The 2023 delicious. Christmas gift guide for foodies
What do you get the foodie friend who seems to have everything?! If you feel you’ve exhausted all options and are still stuck for great gift ideas, we’ve got you. This is the ultimate Christmas gift guide for foodies. Expect kitchen kit, delectable treats and stocking fillers that food lovers of all ages will adore.
Make sure you head to our 2023 Christmas gifts hub for personalised gifts, boozy bottles and subscription gifts too.
Luxury homewares
Cuisinart’s 3-in-1 hand blender
This hand blender from Cuisinart is an impressive gift for someone looking to build up their kitchen tool collection. In a swish grey-blue, the blender’s top selling point is that it’s cordless, getting its energy instead from a charging station. It comes with three attachments for blending/mixing, whisking and mashing, and is super powerful. It’s just as adept at blending sauces or soups on the hob as it is creating pommes purées. This is a great gift for someone with a small kitchen too, as the one gadget performs three tasks. Available from Cuisinart (£150).
Handmade coffee cup
Brighten up their morning coffee with this collaboration between Margate-based ceramicist Izzy McFarlane and Paper Stories, a craft café in London. Each cup is hand-painted and holds 140ml – ideal for a cappuccino or flat white. Paper Stories cappuccino cup, £27; coasters, £12, available from Izzy McFarlane Design.
A jazzy Thermapen
The delicious. food team wouldn’t be without a probe thermometer when deep-frying, jam- making or tackling the Sunday roast. The Thermapen One delivers readings in a second and comes in 12 colours, plus two fruity new designs – orange (pictured) or strawberry. Available from Thermapen (£80).
This loaf pan from Sous Chef is unbelievably sturdy. What makes it special is the extra thick aluminised steel, as well as the clever lid, which slides on securely, to create the perfectly bronzed tin loaf that bakers dream of. From sourdough to brioche, the tin makes giving the ideal shape to your loaf so easy. It’s also perfectly formed for Japanese shokupan, with which you can create the dreamiest katsu sando, or extra special French toast. One for the sourdough and baking nerds, this. Available from Sous Chef (£29.99).
Joanna Zenghelis apron
Designer Joanna Zenghelis’ graphic Shreddies aprons are one for the avant-garde aesthete in your life. See also: matching tea towel and gloves. Available from Joanna Zenghelis (from £28).
De La Mer’s handpainted platter
De La Mer’s sculptural platter is crying out for a spread of oysters or a Christmas Eve fruits de mer. A luxurious piece for the shellfish lover in your life. Available from BF home (£65).
Breville 3-in-1 Ultimate Snack Maker
Who else remembers endless cheese or tuna toasties were THE vogue lunch throughout the 90s? Well, as everything 90s is in again, why not update a loved ones toastie-making abilities with Breville’s 3-in-1 Ultimate Snack Maker? It has 3 plate attachments, for toasties, waffles and paninis, meaning your recipient will never be bored of their carby brunch and lunch options well beyond January. Plus, it’s excellent value and the plates are dishwasher safe. Available from Amazon (£45.03).
Alessi’s pulcina espresso maker
Espresso makers can be sophisticated, eye-wateringly expensive gadgets – or they can do the job simply, on the hob, like this award-winning design created by Michele de Lucchi for Alessi. Suitable for induction hobs, it’s a gorgeous bit of kit. Availabile from Alessi and John Lewis (£85).
What does every foodie want for Christmas? A pizza oven, of course. The rise of the pizza oven shows no signs of slowing down, and if you know someone who covets one they will not be disappointed by the Gozney Roccbox. The Roccbox will cook a pizza in 60 seconds, and is super simple to set up: you just need to get your hands on patio gas and a canister (available at petrol stations or from many online suppliers). Then it’s just a case of hooking up your gas and you can have yourself a Neopolitan-style pizza in no time. Available in olive green or grey, or in limited edition black (a special charitable edition), from Gozney (£399).
Sage Barista Express Impress espresso machine
Just when you think their gadgets can’t get any better, Sage knock it out the park again! The Barista Express Impress offers dose control and mechanical tamping functions that take the guess work out of filling your basket and tamping pressure. The result is less mess and more precision, but most importantly a supremely well extracted brew. This is the ideal treat for the coffee fanatic in your life. Available from Sage (£729).
