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The ultimate guide to edible Christmas gifts
With the state of Christmas 2020 still in flux, parents preparing to visit drive-thru Santa and the discombobulating drone of Christmas songs playing even though you’re mentally still in March, there is one firm, rigid, solidified tradition we don’t have to figure out how to digitalise this year; eating excessive amounts of food. A basket of delectable delicacies makes for the best gift, and these Irish sets are the best out there.
Brown Thomas Christmas Hampers, from €80
Filled to the brim in each of the luxuriously packaged Brown Thomas hampers, you’ll find all manners of delicacies to last you through the festive season. There are four hampers currently available, from the Eglington Hamper, €80, packed with wine, port jelly, dark chocolate, biscuits and more, to the Patrick Hamper, €300, filled with indulgences from champagne to caviar.
Turn your home/office into a luxury retreat at a five-star castle resort with a hamper from Adare Manor this Christmas. At their online shop, there are six Christmas hampers, including the Dreaming Of Adare Manor Hamper, €250, filled with a fluffy bathrobe, plush hotel slippers, a Christmas bauble and a linen spray, diffuser and candle to scent your home with the fragrance of Adare Manor. There are hampers of festive preserves, an Adare Manor Afternoon Tea hamper and the Sweet and Indulgent Hamper, €150, complete with chocolate, wine, a Christmas pudding, Adare Manor Signature 1832 Tea, festive preserves from the decadent pantry of Adare Manor and more.
Give the gift of handcrafted premium Irish chocolate with the Lir Deluxe Hamper; it’s filled with beautiful pouches of truffles, mouth-watering bars and a Discovery Set of individual chocolates.
Lidl Irish Cheese Hamper, €17.99
It’s not really Christmas until you’ve been to see the Lidl Deluxe range and bought yourself a little tub of saffron, goose fat and a bottle of truffle oil. Plan your visit around December 10, the launch day for the gift the cheese lover in your life will go emmental for. The Lidl Irish Cheese Hamper is only €17.99 (a pretty Gouda deal – you feta brie-lieve I have hundreds more of these) and comes with six Irish cheeses, apple and fig chutney and crackers from Cork’s Hassett’s Bakery; all the makings of a Swissful Christmas.
For your friend who can’t get home for Christmas, Paddy Box create pre-made boxes of beloved Irish favourites, or you can custom make your own box of ten items from their range of products. There’s Dip Dabs, Snack Bars, Tayto and all manner of other Irish delicacies you never cared about until you landed in a country where the chocolate tastes like plastic and all the crisps have a picture of a tomato and an onion on them. The Christmas Box, €59.95, come with all the makings of an Irish Christmas; there’s Tayto, tons of Cadbury treats including a box of Roses and a selection box, Ballymaloe Relish and Barrys Gold Blend Tea, plus the guarantee your friend will ring you in hysterics when they open it.
This year, Avoca have an enormous selection of hampers, from Pamper Kits to Afternoon Tea sets. There are prices for every budget, starting from €20 for the Jammy Trio for a selection of Avoca condiments, right up to the showstopper €460 Luxury Hamper packed with champagne, cashmere blanket, decadent chocolates and self-care essentials.
Photography by Brown Thomas.
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