Delicious hampers for the holiday season that make great gifts for foodies and house parties
Last-minute gift-giving can be a stressful exercise. If you haven’t secured a present for a loved one yet, or are invited for a spur-of-the-moment party, consider going the edible route with your gift.
Festive packages stuffed with delicious goodies are sure to appeal to most and there’s a slew on offer every year, from boutique artisans to multichain brands. The latter are readily available in shops and malls across the UAE, and most can also be ordered online with minimal delivery time. Here are our favourites this season.
German stollen from Risen Cafe
The home-grown cafe and bakery has put together a hamper with classic Christmas-themed treats, including a traditional German stollen, fruit cake, mince pie, cinnamon star cookies and spiced Cajun cashew nuts. The hamper is available at all of the brand’s locations throughout December and is priced at Dh225.
Snowfall set from Bateel
Saudi gourmet chocolate and dates retailer Bateel has several festive-themed gift boxes available to customers as part of its Snowfall collection this year.
Our favourite is the assorted truffles gift set enclosed in a tree-shaped box.
The vibrantly hued packaging, covered with gold, silver and green snowflakes, looks truly festive.
There are three size options available too, with prices starting at Dh250 per box at bateel.com.
Choco Cones from IGP
Cone-shaped chocolates inside a box adorned with a rose gold glitter ribbon makes for an ideal gift for cocoa lovers. The cones are rich and crunchy and on the affordable side at Dh130 per box on ae.igp.com.
The online gift delivery portal also has a Dh200 Festive Elegance hamper, which comes with a floral arrangement of baby’s breath and pearl petals in a ceramic vase; Masqa Nutty Nibbles; and a photo frame with the words Merry Christmas.
Macarons from Laduree
French patisserie Laduree is stocking festive macaron boxes this season, inclusive of its classic flavours plus two limited-edition options. The Lotus biscuit version is made with muscovado sugar cream, caramelised white chocolate and subtle festive spices. The nougat macaron has a nut filling and chestnut honey nougat cream.
The boxes are priced from Dh150 and contain eight, 12 or 18 pieces. You can also opt for macarons with gold or silver garnish, at Dh20 each, all available at laduree.ae.
Bonbons from Sugargram
Mini cupcake company Sugargram has put together a festive bonbon box with assorted seasonal flavours, including hazelnut snowman, peppermint Santa hat, toffee reindeer
and cinnamon snowflakes. They are priced at Dh160 and available from order.chatfood. io/sugargram.
Espresso Lovers hamper from Lime Tree Cafe
This hamper from The Lime Tree Cafe includes 11 items such as single-origin organic Fair Trade filter coffee, cranberry coconut and white chocolate Florentines. It also comes with two Middle Eastern-themed mugs and a matching tea towel. It costs Dh685 and is available to buy at thelimetreecafe.com.
Flavours of Britain from Jones the Grocer
Jones the Grocer calls this “flavours of Britain wrapped in a wicker basket”. The hamper includes Shropshire blue cheese, sea salted caramel oat crunches and black truffle and porcini rapeseed oil.
It costs Dh699 and is available at jonesthegrocer.com.