What would you say if we told you it’s possible to buy Sheffield-forged, professional grade steel knives, made by a fourth generation knife maker, with a handle made from plastic that would otherwise go to landfill? What would you say if we told you they are stunning to look and to hold, too? All Days Goods have received nothing but glowing praise for their chefs knives because they really are THAT good. Having already saved 1.346 kg of plastic, they’re doing good too. No knife looks the same, but each looks equally beautiful, and the new dinner knife sets are sure to have any recipient exceedingly chuffed. Be warned: owners of this knives will not want to stop playing with them… Available from All Day Goods (4 for £85).
We fell in love with the OurPlace Perfect Pot when it landed in the UK from the States last year. Now officially settled into the market (and our hearts), they’ve released their signature casserole dish in smaller versions. Excellent for solo diners or smaller food prep, these non-stick, oven-safe pots come in six stylish earthy/pastel colours to match your kitchen – because, quite frankly, they should be out on display! A gorgeously special gift for someone who loves cooking with quality, stylish equipment. Available from OurPlace (£80).
Do you know someone who is forever making themselves a cup of tea or coffee, only to find that by the time they go to drink it, it’s gone cold? Then this mug from Ember is going to change their life. It keeps your drink hot, at your chosen temperature, until you tell it you’ve finished. The temperature is controlled via an app on your phone, and there are clever pre-sets to ensure your latte, green tea or builders’ tea remain at a perfect drinking temperature. Available in stylish gold, copper, silver, black or grey, these mugs look the part, and the rechargeable saucer looks classy as anything too. For the new mum, builder, chef or nurse in your life, this is the gift of a hot cuppa, all year long. Available from Amazon (from £124.07).
We’ve spotted Addison Ross’s quirky bobbin grinders and their shiny lacquer finish on some high-profile food lovers’ dining tables… Available in 18 colours, from sage green and watermelon pink to deep cherry red, they’re like a modern sculpture for the countertop. Parcel up with quality peppercorns. Available from Addison Ross (£58).
Staub cocotte casserole in sage green
If you’re shopping for the foodie that has everything and feel daunted at what to possibly buy, rest assured that you can never go wrong with a casserole dish from Staub – they’ll use it for years and years to come. Available in many colours, but our eye goes to the sage green collection (from £219).
For that friend who is always on the lookout for a new hobby, the Atlas 1500 pasta maker (the Rolls Royce of pasta machines, in our opinion) will keep them entertained for hours. It’s designed to seamlessly clip onto kitchen countertops or tables and comes with three built-in attachments to make lasagne, wide fettuccine and thin tagliolini. Here’s hoping you’ll be the first person they invite round for dinner after Christmas. Available from Borough Kitchen (£150).
Lékué’s two-jar pickling kit is smart: adjustable discs keep items submerged and silicone valves let excess CO2 created during fermentation escape. Each holds 700ml and has a place to insert date labels. Serving tongs included. Available from Borough Kitchen (£33).
Foodie treasures
Limpet’s foodie sweatshirts
Young food lovers (or the young at heart) can wear their heart on their sleeve with Limpet’s range of groovy sweatshirts, emblazoned with comfort foods including hot chocolate, extra cheese and pizza and wine… Each has a matching cartoon motif embroidered on one cuff. Cute. Available from Limpet Store (£40), T-shirts also available.
Bare Bones hot chocolate
You don’t understand how good a hot chocolate can be until you’ve tried this, from Glasgow-based chocolatiers Bare Bones. Their bean-to-bar chocolate is award-winning, and here it’s sold in flakes of the good stuff ready to be stirred into hot and frothy milk for a mug of Christmassy dreams. The hot chocolate comes in a salted variety that will knock your socks off, the salt bringing out the chocolate’s fruity sweetness perfectly. For those who prefer their drinks straight up saccharine, the classic 70% Madagascan version will make them very happy. If you know a hot chocolate fan, this is our pick this year, without a doubt. Available from Bare Bones (£11.25).
Bauce Brothers hot sauce subscription
A gift that’s not for the faint hearted. This sweat-inducing subscription kit from Bauce Brothers Club introduces you to three small-batch, craft hot sauces from across the UK – delivered right to your door, every three months. This is a great way for connoisseurs to try a variety of sauces from small suppliers. Available from Bauce Brothers (£23.99 per box).
