What would you like to receive in a Christmas Food Hamper

[Onionbhajisandwich]

I have a couple of hampers to make up and I’ve got about £50 left in the budget so any recommendations for food type things to go in them? So far I have:

Alcohol
Whittaker’s Hot chocolate
Mince pies (from a local bakery)
Christmas candles
Christmas chutney
Fancy cheese and crackers
Shortbread
Terry’s chocolate orange

I thought maybe a box of Thornton’s but are they a bit boring?? Tell me what you think

Posh crisps?
Traditional sweets?
Nice hand soap?

When I did find hampers last year I popped a couple of these wee gin cocktail bottles in (can buy in Sainsbury's for £2.50 each). They are really festive and colourful so brightened up the hamper.

https://www.edenmill.com/gin-box-variety-pack-[12-x-250ml]-c-3-p-45754

I put in similar to you but also included
Cannoli from a local deli
Fancy coffee
Their favourite buts and crisps
Aldi's chocolate florentines
Chocolate sprouts and coins
Percy pigs went in one as the recipient loves them
Fancy biscuits/borders biscuits
A big slab of fancy chocolate/slab of popcorn chocolate
Fluffy socks
Personalised Christmas bauble

Mulled wine spices (kit)
Christmas Fudge
Florentines

Are people expecting them? If not then I wouldn’t go with the traditional Christmas stuff of mince pies because they will probably already have them in the house.

Posh Christmas tea, coffee and M&S merry Berry jam. Chutneys, pickles and a mini Xmas cake and a little box of crackers to pad out the hamper. Cheap and cheerful Christmas tea towels from the poundshop. Most of it can be bought from Aldi and Lidl to keep the cost down.

Amaretti biscuits, they are so moreish and such a treat I never buy them. That might just be me though. Coffee bags are a nice treat as well. Maybe a puzzle book/colouring book or similar for the January blues.

Welsh cakes, Elizabeth Shaw Amaretto Straws and a bottle of really nice cider.

Ooh, and some Pendragon’s Black Forest hot chocolate flakes.

I’d like some nice herbal teas and some piccalilli!

I'm going to go against the grain and think they're really outdated. Unless you know the recipient really well a lot of stuff ends up at the school fete/ bottle stall.

Things you know the person you are giving too will actually like. No point in getting a mulled wine kit or a lovely whisky marmalade if you dont know if they will like them. The chocolate in a Terrys chocolate orange tastes terrible now, if you know they like chocolate get a special one. More quality treats of what they like than quantity.

I've never received a hamper, but used to get enough of a selection from my both mums and SIL of all the bits they didnt like.

When we cleared mums house last year we found lots of the baskets in the loft. Such a wasteful item.

Marshmallows and fancy popcorn

I'd love to receive everything you've listed so far, I'd much rather be given consumables than something that will take up space.

Things I'd like are:

Chocolate florentines
Salted cashews
Candy kittens gourmet sweets, even DH thinks they're lovely and he's normally not into sweets.
Earl grey tea bags
Rum truffles
Those Jacobs cracker crisps
Salt and cracked pepper kettle chips
Amaretti
Nice jar of pitted olives

Not Thorntons...go with a box of Monty beaujangles truffles, you can get them in sainsburys...they are AMAZING

Cheeses
Crackers
Chutney
Pate
Charcuterie
Lebkuchen
Posh crisps
Chocolate truffles
Mini wine

I hate to sound negative but I volunteer at a Food Bank and every year we are inundated with 'Christmas hamper food gifts' (even from Fortnum and Mason ) ... obviously lovely treats for the FB users but maybe not where people imagine their gifts ending up ....

@idontlikealdi

I'm going to go against the grain and think they're really outdated. Unless you know the recipient really well a lot of stuff ends up at the school fete/ bottle stall.

I agree, the only things I'd want in a hamper would be M&S crisps, nice coffee and Lebkuchen.

Thanks all - lots of nice ideas there 👍 parts of the hampers are personalized so hopefully they will be enjoyed.

I’d agree with quality products over quantity and I’d only do it if I knew the recipient really well. Tea towels from the pound shop, while practical would go in my cleaning cupboard.
I think if I were to do one I’d include the best quality version of things I knew they liked. If they don’t live near by maybe something specific to the area you live in.

To have it a week early so I know what not to buy.

After dinner mints.
Posh crisps.
Nice jam.
Port.

When are you going yo give it yo them? I hate being given Christmas good on Christmas day when I've already bought it! I'd much rather be given the gift mid December then I font duplicate.

Don't go for Thornton's. As suggested popcorn would be better Joe and Steph's are a treat, or festive crisps. Would any of them want posh biscuits? I'd like hummus and back at home seeded sourdough bread from Aldi.

No advice, but thank you for starting such a useful thread :)

Posh crisps
Good cheese

I’d prefer savoury stuff to sweet, as there is so much sweet stuff around at a Christmas anyway.

Red wine
Whisky

@RAFHercules they are going out mid December (some earlier)