The best Christmas gifts for foodies

From stocking fillers to the best cookbooks, we've rounded up the best Christmas presents for your food-loving family and friends.

Chocolat Charbonnel Luxury Hot Drinking Chocolate Flakes, Lakeland, £5.99: as close to a warm hug as it's possible to get in a tin, this luxury hot chocolate is well worth the price. Presented in a beautiful gift tin, the chocolate flakes, made from 51% cocoa solids, result in a velvety smooth and absolutely irresistible drink. A great little pick-me-up to send someone you won't see this Christmas.

DIY Gingerbread Man Kit, Harvey Nichols, £6.95: while a whole gingerbread house is a bit extreme as a stocking filler, this adorable DIY gingerbread man is sure to bring a little Christmas cheer. The kit comes with a pre-cut, ready-made gingerbread man, ready-to-pipe icing and chocolate buttons for decoration. 

Mini Food and Drink Trivia Quiz, Liberty, £4.95: challenge your family to a fun Christmas Day quiz and find out who knows their crème pâtissière from their crudités. The quick-fire quiz features 100 food-related questions, from the origins of pho to the inventor of the cronut, and is suitable for gourmands and fast food fans alike.

From left to right: Liberty, Harvey Nichols, Monki

Personalised Heinz gift, £5.49: a nation of baked bean lovers, most will appreciate the thought behind a personalised Heinz Beanz can to then enjoy with cheese on toast, on a baked potato or with breakfast. Tomato ketchup, cream of tomato soup, Hoops and mayo are all available to personalise too.

Avocado socks, Monki, £3: whether it's smashed on toast, mashed into a guacamole or sliced in a salad, avocado has been the last decade's hottest food trend. The perfect gift for those wishing they were always out for a brunch.

Heavy-duty round linen banneton, The Sourdough School, £22.72: the perfect gift for that one person who started baking sourdough during lockdown and never stopped. A proofing basket that offers the perfect conditions for making sourdough bread, this banneton is designed for a lifetime of use. The French-style banneton is linen-lined and after a few uses acts as a helpful guide for the perfect proof.

M&S gin liqueur snow globe, £18: add a bit of festive sparkle with this festive tipple. The glass bottle is filled not only with delicious gin liqueur but also edible gold leaf, which creates a magical winter scene when you shake the bottle, just like a snow globe. This year, the gin liqueur comes in two flavours – clementine and rhubarb – and is presented in a light-up bottle. Whether enjoyed over ice or mixed with prosecco or tonic water in seasonal cocktails, this gin liqueur makes a fantastic gift.

Eco Kitchen Sink Gift Set, Peace With The Wild, £15: the one for those who have already stocked their kitchens with water filters, reusable straws and beeswax food wraps, this plastic-free kitchen sink set includes everything your conscious friend or family member needs for an environmentally-friendly way to do the washing up. The kit comes complete with a plastic-free natural dish soap that's palm oil-free, a natural bristle wooden dish brush and a bamboo soap rack. 

From left to right: Peace With The Wild, Sous Chef, M&S

Muzzi pear and chocolate chip panettone, Sous Chef, £23.99: this 1kg beast comes wrapped in stunning tropical paper and won't need any other gift packaging. Made with candied pear and chocolate chips, it's a beautiful and delicious take on a traditional panettone set to be the star of Christmas nibbles, either enjoyed with a cup of tea or with a glass of fizz. 

Sass & Belle lemon salt & pepper shaker set, £7.50: a juicy gift to your favourite foodie, this salt and pepper set couldn't be any more adorable. Perfect for squeezing a dash of colour onto the dining table and a useful reminder to eat your five-a-day.

Edinburgh Gin The Winter's Cocktail gift box, £35: give the gift of a cosy night in with this brilliant Edinburgh Gin gift set. A taste of Christmas in a bottle, the mulled gin liqueur set comes in a box that resembles a book and is complete with a bag of mulled spices and two Edinburgh Gin glasses. It's perfect for creating your own mulled wine cocktail at home.

OPINEL Parallèle knives set of three, Selfridges, £65: any keen home cook will appreciate a set of quality knives. The set of three includes a chef's knife, a carving knife and a paring knife – all the ones you actually need in the kitchen (apart from a bread knife). The blade is made from anti-corrosive stainless steel while the beech handle is durable and pleasant to the touch.

