Christmas gift ideas for foodies – £20 and under
Are you ready for some delicious drinks, nibbles and more? It’s time to look at some of my favourite foodie stocking fillers for 2021, starting at £3.25 and all under £20.00. No crazy prices here if you’re keeping an eye on your budget, but at the same time there are some real treats to warm the heart.
Some of these will go in a Christmas stocking or small bag of goodies, and others will work better as stand-alone gifts or part of a brilliant bespoke hamper. It’s also good to have something on standby as a thank you for a host or hostess, or an emergency gift that you can eat/drink yourself if it isn’t needed.
Sweetest treats
Monty Bojangles Cocoa Nib Nights Midnight Prince Cat Tin | £14.99. Buy here.
These crunchy, intense vegan cocoa-dusted chocolate truffles with cocoa nibs have just won a Great Taste award, and they come in a premium quality refillable keepsake tin that’s a real stunner. If they’d prefer a smooth-centred rich milk chocolate type truffle, go for the Pink Persian tin instead.
The Artisan Kitchen Fruit Jams & Marmalades | From £5.00. Buy here.
Another multi award-winning small company, this time making breakfast bolder and brighter for anyone who loves their morning toast. Recent raves include Negroni Marmalade, Tropical Marmalade, Raspberry and Chocolate Jam, Seville Cacao Marmalade (Jaffa cake flavour!) and Blaisdon Red Plum Jam. Can’t decide which flavours to pick? Go for one of their three-jar gift boxes for £20 instead, and let them choose for you.
Home comforts
Sainsbury’s baking measure cups, set of 4 | Now £6.00. Buy here.
Well goodness me, these are the prettiest measuring cups I’ve seen in a long while. Floral print on the outside, different pastel shades on the inside, a very cute vintage-look stocking filler for the baker in your life. Meant to be displayed pride of place on a kitchen shelf, rather than shoved in a drawer.
LaDonna Cheese Platter and Knives Gift Set | £18.99. Buy here.
This nicely-boxed cheese board set comes with a serving tray, a slate plate, and two cheese knives and a fork server which sit in individual compartments. Fairly compact (35 x 23 x 1.5 cm) but not too small, so it’s ideal for evening snacks in front of the TV or as part of a buffet table for more people.
Gold coloured champagne stopper in gift box | £7.50. Buy at Oliver Bonas.
A lovely little stocking filler for those friends who love fizz. Makes a neat secret Santa, or make it part of a bigger gift by adding it to a bottle bag with some of their favourite prosecco, cava or champagne. The whole kitchenware section is worth a look for affordable contemporary treats, as are their candles and room fragrances.
Savoury flavours
Hawkshead Relish Co. Chutneys & Ketchups | From £3.25. Buy here.
Their Gift Wrap Christmas Selection, £6.50 is a great stocking filler, containing Christmas Chutney 120g, Boxing Day Chutney 110g and New Year Relish 110g to tickle those tastebuds. Don’t forget to pick up some black garlic ketchup or hot beetroot ketchup while you’re there.
Travel sized No. 5 hot sauce stocking filler, 2 x 15ml | £7.50. Buy here.
A delicious Sriracha Cha Cha Cha chilli sauce and Pizza Pizzazz spicy oil gift set combo in a portable drawstring travel bag, with complex flavours and interesting ingredients. Reusable 15ml bottles mean you can top them up from a bigger bottle more sustainably, making those packed lunches, meals out and takeaways-on-the go even tastier.
Personalised Christmas Marmite jar gift | £12.99. Buy at Prezzybox.
Get their name printed big and bold on a jar of this iconic savoury spread, which comes in a smart gift box that looks great and is easier to wrap. Your choice of ‘naughty’ (black horns and a lump of coal) or ‘nice’ (gold label and halo for presents) version. There’s still time to order this personalised gift before Christmas, if you don’t hang about.
Tipples & treats
Glenfiddich Family Collection Single Malt Whisky Gift Pack 3x5cl | RRP £12.00. Buy for £11.00 at Sainsbury’s, or £10.50 at Ocado.
Glenfiddich is the best-selling and most awarded malt scotch whisky in the world, so this could be a good choice for a whisky lover. Three bottles of single malt, each containing a double shot. These are aged 12, 15 and 18 years respectively in sherry, bourbon and oak casks, made to sip slowly and enjoy.
Zymurgorium Gin Experience Pack 5 x 50ml | £19.99. Buy here.
Five punchy gins and gin liqueurs to sample at your leisure: Manchester Marmalade Craft Gin, Zym Gin Premium Pink Gin, Sweet Violet Premium Gin Liqueur, Cherry on top Bakewell Premium Gin Liqueur and Turkish Delight Premium Gin Liqueur. The bottles stack together in an attractive tower and are packaged beautifully.
Home Cocktail Bible by Olly Smith | RRP 20.00, now £17.59. Buy here.
This is a stunner of a book for the home cocktail enthusiast. It tells you everything you need to know about the essential spirits, mixers, syrups and kit that will open up the world of cocktails, and gives you over 200 classic and new recipes to try. Contains interesting ‘flavour wheels’ for each spirit to help you invent your own cocktail recipes too.
Heavenly hampers
Fodabox Mini Prosecco & Luxury Chocolate Hamper | £19.99. Buy here.
FodaBox (the new name of BoroughBox) has all kinds of foodie gift boxes for every budget. For example, the box shown above from their FodaBox signature gifts range contains Prosecco Brut 20cl from Terra Serena, salted caramel biscuits 100g from Artisan du Chocolat, salted caramel chocolates 20g from Artisan du Chocolat, and a prosecco milk chocolate bar 75g from Love Cocoa.
There are multiple gift box categories to look through to find that perfect something. You can also make your own gift boxes up by choosing from all kinds of other artisan food and drink from cheese to Turkish delight to send as highly personalised presents to locations around the UK. Get £5 off your first order (min £25) by signing up to their newsletter.
That’s the last of the Christmas 2021 food and drink articles gift guides, so Merry Christmas and a big ‘bon appetit’ from me.
Full disclosure: I have been gifted PR samples of Zymurgorium Gin and No.5 sauces without obligation to review. The rest I have sampled at press events or bought and tried myself. No paid placements.
Dear Penny,
I wish you a Happy New Year. Do you have any plans for your blog this coming year ? We miss your challenges. Wish you a very good blogging year. Love, Pat
Hi Pat – and a very Happy New Year to you too. There will be a self-care challenge in the second half of January, if you’d like to join in with that. I’m also going to be writing about store cupboard management etc soon.
Penny x