Produced in Kendall in Cumbria, the pasta from the Northern Pasta Co is brilliantly chewy and satisfying to eat, and comes in all your favourite shapes plus a few newbies: we love the radiatori, casarecce and gigli (little bells). Most importantly of all, all the shapes are great holders of sauce. A brilliant budget gift for the foodie in your life. Available from Northern Pasta Co (£4.95 each) or at delis across the country.
Simon Rogan Christmas ‘At Home’ menu box
If you’re giving a gift to someone who has had a difficult year, we think this menu from Simon Rogan is a fantastic pick. It offers the recipient a mega treat of a five-course meal, with a take on the traditional roast turkey and all the trimmings. Each dish just needs to be heated up, and the instructions were incredibly easy to follow – ideal for someone who needs a special pick-me-up over the festive season. There’s a cauliflower velouté, a potted Cornish mackerel starter in a Kilner jar to keep, and stuffed Goosnargh turkey served with fresh winter vegetables from the Simon Rogan farm. The Christmas pudding with fig leaf cream is a real highlight. And to finish? Mince pie chocolates. Available from Simon Rogan (£95).
Colston Bassett stilton cheese
Christmas without cheese is just wrong, so treat the cheese lover in your family to a chunk of Colston Bassett stilton, a king of the British blue cheese world. Fruity and savoury with a hint of Marmite, it’s the ideal Christmas cheeseboard cheese and the natural pairing to a festive glass of port. Why complicate it? Available from Neal’s Yard Dairy and the Fine Cheese Co (from £10.85).
Lina Stores Italian food hamper
Know someone who loves pasta with a passion? London’s iconic Italian delicatessen delivers all of the ingredients needed to cook perfect pasta dishes at home. The lucky recipient can try some bucatini alla puttanesca or a spicy arrabbiata sauce alongside their rigatoni. The packaging is mightily impressive too, making for a really special sight on arrival. Available from Lina Stores (£70).
A festive biryani by Dishpatch
If you like a biryani, how about a luxe pastry-crusted lobster version for Christmas Eve? This one, from restaurant-meal-at-home masters Dishpatch, is from west London’s disco-fuelled curry house Empire Empire. It’s a real feast, with a starter of tender kashmiri lamb chops and spinach pakoras with raita, followed by the biryani and a rich, darkly creamy dal makhani. To finish are syrupy, cardamom-fragrant gulab jamun (dumplings). Designed for two, it will easily feed three or four. Available from Dishpatch (£90).
The Local Coffee Club coffee subscription
We like the idea behind The Local Coffee Club, which offers a unique service which sees them bring you a delivery from coffee roasters geographically near you. You can choose a subscription from roasters in London, Bristol, Wales or the entire UK, if you want to branch out! When you sign up, you select how much coffee you want, how frequently, and whether you’ll be brewing in espresso or filter form and the rest is taken care of. A lovely gift for a coffee drinker that can be enjoyed well in to 2024, and will brighten many mornings. Available from The Local Coffee Club (from £11.99 a month).
Rare Tea Co Lost Malawi English breakfast
The sourcing of Rare Tea’s leaves is second to none. English breakfast can be overly aromatic and/or tannic, but its Lost Malawi (picked from one estate) is as smooth as they come, with flavours that fill the mouth without overpowering your palate. The tin is a thing of beauty too. Available from Rare Tea Co (£6.49 for 50g).
Pump Street’s croissant and cookie chocolate
Pump Street chocolate is produced in Suffolk, with sustainable, high quality cocoa, and tastes uniquely of the beans used. The bars are fair trade, fruity and delicious, and justify their price tag. There is a new flavour this year involving cookie pieces, which offers additional texture and butteriness to the otherwise smooth chocolate bar. Try their longer-established croissant bar too – with a real croissant flakiness, it just works! A great find for the chocolate lover in your life. Available from Pump Street (£6.75 for 70g).
A gift that keeps giving
A delicious. magazine subscription
We may be biased, but we believe there’s no greater gift than having delicious. magazine delivered to someone’s door every month. Subscribe in print or digital format for yourself or a friend today. Click here to save 40% today (subscriptions available from £29.99).
Check out all of our Christmas gift guides for 2023:
Best budget Christmas gifts under £25
Best personalised Christmas gifts
Best gins for Christmas
Best subscription Christmas gifts
Best boozy Christmas gifts
Best stocking fillers