M&S cast aluminium casserole dish, 3L–7L, from £39.50: a kitchen is almost unimaginable without a good casserole dish and this sleek and stylish dish from M&S not only looks amazing, but is also much cheaper than similar alternatives. Offering excellent value for money, the casserole dishes come in a variety of sizes and colours and can go straight from the hob into the oven. They're also lightweight unlike cast iron alternatives and work with all hobs, including induction.

From left to right: Edinburgh Gin, Letter Box Hampers, M&S

Christmas Edition Letter Box Hamper, Letter Box Hamper, £29.95: send some love through the letterbox to someone you won't see this Christmas with the help of Letter Box Hamper. This particular hamper features traditional Christmas treats like chocolate truffles, shortbread and salted caramel chocolate, but you can also pick your own hamper. There's an option to add a personalised message and pick the colour of your wrapping paper for an extra special touch.

Signature Brew Christmas Pub in a Box, from £28: many of us have seriously missed a good night out at a pub and the lack of parties and social gatherings is harshly felt this festive period. Help lift a friend or family member's spirits by bringing the pub to them with this Christmas pub in a box gift. The set comes in three sizes – eight cans, 16 cans or 24 cans – and features a selection of Signature Brew's craft beer, a Signature Brew glass, some Christmas pub snacks, beer mat, a Christmas music quiz and a Christmas Spotify playlist for a fun night in.

Cook, Eat, Repeat: Ingredients, recipes and stories by Nigella Lawson (Chatto & Windus, £26): a delicious and delightful combination of recipes and narrative essays by the Queen of Cooking herself, this is among the most hotly anticipated cookbooks of 2020. There is everything you want from a cookbook – brilliant recipes, a little bit of humour and, most importantly, a lot of comfort. 

Restore by Gizzi Erksine (HQ, £25): an important read as we look to make our diets more sustainable and environmentally-friendly, Gizzi Erksine's new cookbook features recipes that not only taste exceptional but focus on seasonal ingredients, cutting food waste, cooking from scratch and nose-to-tail/root-to-shoot eating. It's a thought-provoking read that combines over a hundred recipes with commentary on issues surrounding food including farming, cooking and shopping.

Ottolenghi FLAVOUR by Yotam Ottolenghi and Ixta Belfrage (Ebury Press, £27): another instant classic to add to the Ottolenghi collection, this time it's a joint effort between Yotam Ottolenghi and core member of the Ottolenghi test kitchen Ixta Belfrage – and it's resulted in something truly inspiring. With a strong focus on, you guessed it, flavour, the cookbook focuses on vegetarian recipes, featuring more than 100 innovative ways to use veg: think spicy mushroom lasagne, portobello steaks and butter bean mash and chaat masala potatoes.

From left to right: Chatto & Windus, Murdoch Books, HQ

Parwana: Recipes and stories from an Afghan kitchen by Durkhanai Ayubi (Murdoch Books, £20): gorgeous inside and out, Parwana is the story of author Durkhanai Ayuni and her parents fleeing war-torn Afghanistan to settle in Adelaide, Australia in 1985. Alongside heart-warming and often eye-opening family stories there are those that explore Afghanistan's rich history, traditions and culture through food. Adelaide locals might already be familiar with the family's popular restaurant Parwana and Deli Parwana, but for those this side of the equator it's a chance to try exceptional dishes achievable by any home cook.

One Tin Bakes: Sweet and simple traybakes, pies, bars and buns by Edd Kimber (Kyle Books, £17.99): one for the home baker among your friends and family, the approach of this brilliant cookbook is wonderfully simplistic. Invest in one good tin and it'll unlock near limitless possibilities to outstanding desserts, from cakes and brownies to pies and tarts, without being too intimidating or technical.

Community Comfort: Recipes from the diaspora (Tezeta Press, £10): As the title suggests, this e-cookbook (available only to download) brings together 100 comfort food recipes inspired by a global heritage. There's jollof rice, aubergine rundown with roti and Japanese dumplings, plus sweet dishes such as roasted plantain with ice cream and spiced banana cake with rum crème fraîche. Funds raised by the cookbook go towards supporting British BAME communities affected by COVID-19. A cookbook with a lot of soul in more ways than one.

Cover image: George Dolgikh/Shutterstock

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