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Chocolate Trading CompanyChocolate Trading CompanyChocolate Trading Co is a specialist online chocolate retailer covering gift boxes, bars, baking chocolate and drinking chocolate. Its strongest draw is the personalised Superior S2 current offers · View store → will sell you an empty hamper to fill with its chocolate. When I looked in October 2026, its large cardboard hamper box was £9.45 and its large wicker hamper was £39.95. The wicker one is bigger and takes bottles, but that £30 gap is a fair guide to what a basket costs before anything goes in it.
Cadbury Gifts DirectCadbury Gifts DirectCadbury Gifts Direct is built around chocolate gifts featuring well-known Cadbury brands. It suits shoppers who want a recognisable chocolate present rather than something more elaBuying guide · View store → shows the same thing from the other side. Its Large Christmas Chocolate Hamper comes in a printed box with almost 2.5kg of chocolate and sweets, by the shop's own description, and was £40. Its Ultimate Christmas Chocolate Hamper comes in a wicker basket with about 2kg, and was £80. Same shop, the same kind of chocolate, less of it, twice the price.
That's the catch with Christmas hampers. The photo sells the wicker, the ribbon and the straw; the contents list sits a scroll further down. The price covers the food, the container, the packing and often the delivery, and only the first of those gets eaten. So I've read the contents lists of the hampers we carry from BunchesBunches.co.ukThis is Bunches, a family-owned flower business from Mansfield that has sent bouquets by post since 1990. You can choose letterbox flowers, hand tied bouquets, plants, hampers and 2 current offers · View store →, Cadbury Gifts Direct,
Social Stories ClubSocial Stories ClubSocial Stories Club builds gift hampers around products from UK social enterprises, with a printed story booklet explaining each item's social impact. The range runs from ready-madBuying guide · View store →,
Not On The High StreetNot On The High StreetNot On The High Street is a marketplace of independent UK makers rather than a single retailer, so the range runs from personalised jewellery and homeware to food, experience days Buying guide · View store → and Chocolate Trading Company, and sorted them by the person opening them: a family, someone who lives alone, a colleague, someone who doesn't drink, and someone who'd rather have a pamper hamper than food.
My short answer: price what's inside rather than what it's packed in, size it to the household, and check the dates, allergens and delivery before you pay.
What's actually inside a Christmas hamper?
Most hampers are a handful of branded, individually packed foods chosen by the shop, plus something to put them in. The better shops list every item with its weight, and that list is the only part worth comparing. BunchesBunches.co.ukThis is Bunches, a family-owned flower business from Mansfield that has sent bouquets by post since 1990. You can choose letterbox flowers, hand tied bouquets, plants, hampers and 2 current offers · View store → prints a full list on each hamper's page. Its Christmas Afternoon Tea Hamper (£21.75 in October 2026) holds ten tea bags, a 114g jar of strawberry preserve, four mince pies, a 45g mini iced loaf and 150g of shortbread, in a postal box.
Item counts tell you less than they seem to. Bunches calls that hamper five items, counting the four mince pies as one. Its Meg Rivers Christmas Joy Hamper (£34.25) is listed as 16 items, because six mince pies and eight shortbreads each count separately, alongside a brownie and a small iced Christmas cake. Neither count is wrong, but you can't compare them. Weights and sizes you can.
Sizes are where hampers quietly shrink. A few details from the lists I read:
| Hamper | Price (Oct 2026) | The detail worth reading |
|---|---|---|
| Bunches Merry and Bright Christmas Hamper | £28.95 | A 100g Christmas pudding, a 100g panettone, one mince pie and a 10g mulled wine sachet among its seven items |
| Bunches Perfectly Pampered | £51.45 | The Prosecco is a 20cl bottle, about a quarter of a standard 75cl one |
| Whisky Lovers Letter Box Hamper | £34.95 | The two single malts are 50ml bottles |
| Social Stories Club Pamper Hamper | £70 | One of its ten items is a 4.2g dark chocolate napolitain; another is a tote bag |
| Bunches Festive Sharing Hamper | £74.45 | Two full 75cl bottles of wine and 400g of cheese among its 11 items |
None of that makes them bad gifts. Miniatures are the point of a letterbox hamper, and Social Stories Club's prices pay for buying from social enterprises and for a booklet telling the story behind each item. It does mean the photo and the size of the box won't tell you what you're paying for. Even the photos need reading: the Meg Rivers page notes that the Christmas decorations in its picture aren't included.
