With their iconic wicker baskets recognisably stamped with F&M on the front, Fortnum & Mason is likely the first place you think of when you think about luxurious Christmas hampers. Their Classic Christmas hamper is a bestseller and price-wise, it sits in the middle of their offering, between their most affordable gift boxes and their most expensive hamper (the Imperial, which costs £6000!). The Classic Christmas seemed to tick a lot of boxes, so we decided to road test it in our quest to find the best Christmas hampers available this year. Discover our findings below.
Initial impressions
While perusing this Fortnum and Mason hamper online and subsequently unpacking it, it felt like a real treasure trove of festive-themed items, from seasonal biscuits to Christmas tea. This was undoubtedly helped by the lovely F&M packaging of each item, with illustrations on different coloured tins and boxes, as well as pops of the classic F&M teal of their recognisable shopping bags.
At £200, it isn’t cheap, but it feels like you do get a lot for your money, especially as all of these items plus the basket would cost a lot more to buy separately. For example, the large wicker basket alone is £80. Furthermore, the basket is a great size to reuse as a storage box afterwards.
Contents review
First impressions on the contents were that this hamper leans more towards the sweet end of the spectrum, with the only strictly savoury item being the pickle. This is something I’d bear in mind if I was gifting this; there are no crisps, cheese, nuts or charcuterie to be found here, which may be a turn-off for those looking for a hamper that can do both. This one would be far better suited to give to someone with a sweet tooth.
The two types of biscuits were some of my favourite items from the hamper; deliciously buttery, not too sickly sweet and they actually taste like the flavour it says on the tin. In the tall tin of plum biscuits, I really liked how you get two separate trays of biscuits in sealed plastic bags, which is ideal for preserving freshness if you aren’t going to eat them all at once.
The pickle is a great all-rounder to accompany a Christmas cheeseboard, and the fig jam is a festive and unusual, but equally sweet alternative to a classic strawberry or raspberry jam. Something that I thought was particularly of note was the fact that it is Champagne included in this hamper, whereas many others include a bottle of still lovely, but often more affordable, prosecco as their fizz option. On top of that there’s also a bottle of rich red, so there’s really the best of both worlds in terms of the alcohol on offer in this hamper.
Full list of items included:
- St James Christmas Pudding, 454g
- Christmas Plum & Stem Ginger Biscuits, 250g
- Boxing Day Pickle, 230g
- Fortnum’s Christmas Orange & Dark Chocolate Biscuits, 125g
- Christmas Figgy Preserve, 200g
- Fortnum’s Brut Réserve Champagne Gift Box, Louis Roederer, 75cl
- Christmas Cognac Butter, 195g
- Christmas Green Tea, 20 Silky Tea Bags, 50g
- Fortnum’s Marc de Champagne Truffles, 125g
- Fortnum’s Sicilian Perricone, Cantina Paolini, 75cl
Suitability for gifting
This hamper gets bonus points for ‘gift-ability’, due to the previously mentioned packaging of all the items. It is so beautifully presented as well as being delicious, which really elevates this hamper and make it feel like one of the most luxury that I have come across. Fortnum & Mason is an instant signifier of high-quality, luxury food–the sort of food you might not necessarily buy for yourself, so I feel that it would be a truly lovely festive food gift to send or receive.
Delivery
The delivery charge is £5.95 for F&M hampers, and while I would of course always prefer free delivery, it’s not too steep a charge on top of the price of the hamper. The hamper arrived in a fully recyclable brown box, with no extra or unnecessary packaging. The straw-like padding inside the hamper gives it a lovely, rustic look as you unpack it, but it can be a little messy when removing it – at least it keeps the products safe though!
The Fortnum’s Classic Christmas Hamper verdict
Either as a treat for the family, or as a luxury gift, this hamper will be a surefire hit with its festive indulgences that cover the classics as well as a few slightly more unusual seasonal flavours. It’s one of their top sellers for a reason.