gift

The Best Gift Baskets For Everyone On Your Holiday List

December 3, 2020
[email protected]_84

Table of Contents

It’s fair to say that gift baskets have a bad rap. Typically, they contain too many snacks and nicknacks that no one wants because they’re mediocre at best, all wrapped up in an absurd amount of cellphone. But while that may be the case for most, there are some actually good gift baskets out there that deliver joy.

Several worthwhile options exist, from large companies that sell gourmet products—Stonewall Kitchen and Williams Sonoma come to mind—ands boutique brands that make curation and presentation a priority, to local purveyors who hand-package their artisanal products.

There are also sites such as Mouth that allow gift-givers to create personalized boxes for recipients. And the platform Goldbelly, which brings food from local restaurants all over the country right to peoples’ doorsteps—something that’s particularly useful to those small businesses right now.

Here’s a rundown of some of best gift baskets you can give this holiday. With treats and goodies anyone would enjoy, there’s bound to be something here for everyone on your list.

Best Gift Baskets For a Taste of Everything

Balducci’s Hostess With the Mostest Basket

This gift basket is filled with superb savory items—and a few sweets thrown into the mix. Perfect for the person who loves to sample products with different flavor profiles, it has everything from Kalamata fig spread with almonds to Sable and Rosenfeld olive bruschetta, plus caramelized walnuts and Balducci’s delicious sea salt caramels.

Harry & David Season’s Best Gift Basket

Harry & David is famous for their bountiful holiday gift baskets, and they’re popular for a reason. All the sweet and savory treats are solid quality and the fruit is especially flavorful—and great to have around midwinter when the selection at the supermarket is less than stellar. This basket includes pears, gouda and hickory-smoked summer sausage, plus everyone’s movie night favorite: Moose Munch.

Best Gift Baskets For Brunching

Zabar’s Quintessential Zabar’s Basket

If you know someone nostalgic for New York comfort food, this gift basket is the perfect gift. Zabar’s is an institution that’s been around since 1934, and this package includes nearly everything it’s famous for. There’s classic LBC (that’s lox, bagels and cream cheese), plus ingredients for a hearty pastrami on rye with deli mustard. There’s also a ceramic Zabar’s coffee mug thrown in as a keepsake to remember the extravagant feast.

Stonewall Kitchen Taste of New England Gift Basket

It’s tough to go wrong with anything from Stonewall Kitchen, as their dry mixes, jams, condiments and other products are all excellent and reasonably priced. The lucky person who receives this gift basket will get cozy New England winter vibes delivered straight to their home. Inside is pancake and waffle mix and Maine maple syrup, along with orange cranberry scone mix and assorted jams for spreading.

Fortnum & Mason Deluxe Tea Bag Assortment

Send someone the gift of proper English tea with this lovely set from the London’s Fortnum & Mason, filled with 120 sachets of their fine teas. All the familiar standards are included, such as Earl Grey and Breakfast Blend, plus some other less common varieties to try, such as Jubilee Blend and Wedding Breakfast.

Russ & Daughters American Caviar Gift Set

Feasting on caviar is a splurge any time of day, but it’s especially decadent at brunch. This caviar set makes an ideal gift because it isn’t a splurge most people would treat themselves to, and it comes from legendary Russ & Daughters, another New York institution, which opened its first store on Orchard Street in Lower East Side, in 1904. Inside this box is a tin each of American Transmontanus, Paddlefish and Hackleback caviar, along with crème fraîche, blini and a mother of pearl caviar spoon.

Best Gift Baskets For Those Who Travel For Food

Mercado Little Spain Spanish Essentials Gift Box

This assortment of quintessential Spanish pantry staples will delight anyone with an adventurous palate. It contains olive oil and tomate frito from José Andrés, plus guindilla peppers, cockles in brine, Ines Rosales anise tortas and a few other snacks for munching. Anyone for tapas?

Bella Cucina Italian Antipasti Basket Gift Set

Send artisanal Tuscan treats to someone’s door with this charming gift. Assorted antipasti are packed inside a usable straw tote, like provisions one might bring for an afternoon picnic among the region’s rolling hills. It comes from Bella Cucina, a maker of artisanal Italian goods based in Atlanta, Georgia, by way of Food52.

Bokksu Japanese Snack Box

This quirky gift from Bokksu can be ordered as a single box or gifted as monthly installments, which each feature a theme. All are filled with an assortment of Japanese snacks from regions across the country. Trying the different salty, sweet (and sometimes fishy) munchies is just as much fun as enjoying the whimsical, colorful packages that contain them.

Best Gift Baskets For Chocoholics

La Maison du Chocolat Sparkling Holiday Hatbox

La Maison du Chocolat is known for exceptional confections in elegant packaging one might expect from a high-end French chocolatier. Their Sparking Holiday Hatbox is filled with nearly 200 pieces, including ganaches, pralinés and truffles.

L.A. Burdick Critters Collection

This holiday basket will bring joy to children and adults alike, and there are plenty of critters—snowmen, mice, pigs and penguins—to have more than one of a favorite, created in white, milk, and dark chocolate. The collection comes from the renowned Swiss chocolatier L.A. Burdick.