Whether a hamper costs more than its contents varies a lot. When Which? priced three Christmas boxes against their contents in 2023, Waitrose's £45 box held £25.89 of food at Waitrose's own prices, while the Bettys and Fortnum & Mason boxes came out within a few pounds of their contents either way. The only way to know is to add it up.
Delivery is the other line on the bill. Bunches charges it on top, from £3.50 by its terms and £4.99 or £7 on the hampers I looked at. Social Stories Club includes UK delivery, and many Not On The High Street sellers, such as Lottie Shaw's, include standard delivery too, so I'd add it in before comparing.
These are the hampers in our Christmas hampers collection, with today's prices from each shop. For birthdays and thank-yous the rest of the year, there's a wider hampers collection.
Christmas hampers from UK shops
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Who is the hamper for?
The person opening it matters more than the hamper. A 2.5kg box of chocolate is a feast for a family of five and a chore for someone on their own, and a bottle of wine is wasted on someone who doesn't drink. When a Mumsnet thread in December 2025 asked whether a hamper is a boring present, most replies came down to the same thing: it's a good gift when it's full of things that person likes, and a poor one when it isn't.
A family
For a household with children, or a crowd coming over, sharing size wins and the basket barely matters. The Cadbury Large Christmas Chocolate Hamper from the top of this guide is boxed and built for sharing, with Heroes, Roses, Dairy Milk, Eclairs and Wine Gums. Its Christmas Magic Chocolate Hamper (£50 in October 2026) adds a make-your-own chocolate house kit, which gives children something to do on Christmas afternoon.
If they'd rather have baking than chocolate, Lottie Shaw's Family Christmas Hamper on Not On The High StreetNot On The High StreetNot On The High Street is a marketplace of independent UK makers rather than a single retailer, so the range runs from personalised jewellery and homeware to food, experience days Buying guide · View store → (£45 with standard delivery) holds four deep-filled mince pies, Yorkshire parkin, two biscuit boxes, a flapjack and two gingerbread reindeer, and the bakery suggests it as an alternative to an advent calendar. It says its products have a minimum shelf life of three months from baking, so it can arrive early. For grown-ups who are hosting, the Bunches Festive Sharing Hamper is the one with two full bottles of wine and a cheeseboard's worth of Stilton and cheddar.
Hampers to share with a family
Someone who lives alone
For one person, I'd send less, better, with long dates. The BunchesBunches.co.ukThis is Bunches, a family-owned flower business from Mansfield that has sent bouquets by post since 1990. You can choose letterbox flowers, hand tied bouquets, plants, hampers and 2 current offers · View store → Three Cheese Hamper (£24.75) is three 100g Mouse House cheddars, oatcake bites, cheese biscuits and three small Tiptree chutneys: enough for a few evenings rather than a party. The Christmas Afternoon Tea Hamper does the same job for someone who'd rather have tea and mince pies.
A cream tea is lovely for one, but time it. The Cornish Company's Cream Tea for Two Hamper on Not On The High Street sends freshly baked scones with clotted cream and jam. The seller says it has a best before of five days on arrival and asks you to order close to the day you want it, and also says one hungry person can manage it alone.
Smaller hampers for one
A colleague or client
Office hampers split in two. For a Secret Santa, Cadbury Gifts DirectCadbury Gifts DirectCadbury Gifts Direct is built around chocolate gifts featuring well-known Cadbury brands. It suits shoppers who want a recognisable chocolate present rather than something more elaBuying guide · View store →'s Secret Santa Christmas Chocolate Hamper was £20 in October 2026, with Roses, Heroes, a Christmas selection and a sleeved Dairy Milk bar. The shop notes that only gifts from its Secret Santa range go anonymously, and adding a gift message means it won't be. Our Secret Santa gifts have more at that sort of price.
For a team, one big sharing box sent to the office does more than several small ones. For a client, I'd look at Social Stories ClubSocial Stories ClubSocial Stories Club builds gift hampers around products from UK social enterprises, with a printed story booklet explaining each item's social impact. The range runs from ready-madBuying guide · View store →, which builds hampers from social enterprise products, puts a booklet in each one explaining what every item supports, and will send hampers to several UK addresses for free if you list them with the order. Its Social Impact Gift Hamper was £49 in October 2026.
