Gifting a bundle of thoughtful festive treats can be the perfect present for foodie friends and family in the 2024 festive season. There’s hundreds (maybe even thousands) of pre-made Christmas food hamper ideas out there, all of which offer a not-too-time-consuming way to show someone you care, but sometimes there’s nothing that’s quite right for that special person. If you want to put a bit more effort into your Christmas gifts this year, choosing to build the perfect bundle for your loved ones can show them how much appreciation you have for them - and put an even bigger smile on their face!
So you’re buying for a foodie - ideas for Christmas food hampers aren’t hard to come by, but thinking of a theme and making the contents personal to the lucky recipient is a slightly harder task. Our amazing Cutter & Squidge team grew up with a love for food and passion for baking, and with years of experience dreaming up sweet and savoury festive flavour combinations, we know a thing or two about the best DIY Christmas hamper ideas!
Popular Christmas Food Hamper Ideas
Knowing where to start when making your own hamper is one of the hardest parts of the process, but we’ve put together some handy starting points for different Christmas food hamper ideas, whether you’re looking for a sweet, savoury or more unique option. Whatever route you go down, the most important thing is to think about who you’re buying for - and adapt the contents for your Christmas hampers appropriately!
Christmas Chocolate Hamper Ideas
For the chocolate lovers, building a bundle is quite an easy task - with so many different types and forms that this universally loved sweet treat can take, here are some Christmas chocolate hamper ideas that you can make your own:
- Unique Chocolate Bar Flavours. We think chocolate bars in hampers are overdone, but with more and more brands experimenting with… unique flavours, this could be the perfect way to make your hamper stand out.
- Assorted Chocolate Truffles. Bringing a luxury feel to your bundle, chocolate truffles are a classic way to make the lucky recipient feel special.
- Chocolate Covered Nuts & Fruit. Although these can be a controversial choice, combining nuts and fruit with chocolate can introduce different flavours and textures - a welcome sight for some!
- Mini Chocolate Cakes or Brownies. What would your hamper be without some cake! Whether you bake your own mini cakes with festive decorations or go for an indulgent box of Christmas brownies, this is a must-have in your hamper.
- Hot Chocolate Mix. Easy to make and perfect for cold winter nights, nobody will turn down a cup of Christmassy hot chocolate to pop in the cupboard - add marshmallows or other ingredients to make it extra special!
Christmas Sweets Hamper Ideas
Age is just a number when it comes to loving sweets - at least as far as we’re concerned! Whether you’re buying for your favourite family youngster or friend who’s always loved the latest and greatest delights, here are some Christmas sweets hamper ideas that are perfect for the festive season.
- Seasonal Sweets. It sounds obvious, but a great place to start with your hamper is to see what types of festive sweets are being released by different brands - you can either include these in your hamper or take some ideas for your own creations!
- Homemade Marshmallows. A treat that can be enjoyed by most sweet-lovers, you can make your own marshmallows at home, whether you stay classic or introduce some festive flavours like cinnamon or peppermint.
- Festive Fudge. There’s not many richer, sweeter treats than fudge, which is why it’s a must-have! We’d suggest either keeping it easy with, chocolate, salted caramel fudge or experiment with some traditional Christmas flavours.
- Candy Cane. We couldn’t leave candy canes out of our Christmas sweet hamper ideas! There’s no sweets more festive than candy canes, and with loads of flavours out there, it’s easy to pick the perfect one for your loved one. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can even make your own, but it’ll mean more time in the kitchen and less time for a cup of tea.
Savoury Christmas Hamper Ideas
Some people think that Christmas food hamper ideas can only focus on the sweet stuff - but that couldn’t be further from the truth! Savoury plays just as big a part for the festive season, with nibbles, picky-bits and other seasonal accompaniments coming into their own. There’s so many things you could include, but here’s some of our best savoury Christmas hamper ideas.
- Artisan Cheeses. If you don’t need your hamper to have a long shelf life, cheese is a must-have! Some of the most traditional options to consider are wensleydale with cranberries, smoked gouda and blue stilton with port - although we encourage you to go and see what else is out there.
- Cured Meats. Another Christmas staple, cured meats from honey glazed ham, turkey and prosciutto are good places to start, but have a think who you’re buying for before you go too adventurous!
- Pickles & Preserves. Everything from cornichons, piccalilli, red onion chutney and other seasonally-marinated olives, spreads or or preserves can be a unique addition to any savoury spread.
- Gourmet Crackers & Savoury Biscuits. What better pairing to your cheese than a selection of savoury crackers or biscuits? Choose from rosemary, sage, pecan, walnut or plenty of other festive flavours, and check out our own Cheese & Crackers Christmas Hamper for more inspiration!
- Small Batch Spirits or Craft Beer. Depending on the recipient, picking up a seasonal alcoholic drink could be the perfect pairing to the rest of their special savoury selection!
Gluten Free, Vegetarian & Vegan Christmas Hamper Ideas
Having to cater to dietary restrictions doesn’t mean having to miss out on the festive fun! Moreso than ever, gluten free, vegetarian and vegan Christmas hamper ideas are easy to come by, with brands releasing free-from alternatives and hundreds of recipes for you to attempt at home. However you choose to build your vegan Christmas hamper, here’s some of our top places to start.
- Gluten Free Pasta & Vegan Sauces. Kicking off with GF and vegan Christmas hamper ideas that are a little bit less traditional, pasta and sauces will be enjoyed by any home cook - even if not on Christmas Day itself!
- Vegan Chocolates & Sweets. Moving back to more familiar grounds, there’s few more traditional options than vegan chocolate for your sweet-toothed friends or family. Dark chocolate peppermint bark, oat milk chocolate truffles or gelatine free sweeties are all ideas to consider! If you prefer cake, our Vegan Christmas Gingerbread Cake is an explosion of festive free-from flavours and 100% plant-based.
- Plant-Based Cheeses & Spreads. Having to stick free-from doesn’t mean not being able to enjoy cheese-y delights! Spreadable cashew cheese, almond feta style cheese and soy based cream cheese with chives are all exciting alternatives to the real deal.
- Gluten Free Baked Goodies. Almond flour gingerbread or decorated rice flour chocolate muffins are fun ways to incorporate a baked sweet treat into your gluten free Christmas hamper ideas.
- Organic Teas & Coffees. An easy way to avoid any potential problems, organic teas and coffees are the perfect accompanying drinks to your other contents. Herbal infusions, spiced winter blends and other festive flavours (try and buy Fairtrade where possible!) will be a warm welcome for anyone who needs to accommodate dietary restrictions.