Best Gift Baskets For Charcuterie and Cheese Addicts

Murray’s Cheese The Ultimate Cheese Board Collection

The original Murray’s Cheese is located in New York’s Greenwich Village, but luckily they ship this sensational cheese board anywhere in the country. It contains everything from gorgonzola and chevre to Italian sopressata salami and chorizo, plus a mix of sweet and savory snacks such as chocolate-covered figs and Blenheim almonds. Yum.

Olympia Provisions Grand Charcuterie Experience

This gift delivers a grand experience indeed, with an assortment of handmade charcuterie, paté and seasonal sausages from France, Spain, Italy and Greece. There’s also honey, salted almonds and rustic-baked crackers, to list a few side snacks, plus a handmade cutting board and a Opinel knife, made in France.

Best Gift Baskets For Anyone Who Loves a Pretty Package

Fortnum & Mason Collectors Hamper

We couldn’t resist featuring a second gift from Fortnum & Mason, as these “hampers” were originally created by the Piccadilly department for its posh customers to take along while traveling to their country homes. Anyone on your list who appreciates beautiful packaging, along with eating delightful treats like lemon curd biscuits, Champagne truffles and fruit cake, will adore this gift.

Farmgirl Flowers December with Heart: Hively

This isn’t technically a gift basket, but a burlap-wrapped bouquet of 25 seasonal blooms will bring just as much joy to anyone who receives it. And, if you missed Giving Tuesday, Farmgirl Flowers will donate $10 for every bouquet bought to San Francisco-based nonprofit Hively, so that joy spread even further.

Best Gift Baskets For A Sweet Tooth

Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams The Holiday Collection

Face it: sending someone a six-pint pack of Jeni’s truly splendid ice cream will lead to major FOMO, so you may as well order one for yourself too. Irresistible flavors in the Holiday Collection include Blackout Cake and Coffee with Cream and Sugar. Don’t delay on ordering, as Jeni’s collections tend to sell out.

World’s Greatest Holiday Box Made By Mouth

There are enough goodies in this gift box to last through New Years, but anyone with a sweet tooth will have a tough time resisting the urge to tear everything open at once. Chocolate peppermint sables, sweet and salty hazelnut and ginger baby cookies are just a few of the offerings in the bountiful box, curated by Mouth. For an even more personalized gift, you can also curate your own gift basket for the friend you know will love black truffle cheddar cheese with cassava crackers, plus some dark chocolate-covered malt balls.

Best Gift Baskets For Supporting Local Farms

Jasper Hill Farm The Full Spread

Jasper Hill Farm creates award-winning cheeses on-site at its working dairy farm, located in the idyllic Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. The Full Spread gift box contains two: their Harbison round and Bayley Hazen Blue wedge, along with Alpha Tolman, a wedge inspired by Alpine cheeses, the Cabot Clothbound Cheddar, and others. There’s also Vermont-made Nutty Steph’s Toffee-Coffee Chocolate and Pinup Pickles Dilly Beans to feast on.

Blackberry Farm The Holiday Box

This gift crate comes from Blackberry Farm, located in the Great Smokey Mountains of Tennessee. Two rustic mugs, griddlecake mix, apple butter and Appalachian syrup are among the homey Southern treats included, along with their new Campfire Cookie Mix that’s sure to be a hit.

Best Gift Baskets For Anyone Who Likes to Spice It Up

Fuego Box Tame to Insane Hot Sauce Box

For chile heads and heat seekers, this “tame-to-insane” set of hot sauces from Fuego Box is the perfect gift. It comes with 11 different varieties featuring different peppers, like habanero and guajillo, all ranging from mellow to evil—with zesty, hot and explosive in between.

The Spice House Essential Spices Collection

This gift is truly great gift for anyone who cooks, or is setting up a new kitchen and might appreciate a fresh set of spices. The 24-bottle set comes from The Spice House, which has been around since 1957 and is a trusted name by professional chefs. All the basics for whipping up a wide range of dishes are included.

Best Gift Baskets For Those Who Like a Tipple

Man Crates Personalized Smokin’ Old Fashioned

Anyone who’s a fan of an Old Fashioned will enjoy this gift box, which comes with two personalized glasses and everything needed for the classic drink, plus wood-smoked maple syrup for a smoky take. The colossal ice cube tray is an absolute essential for a perfectly chilled cocktail.

MYSA Natural Wine Starter Kit

Gifts that are also activities are always appreciated, and this natural wine starter kit from MYSA Natural Wine fits the bill. All of their wine is made by small producers using sustainable practices, and the three wines included in the set are low sulfite, organic and have spontaneous fermentation. It also comes with the book Natural Wine for the People, by Alice Feiring. 

Best Gift Baskets For The Spa Lover

Olive & Cocoa Serenity Spa Crate

This box filled with a bevy of items for hours of bliss gets an average five stars from reviewers, who say recipients loved the fragrance and quality of the products. Among them is a soothing lavender candle, rich hand cream and an organic cotton hand-crocheted washcloth.

The Herbivore Calm Experience by Knack

Just looking at this set of skincare products by Herbivore and its darling candle makes us calm. We bet it’ll do the same to anyone on your gift list who could use some incentive to relax. There’s French pink clay soap, soaking salts and a sisal body scrub included.

Source Article