Christmas Hampers for Foodies

A foodie is the hardest person in the family to buy for, because they already own the good olive oil. The gift that works is not more of what they have. It is either a producer they have not met yet, or a format they would never buy for themselves. Everything below is one of those two things.

Route one: a producer they have not met

The reason this works is that a serious cook buys on habit. They have a brand of oil, a brand of pasta, a mustard they always get. Handing them a jar from a maker they have never bought is the one gift that changes what happens in their kitchen, and it costs less than a hamper.

• Belazu Pesto Duo & Grater Gift Box, $59.95. Belazu made its name importing ingredients for London restaurant kitchens rather than for supermarkets, and the grater in the box tells you what they expect you to do with the pesto.
• Belazu Signature Pesto Gift Set, $55.00. The set for the cook who thinks pesto is one thing. It is not, and this is the cheapest way to prove it.
• Belazu Early Harvest Extra Virgin Olive Oil, $59.95. Early harvest oil is picked green, so it is peppery and grassy in a way a supermarket blend never is. Finishing oil, not frying oil.
• Belazu Balsamic Vinegar of Modena, density 1.34, $49.95. The density number is on the label because it is the honest measure of how much grape must is in the bottle. Most balsamic does not print it.
• eat.art The Spice Route Giftset, $49.95. For the cook whose spice drawer is eight half-used jars of cumin.
• Borgo de Medici Truffle Risotto Kit, $39.95. A whole dinner in a box, for the person who cooks well and hates deciding what to make.

Route two: the hamper, done properly

Sometimes the recipient is a keen cook and you have neither the time nor the standing to pick a single jar for them. That is what a built hamper is for, and the trick is choosing one where the contents are named producers rather than anonymous fillers.

• Foodies Hamper, $79.95. The starting point, and the one to send when you know they cook but not what they cook.
• Greatest Gourmet Hamper, $129.95. Enough in the box to be a fortnight of good lunches rather than a single afternoon.
• Gourmet Emporium Hamper, $169.95. The one that reads as a proper present from across the room. Alcohol-free, so it goes to anyone.

Route three: the thing they will not buy themselves

• Ottolenghi SIMPLE Cookbook, $60.00. We are the exclusive Australian distributor for Ottolenghi, so the ingredients in the recipes are on this site. Pair it with a jar and the gift teaches itself.
• Ottolenghi Tote Bag Classic, $44.95. For the person who already owns all the books.

What not to send someone who cooks

This is the part most gift guides skip, and it is the part worth reading.

Do not send a gadget. A person who cooks has drawers of them and a strong opinion about the two they use. Do not send a jar of something they make themselves, which for most keen cooks means pesto, chutney and anything labelled as a rub. Do not send a hamper padded with confectionery when the recipient is a savoury cook, because they will eat one piece and pass the box on. And do not send a very large bottle of a very specific oil unless you know they will finish it, because oxidised oil is the most common thing in a serious cook's cupboard.

The safe version of all four is smaller and better. One excellent bottle beats three good ones. A named producer beats a longer list.

Questions people ask

What do you buy a foodie who has everything?

Something consumable from a producer they do not already buy. It cannot duplicate what they own, because they will use it up. If they genuinely have every producer covered, our gifts for someone who has everything page takes that problem seriously.

Is a hamper or a single ingredient the better gift?

A single ingredient is a better gift for a cook you know well. A hamper is a better gift when you are not sure, or when it needs to look substantial on the day. Both arrive with a free personalised gift card.

What is the difference between the Foodies Hamper and the Gourmet Emporium Hamper?

Scale, mostly. The Foodies Hamper at $79.95 is a considered set. The Gourmet Emporium Hamper at $169.95 is the version that holds a household over the whole break. Both are alcohol-free.

Do you ship the Ottolenghi range?

Yes. We are the exclusive Australian distributor, and the range ships from our Geelong warehouse. The Ottolenghi hampers collection puts the ingredients and the books together.

How quickly will it arrive?

Orders placed before 12pm on a weekday are dispatched the same day from our Corio, VIC warehouse, tracked with Australia Post. In December, check the Christmas delivery cut-off dates first.

Start with one producer

Pick the jar first and the box second. The gourmet food range holds every producer we carry, the gift hamper range holds the built versions, and the Christmas hampers collection is the seasonal edit of both. If you want to know what the recipient will actually do with what you send, our notes on quince, fig or pear paste for cheese and which cracker goes with which cheese are the useful kind of specific.