There’s something very exciting about receiving a hamper as a gift – opening it up and rummaging inside to unearth not one, but many gifts, all carefully thought out to complement each other.
Show some love and send an extra-special gift hamper to the foodie in your life: we have got plenty of fantastic options to choose from. Whether sending for a birthday, anniversary or Christmas, we’ve picked some of the best hampers for food lovers, from chocolate and cheese, to specialist ingredients for home cooks and budding chefs.
So read on for the best ‘all killer, no filler’ baskets and boxes we’d certainly love to receive for a special birthday or another celebration. For more gift guides including best chocolate gifts, best coffee gifts and best cheese gifts, visit our reviews section to find over 400 buyer’s guides.
Best hampers at a glance
- Best hamper for afternoon tea lovers: Trewithen Dairy Cornish hamper, £22.50
- Best niche hamper: Lotus Biscoff baking gift hamper, £24
- Best hamper for new bakers: BakedIn Afternoon Tea Baking Hamper, £29.99
- Best hamper for adventurous cooks: Sous Chef ultimate Middle Eastern pantry, £74.75
- Best hamper for gin lovers: Bullards rambling strawberry cocktail hamper, £75
- Best savoury snacks hamper: Serious Pig serious snack selection box, £25
- Best picnic hamper: Dukeshill Chetton Picnic hamper, £89.65
- Best gourmet hamper: Brindisa artisan selection box, £85
- Best affordable hamper: Chilli Lovers Selection, £20
Best hampers to buy 2022
Trewithen Dairy Cornish hamper
Best hamper for afternoon tea lovers
Time to recreate sunny Cornwall holiday memories. This box of treats from Trewithen Dairy seriously brightened our day, and is sure to do the same for any lucky recipient. Available to feed two or four people, the Cornish hamper comes with plain scones, Trewithen Dairy clotted cream, strawberry jam and Cornish teabags for the ultimate afternoon tea. We chose the option that also included two hearty Cornish pasties and were pleasantly surprised by their excellent quality, with classic crimping and a chunky, well-seasoned peppery filling.
Available from Trewithen Dairy, from £22.50
Lotus Biscoff baking gift hamper
Best niche hamper
A niche hamper for the ultimate Biscoff fan. Loaded with every form of Biscoff treat, this gift box is packed with a whole selection of Lotus Biscoff biscuits, plus jars of both smooth and crunchy Biscoff spread. To encourage you to get baking with the spread, the box is finished off with an apron and two wooden spoons.
Available from Hampers.com, £24
BakedIn Afternoon Tea Baking Hamper
Best hamper for new bakers
Make baking a breeze with this fun collection of kits from BakedIn (we love their baking subscription), perfect for newbie bakers. The recyclable hamper-style cardboard box contains 3 baking kits for a Victoria sponge, classic scones or Viennese whirls, plus jam and lemon curd to fill your treats and tea to wash it all down. Bake them all at once for a tea party or keep the kits in the cupboard ready for a rainy day of baking. The kits contain just dry ingredients so you’ll need eggs, butter and equipment – our Victoria sponge was perfect: towering, soft and light. The fun, colourful design would also make it a fab birthday gift for young teens just getting into baking.
Available from:
BakedIn (£29.99)
Sous Chef ultimate Middle Eastern pantry
Best hamper for adventurous cooks
Know someone who’s cooked their way through Ottolenghi’s cookbooks? This Middle Eastern hamper is loaded with storecupboard ingredients you won’t find on the high street that will be sure to keep the cooking journey going. Serve up a banquet from across the Middle East, using za’atar from Palestine, sticky pomegranate molasses from Lebanon and more. Savoury dishes can be given a flavour boost with the tamarind, date syrup, preserved lemons or harissa, while the orange blossom water makes fragrant desserts.
Available from Sous Chef, £74.75
Bullards rambling strawberry cocktail hamper
Best hamper for gin lovers
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Go bigger than gifting a bottle of gin alone (although we’ve rounded up the best gins for gifts if that’s what you’re looking for) with this themed selection from Bullards. Containing everything you need for a ‘rambling strawberry’ cocktail inside a wicker hamper, it includes a full-sized bottle of Bullards strawberry and black pepper gin (in a bold red bottle), plus sugar syrup, soda water and lemon juice to shake up a perfect cocktail. The box also includes a glass and clever gin stones to keep your drink cool without diluting it.
Available from Bullards, £75
Serious Pig serious snack selection box
Best savoury snacks hamper
For snacking on the go or serving up unique nibbles, this quirky savoury collection from Snacking Pig makes a change from normal crackers, for anyone who loves a salty snack. There’s a selection of crunchy ‘snacking cheese’ in three different flavours, plus croutons, ‘snackalami’ and nuts.
Available from:
Dukeshill Chetton Picnic Delights
Best picnic hamper
For the ultimate summer picnic, we knew this luxurious offering from Dukeshill – a company famed for their top-quality cheeses, cured meats and artisanal products – wouldn’t disappoint. On tasting, it was the Cumberland scotch eggs, which had ‘jammy’ yolks and tender meaty filling that stole the show. However, other highlights include their light and airy smoked salmon pâté with rustic oatcakes, deliciously herby porchetta and fruity rosé vino frizzante to sip alongside the generous feast. This is the kind of gourmet grub you’ll be thinking about long after the picnic is over.
Available from Dukeshill, £89.65
Brindisa artisan selection box
Best gourmet hamper
For someone who didn’t get abroad this year, this hamper from Brindisa delivers a luxurious taste of Spain, with something to appeal to everyone in the generously packed box. Tapas is sorted with salted Marcona almonds, chilli olives and Iberico ham, while a selection of Ortiz tinned fish will stock the storecupboard for winter. With chorizo, cheese, honey and a generous box of sobrasada to round out the collection, this is the ultimate cook’s treat.
Available from Brindisa, £85
Chilli Lovers Selection
Best affordable hamper
For a compact and affordable gift, we love this chilli collection by Charlie & Ivy’s. The simple trio provides everything you need to spice up your meals: a creamy chilli and lime mayo (perfect for sandwiches, tacos or dunking chips or roasties), fruity mango and chilli dressing to liven up salads and finally a chic bottle of their signature ‘bread dipper’ in chilli, garlic and ginger – perfect for dipping bread as the name suggests, but also try drizzling over soup or using in stir-fries.
Available from Charlie & Ivy’s, £20
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