited about the contents than the packaging. 

Our verdict

If you know a family of food lovers, this hamper by M&S will have them kitted out for Christmas with a host of gorgeous food to feast on. The large wicker basket comes with three bottles of alcohol: a bottle of red and white wine, and champagne. There’s also tea and coffee for any non-drinkers or for when you need a break from the celebrations.

There’s 19 items in total, with snacks galore - from Liquid Dusted Salted Caramels and Christmas Pudding Crunch Biscuits to All Butter Parmesan and Chilli Shortbread and Serrano Chilli, Garlic and Lime Nut Selection. There’s also a cheese board, tasty chutney and crackers, as well as some fruit and nut cake, mince pies and stollen bites.

For the ultimate party, there’s a Handcrafted Christmas Sausage Roll Garland, pâté and smoked salmon. What more could you ask for? A proper Christmas feast! It is expensive and make sure you don’t order too early as reviewers say some of the items have a short use-by date.

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