Food gifts: chocolate gifts, hot chocolate & tea gift sets

Choosing food gifts

Good food gifts are things people enjoy but rarely buy for themselves, such as a single-origin chocolate bar or a good loose leaf tea. Think about how the person eats and drinks, and check each listing for allergens and dietary details before you buy. Shelf life matters too, so pick something that keeps if you are buying early for Christmas. Firetree, Big Nose and Beardy, Catalyse Life Drinks and So Just Shop make many of the presents here. We checked each producer for where its ingredients come from and how clearly it labels them.

Chocolate gifts for Christmas

Firetree makes single-origin chocolate from island farms in the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and Madagascar. Its chocolate gifts include letterbox selections, library sets, tasting bar gift boxes, 100% cocoa collections and a chocolate and wine gift box. Mr Popple's Chocolate makes dairy-free collections and monthly chocolate bar subscriptions, and Oh Lily Snacks makes a chocolate snack box. Christmas chocolate gifts like a letterbox selection fit through the door, so they suit anyone you cannot see in person. Some bars contain milk, so check each listing for vegan details.

Hot chocolate gifts and tea

Firetree makes hot chocolate gifts from single-origin cocoa, including Vanuatu 72%, Philippines 73% and a 100% cocoa version, plus a luxury hot chocolate collection. For tea lovers, Camellios makes loose leaf tea gift sets, including one with a borosilicate glass teapot, and Catalyse Life Drinks makes botanical loose leaf teas and tea ritual sets. The Herbtender makes an organic herbal tea set, and Nick Munro makes Queens teapots and tea infusers to go with them.

Cider, alcohol-free drinks and savoury gifts

Big Nose and Beardy makes Sussex craft cider, with taster packs, a cider and cheese tasting hamper, a chocolate and cider pairing box and a hot toddy and mulling kit for winter. Pentire Drinks makes alcohol-free spirits and spritz bundles, and Quarter makes lighter spirits. For savoury food gifts, Raju Sauces makes a trio sauce box, and So Just Shop makes a mezze feasting kit and mulling spice gift sets. Alcohol is for adults aged 18 and over. Chocolate has more single-origin bars, Gift Hampers & Boxes has chocolate gift boxes and hampers, Tea has loose leaf tea, and Eco swaps for food and drink: Where the plastic actually comes from has ideas for lower-waste food shopping.