Hampers for the office
Someone who doesn't drink
Plenty of Christmas hampers include a bottle, and some tuck one into the list: the Merry and Bright hamper has that mulled wine sachet. If the person doesn't drink, for whatever reason, I'd choose a hamper built without alcohol rather than one with a bottle for them to pass on. The BunchesBunches.co.ukThis is Bunches, a family-owned flower business from Mansfield that has sent bouquets by post since 1990. You can choose letterbox flowers, hand tied bouquets, plants, hampers and 2 current offers · View store → Alcohol Free Treats Hamper (£44.75) swaps the wine for a 75cl sparkling lemonade, with a lemon loaf cake, popcorn, pretzels, crisps, nuts and a honeycomb chocolate bar in a felt storage basket.
Social Stories ClubSocial Stories ClubSocial Stories Club builds gift hampers around products from UK social enterprises, with a printed story booklet explaining each item's social impact. The range runs from ready-madBuying guide · View store →'s Vegan Treats Gift Hamper (£57) has a caddy of Assam tea, two 90g dark chocolate bars, apple crisps and a sparkling water, and suits a vegan as well.
The BlossomistThe BlossomistThe Blossomist sells hand-tied bouquets, letterbox flowers and subscriptions, with delivery across the UK and next-day options for London. Its delivery costs, cut-off times and refBuying guide · View store →'s Cosy Cocoa Christmas Hamper is a night in with chocolates, fudge, cranberry shortbread and hot chocolate, in a magnetic box they can keep.
Hampers without alcohol
Someone who'd love a pamper hamper
A pamper hamper skips the food altogether: bath salts, soap, candles, socks, an eye mask. It's the easier choice when you aren't sure what someone eats, and nothing in it has a best before date, though bath products still list their ingredients and scents.
Hallby's Christmas Retreat Box on Not On The High StreetNot On The High StreetNot On The High Street is a marketplace of independent UK makers rather than a single retailer, so the range runs from personalised jewellery and homeware to food, experience days Buying guide · View store → (£29.95) lists a face mask, 70g of bath salts, a handmade soap with a sisal soap bag, a satin eye mask, three tea lights, wool socks and under-eye patches. Wild Planet Aromatherapy's Hug in a Box (£30) is made in Kent and fits through a letterbox. Social Stories Club's Pamper Hamper is the bigger, pricier one, with a candle, honey, bath salts, a shampoo bar, lotion and soap. Bunches' Perfectly Pampered has bath products and a candle too, plus that small Prosecco.
Pamper hampers
When a luxury hamper earns its price
A luxury Christmas hamper is worth the money when it goes on something they'll keep or couldn't easily buy. The basket can be that thing: the BunchesBunches.co.ukThis is Bunches, a family-owned flower business from Mansfield that has sent bouquets by post since 1990. You can choose letterbox flowers, hand tied bouquets, plants, hampers and 2 current offers · View store → Perfect Picnic Hamper comes in a fitted willow picnic basket for four, which will outlast the Prosecco and houmous inside it. Specialist food is the other case.
TruffleHunterTruffleHunterTruffleHunter sells fresh truffles alongside truffle oils, condiments, seasonings and gift sets, with a strong focus on UK shoppers. The range suits home cooks who want a dependabl9 current offers · View store →'s Truffle Lovers Hamper holds 15 truffle products, from oils and truffle slices to honey and tagliatelle, and is for someone who cooks. The Mouse House's Cheese and Port Hamper pairs three cheeses with a bottle of late bottled vintage port.
Luxury Christmas hampers
Or build your own
If you know exactly what they like, filling a hamper yourself means paying only for things they'll eat, and our chocolate gifts are a place to start. Chocolate Trading CompanyChocolate Trading CompanyChocolate Trading Co is a specialist online chocolate retailer covering gift boxes, bars, baking chocolate and drinking chocolate. Its strongest draw is the personalised Superior S2 current offers · View store → packs any of its chocolate into the empty hampers from the opening, from a mini box for up to 12 bars (£4.95) to the large wicker basket.
Cadbury Gifts DirectCadbury Gifts DirectCadbury Gifts Direct is built around chocolate gifts featuring well-known Cadbury brands. It suits shoppers who want a recognisable chocolate present rather than something more elaBuying guide · View store → does the same with a pick'n'mix wicker hamper, and Social Stories Club lets you choose six to 15 items for its build-your-own hamper.
