We all love novelty socks and comedy DVDs, but surely the best present of all to receive is the gift of food (or money, money is also very good).

I usually try to top up the stockings of my nearest and dearest with a few local Bristol treats (inevitably a few find their way into my cupboard, but I see it as commission for my thoughtfulness), so should you be wondering what food & drink gifts to get for friends and family, allow me to show you some of your options…

Skip to: Boozy gifts – Hampers – Local produce – Food Tours – Workshops & Tastings – Cookery Classes – Meal vouchers – Community projects

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Boozy gifts

Let’s start with my favourite. Whether you’re after a bottle of something simple or wanting to pull out all the stops, here are a few ideas:

• Cave on Gloucester Road do a wide range of wines in their deli & bar, with the option to order bottles, mixed cases and gift sets from their online shop, as well as gift vouchers and tickets to their wine tasting events.
• KASK sell a range of wines by the bottle or case, plus cheese to pair with them, as well as DIY at-home wine tasting kits and vouchers for their wine tasting events.

• Port o’ Bristol have a great selection of minimal intervention organic & biodynamic wines (plus many vegan options), all sailed into Bristol’s harbour from Portugal by the wind! You can order online or also pick up bottles of their reds, whites, fizz and port from their bar and shop in Wapping Wharf.

• Avery’s is the city’s oldest wine importer, and have a proper Aladdin’s cave of wines in their shop under Park Street (entrance behind The Hatchet/Queenshilling), or you can browse their selection online.
• You can purchase a range of beers, merch and gift cards from Wiper and True’s website, including their new beer ‘Hundred Not Out’, brewed from hops grown by care home residents.

• The Cider Box has a range of cider cases, merch and event gift vouchers in their online shop.
• Spirited have a great range of premium spirits both on the shelves of their shop & bar on North Street, but also available to purchase online. They’ve rounded up some local gifts, as well as cocktail bundles and stocking fillers.

• Bristol Beer Factory have a selection of beer gift packs, mini kegs, T-shirts and brewery tour tickets from their online shop.
• One for the aspiring cider experts out there – The Bristol Cider Shop are now selling gift subscriptions and gift sets and even a cider advent calendar – their cider selections are always popular in my family!

• Launched earlier this year, Spirit of Bristol produce four ethhically-produced premium gins, each inspired by different areas or aspects of Bristol. They’ve also lauched a slow gin for Christmas! You can purchase directly from their website.

• 6 O’clock Gin have a distillery in Thornbury but now have a shop and bar on board the Glassboat in town. They not only do large and miniature bottles of gin and liqeurs (I LOVE their sloe gin and creme de cassis), but also refillable pouches of gin to top up your bottles. Gin experiences and gift sets are available too.

• If you’re more of a grain spirit or whisky head, get yourself over to Circumstance Distillery’s online shop for some very exciting creations including single grain whiskies, and distillery tour vouchers.
• Good Chemistry do a range of mixed beer cases including an IPA box and a low and no alcohol selection.

• Bag a selection of local beers or special beer gift sets from Corks. You’ll also find special offers on wine cases.
• Go classic with a nice bottle of red from Grape & Grind – their website always has some handy staff picks and a Wine of the Week if you’re having trouble choosing.
• Get bottle or two of locally-made gin online or direct from distilleries Psychopomp, Bristol Distilling Co. or Bristol Dry Gin. As well as gin, they all do a range of liquers, cocktail mixes, gift sets and tasting vouchers.

• Aldwick Estate are a vineyard just outside Bristol doing some gorgeous wines – you can buy them online or get a voucher to do one of their vineyard tours. Other local vineyards worth a look for local gifts are Limeburn Hill just over the hill near Chew Valley and Dunleavy Vineyards in Somerset.

Hampers & gift sets

• Recently opened Root & Ember have a great selection of local produce as well as home cured and smoked meats, available to purchase separately or in hampers – pop into their shop or purchase online.

• Papadeli in Clifton allows you to pick up treats in store for hampers and gift sets, otherwise you can order their pre-made hampers online, including a luxury Italian selection, or gourmet Spanish treats.

• Create a bespoke box of Bristol goodies to deliver across the UK with Box Local – choose from booze, sweet treats, coffee, cheeses, soft drinks, bath bombs, candles and even Bristol-themed homewares. You can choose to build your own box, or select a set hamper or Christmas hamper – I’ve sent so many of these to friends and family now and they always go down a treat!

• Avery’s is doing a range of wine-based hampers which also include chocolates, biscuits and other festive treats.
• If you’re looking for plantbased treats, pop into Herbivore Vegan Deli in Wapping Wharf.
• Looking for more treats of the Mediterranean persuasion? El Colmado on Gloucester Road.

• Pick up a selection of fine local cheeses, gift sets & chutneys from The Bristol Cheesemonger, or some tasty cheese bundles from their online shop. You can also purchase gift vouchers for any cheese lovers. Hurrah!
• Other delis worth a peek for top notch local produce include Southville Deli, Divino Deli and The Mall Deli in Clifton.

Local produce

Made in Bristol, available to munch anywhere you choose…

• The brilliant Ahh Toots are now doing postable brownies and blondies (with vegan and GF options) that can be delivered nationwide.

• If you fancy sending more sweet treats in the post, Bakery Number Eight are doing cookie and brownie packs.
• Pick up some handmade truffles or a chocolate hamper from Zara’s Chocolate in Southville. You can hand pick your selection for beautifully-wrapped gift boxes, or pick up some super tasty chocolate bars and seasonal treats.

