Secret Santa Gift Ideas: Food Gifts Under $30

Secret Santa is hard because you are buying for someone you may barely know, on a strict budget. Food solves both problems. Everyone eats, it gets used, and a good gourmet treat feels more generous than its price.

Here are Secret Santa gift ideas at two common budgets. Prices are current at the time of writing.

Secret Santa gifts under $15

• Nutworks Roast and Salt Macadamias. Australian macadamias in a 75g pouch. Pair two flavours for a bigger gift. See our guide to the Nutworks range.
• Danny's Chocolate Thins Honeycomb. Easy to share at the desk.
• A Christmas shortbread tube. Festive packaging, and the tube gets reused.
• Hunter's Black Truffle chips. A canister that looks like more than it costs.
• Luckies Beer Socks. Novelty socks that look like a can of lager. Silly, cheap and always a laugh.

Secret Santa gifts under $30

• Whittard Christmas Tea. A spiced black tea with vanilla, cloves and citrus, in an embossed tin. For the tea drinker in the office.
• Cottage Delight Christmas Couple Gift Pack. A festive small-batch duo, ready to give.
• Cottage Delight Twice the Spice. A spicy condiment duo for anyone who likes heat.
• A Luxury Festive Shortbread Tin. Shortbread plus a tin they will keep. More in our Christmas shortbread guide.
• An Ottolenghi Tea Towel. Organic cotton with a pomegranate print, for the cook.
• Sassy Marg's Margarita Salt. For the person who runs the drinks at every party.

Safe choices when you do not know them

If you have drawn someone you know nothing about, go for something sweet and shareable rather than something niche. Shortbread, chocolate and macadamias suit almost everyone. Avoid alcohol unless you know they drink, and avoid nuts if anyone in the office has an allergy.

Make it look like more

• Combine two small things. A pouch of nuts and a bar of chocolate in a paper bag with ribbon looks like a hamper.
• Add a handwritten tag. It costs nothing and it is what people remember.
• Choose good packaging. A tin or tube does half the work of wrapping.

Running a Secret Santa at work?

Set a clear budget, a draw date and a swap date, and ask everyone to note any allergies or dietary needs on the draw. A food-only rule keeps things simple and avoids gifts that end up in a drawer.

For a bigger budget or a team gift, see our corporate gifting range, our hostess gifts for Christmas, or browse gift packs and gourmet gifts.