Getting a hamper to someone who's out
Christmas hamper delivery goes wrong in two ways: the box doesn't fit through the door, or it waits somewhere while the food inside runs down its dates. Most hampers need a signature or someone in. If nobody answers, Royal Mail redelivers automatically the next working day and then holds the parcel for 18 days. DPD gives a one-hour slot and lets the recipient move the day or send it to a neighbour, a safe place or a pickup shop. Bunches sends its courier hampers to be signed for and says it can't refund fresh food deliveries that fail because the recipient wasn't home.
Letterbox hampers sidestep most of this. The Letter Box Hamper range on Not On The High StreetNot On The High StreetNot On The High Street is a marketplace of independent UK makers rather than a single retailer, so the range runs from personalised jewellery and homeware to food, experience days Buying guide · View store → is designed to fit through UK letterboxes and promises a minimum shelf life of two months. Our letterbox gifts guide has more that fit.
For bigger hampers, I'd pick a delivery date rather than the fastest option. Bunches lets you choose the day for its courier hampers, and Chocolate Trading Company sells a specified-date delivery. For a colleague, send it to the workplace before the office closes for Christmas. I'd keep fresh things, like those Cornish scones, for people I know will be home. And on Not On The High Street, tick that the order is a gift: the seller then sends a gift receipt without prices instead of an invoice. Bunches and Social Stories Club leave the price out as standard.
Every shop sets its own last order dates for Christmas, and in mid-October most hadn't published them. Chocolate Trading Company's delivery page already lists Wednesday 23 December for next-day delivery to mainland UK and Monday 21 December for standard tracked, both by 4pm (checked 18 October 2026). Social Stories Club asks you to allow two extra working days over Christmas. For anything posted, Royal Mail's last posting dates put 1st Class and Tracked 24 on Monday 21 December. For the rest, check the shop's own delivery page before you order.
Allergens, dates and alcohol
A hamper of prepacked foods doesn't come with one label: each item carries its own. UK law requires 14 allergens to be emphasised in the ingredients list of prepacked food, and when it's sold online that information has to be available before you buy as well as on delivery. Not every hamper page shows it, though. Bunches lists each item by brand and weight but not its ingredients, so for an allergy I'd ask before ordering. Social Stories Club publishes an allergen table for every product it uses. Lottie Shaw's lists every allergen its bakery handles and asks people to read the statement on each item.
Two more things matter for allergies. "May contain" warnings are voluntary, and Anaphylaxis UK points out that the different wordings all mean the same risk. And shops swap items: Bunches and Social Stories Club both say they may substitute something of similar value if an item runs out, which can change what's in it. For someone with a serious allergy, I'd ask the shop to confirm the full list close to dispatch, or send a pamper hamper instead. Bunches also has a range of speciality diet hampers, including gluten-free and vegan ones.
Dates are simpler than they look. A use by date is about safety and a best before date is about quality: food is usually still safe after its best before. Bunches says non-fresh items arrive with at least two weeks left and fresh or chilled ones with at least seven days, which is fine for Christmas week but worth knowing if they're away.
Alcohol changes the delivery. Selling alcohol to anyone under 18 is an offence, and Home Office guidance puts the age check on whoever hands it over. Shops ask you to confirm you're 18 or over at checkout, and couriers may want an adult at the door, so a hamper with wine is a poor choice for a house where nobody is in during the day, or for a student who isn't 18 yet.
Finally, returns. Food that goes off quickly and personalised gifts don't come with the usual 14-day cooling-off period, and for food that perishes the right to reject faulty goods only lasts as long as the food can be expected to keep. If something arrives broken or missing, tell the shop the day it lands, with photos. On Not On The High Street, your contract is with the seller, so that's who to contact first.
What I'd send
I'd start with the person rather than the hamper: a sharing box for a family, something small with long dates for someone on their own, an alcohol-free one when in doubt, and a pamper hamper for anyone whose diet I'm not sure of. Then I'd read the list, put the sizes beside the price, add the delivery charge and ignore the basket unless the basket is the gift. Ordered early with a delivery date, the hamper gets there while everything in it is at its best. For other ideas, our guides to Christmas flowers and plants, Christmas gifts for mum and thank-you gifts take the same approach.