• Oddkin Coffee have a range of coffee gifts in their online shop, from gift cards and t-shirts to a great range of teas and coffees. You can also treat someone to a coffee subscription, or book them on to a brewing masterclass or latte art class.
• Nab some tasty local coffee packs or subscriptions from Extract Coffee in St Werburghs. They also sell merch, including reusable cups!

• Easton Chilli do a very tasty range of chilli jams and sriracha sauce.
• Make sure you treat your mates (or yourself, you deserve it) to some Gingerbeard Preserves – sauce and chutney gift sets, spicy rubs and pickled eggs.

• If you’d like to treat a green-fingered friend, how about one of the gift boxes from Jekka’s Herb Farm . They’re based just outside Bristol and also do gift cards for their gardening masterclasses and farm tours.
• Choose from a selection of spice kits  and subscriptions from The Spicery, such as the Food Truck Recipes, these are good fun to make and come nicely boxed up too.

Experiences

Food & drinks tours

Not content with feeding people up?  How about giving your buddy a voucher for a cookery lesson or boozy tasting? Or do what I did and book an event you want to go to anyway, so you get to rope in a plus one!

You can choose from a variety of tours with GOOD: Stories in Food, from a Hotspots & Hidden Treasures trip around St Nick’s, to wine and cheese tasting in Somerset, and even a self-guided drinks tour. Gift cards are now available too!

Food Tours of Bristol run three tours: a Wapping Wharf Street Food Tour, a Gourmet Wapping Wharf tour and a North Street Food Tour, all are a great gift for someone who wants to learn more about the local food scene.

Tastings & workshops

• Browse a range of foodie experiences from Yuup, incuding foraging walks, brewery trails, foor tours, wine tasting, cookery classes and lots more.

• The Indytute also have lots of local food and drink experiences in Bath and Bristol, including tours, tastings and masterclasses.
• Learn how to make truffles or temper chocolate in workshops at Zara’s Chocolate.
• Buy vouchers for gin distilling session & gin experiences at Psychopomp micro distillery.
• Buy a DIY Home Wine Tasting kit from KASK, or book one of their regular wine tastings.
• Know a budding wine connoisseur? Get them a voucher for wine tastings at Avery’s, Bristol Local Wine School or Bristol Wine School.

Cookery classes

• Papadeli offers tickets and vouchers for their cookery classes, which cover everything from Middle Eastern cooking to how to make the perfect pudding.
• Bake It Bristol is a new baking competition in Bedminster based on The Great British Bake Off – the challenges change every month and gift vouchers are available.

• Nab a gift voucher for Cooking It on Gloucester Road, who run cookery classes for adults and children, with their adult classes ranging from Chef techniques to tapas tutorials.
• Migrateful are about to open a cookery school in Bedminster and run a variety of classes every month for cuisines from across the world, including Sri Lankan, Sudanese, Kurdish, Egyptian and Afghani. Gift vouchers are available.

Restaurant vouchers

Many of the restaurants in Wapping Wharf are offering meal vouchers for Christmas – including Root, Cargo Cantina, Bertha’s and Box-E (who have a selection of vouchers, including for their Kitchen Table dinners).

Treat someone to a gift card for dumplings from Eatchu, with £10, £15 or £20 options available.

Some more options for git vouchers you can purchase online:

• Noah’s – seafood restaurant in Cumberland Basin
• Bianchis Group – can be used at Pazzo, Cotto, Pasta Ripiena or Bianchis
• Souk Kitchen – contemporary Middle Eastern dining in Southville
• Nadu – Sri Lankan restaurant on Stokes Croft
• Bulrush – Michelin-starred dining in Cotham
• Harbour House – harbourside restaurant and terrace
• Bravas – cosy tapas bar on Cotham Hill
• Spitfire Barbecue – BBQ on the harbourside
• Bristol Lido – poolside restaurant, vouchers also for food & swim packages
• The Cow & Sow – chophouse in Clifton & Queen Square
• Under the Stars – tapas boat in the centre
• Poco – sustainable restaurant on Stokes Croft
• The Granary – all-day dining & cocktail bar on Welsh Back

Looking for something a bit different? How about getting someone tickets to a Fish & Chips trip on The Matthew, a Cream Tea Cruise around the harbour, Sunday Lunch on Brunel’s SS Great Britain, or one of the dining events at Avon Valley Steam Railway?

Community projects

The Mazi Project help young people in Bristol access fresh, sustainable food. You can support them by donating, buying some merch, or booking a ticket to one of their upcoming supper clubs.

If you enjoyed this year’s Gromit Unleashed trail, not only can you pick up some cute figurines, but also a range of Wallace and Gromit themed foodie gifts, including a Gromit Head Cookie Jar, a Grand Bakes and Cupcakes Cookbook, and a Cheese Making Kit.

Coexist Community Kitchen is Easton run some brilliant cookery classes and supper clubs to bring people together and help those who have been marginalised in society. You can support with a donation or attend one of their events, there’s also the option to hire their space, book them for catering or volunteer your time.

I’d recommend getting a copy of their wonderful recipe book Eat Share Love, which features a range of recipes and stories from their community of cooks – the money raised goes to supporting their projects across the city.

If you enjoy the guides on this blog, or found this post particularly useful/entertaining, you can buy me a coffee or a glass of wine to say thanks – it’s always nice to see when the blog is appreciated!

Let me know which gifts you opt for over on Threads, see what I’m eating on Instagram or see the latest local food news by following A Life Less Organised on Facebook.

In the mean time, here are some other food & drink guides to keep you occupied…

• Bristol’s Best Date Locations
• Bristol’s Cosiest Pubs
• Bristol’s Best Burgers
• 11 Bristol Institutions