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…

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:

• Local booze makers Espensen Spirit are offering gift cards for their delicious gins & vodkas, and a brilliant range of gift sets. There are also a very limited number of bottles of the Chapterhouse Gin, made in collaboration with Bristol Cathedral. Back for 2023 are their boozy baubles, and new this year is Santa’s Little Helper, which combines Christmas Pudding Vodka with Irish Cream Liqueur!

• Cave on Gloucester Rd do a wide range of wines, beers, ciders and antipasti, with delivery across Bristol, plus cheeses, antipasti, crackers and chutneys to make go with your glass of vino.
• Xisto Wines have put together mixed boxes of their minimal intervention organic & biodynamic wines (plus many vegan options), with cases including a Fizz Selection and a Captain’s Choice box – all sailed into Bristol’s harbour from Portugal by the wind! I’ve become a bit obsessed with Westerlies, which you can buy by the bottle or case. You can order online or also pick up bottles of their reds, whites, fizz and port from Grape & Grind, Native Vine, Sonny Stores and Southville Deli.

• 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 – these are always popular in my family!

• 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.
• 6 O’clock Gin have a distillery in Thornbury but now have a shop and bar on board the Glassboat in town, plus pop-up shops in The Mall Cribbs Causeway and Cabot Corcus. 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 malty-pack 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.

• Beer Necessities has also got you sorted for any beery needs – they’re stocking beer subscriptions and as well as a wide range of speciality beers, wine and G&Ts.
• 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.

• 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.

• Moor Beer are selling mini kegs and mixed cases of beer alongside their usual range. These guys are also big on branding, so you can also buy a Moor Beer hoodie or T-shirt from their online shop if that tickles your fancy.
• Bristol-based winemakers Red & White sell a wide range of their high quality wines, which are grown in vineyards across the world, from France to New Zealand.

Hampers & gift sets

• 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.
• You can browse a wide range of high quality Spanish products , hampers and gift sets in the Mercado 44 online shop (you can also now buy Bar 44’s book to try their recipes at home!), or get vouchers to spend in Bar 44 restaurants.

• Looking for more treats of the Mediterranean persuasion? El Colmado on Gloucester Road (they also have an online shop) and Sotiris Bakery on Park Row does a great selection of Greek biccies, pastries and sweeties that would brighten up any stocking.

• 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 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.
• The Cider Box has a range of cider cases, merch and event gift vouchers in their online shop.
• 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.

• Make yourself extra popular and buy someone a pie gift set from Pieminister – they’re also doing gift vouchers and other merch in their online gift shop.
• Support the great work of The Grand Appeal by purchasing some Wallace & Gromit-themed gifts: Bird & Blend tea box, Cheesy bottled bake mix (suitable for people & dogs!) or a Grand Cakes & Bakes cookbook.
• Nab some tasty local coffee packs or subscriptions from Extract Coffee in St Werburghs. They also sell merch, including reusable cups!

• Treat someone to a gift card for dumplings from Eatchu, or some of their lush T-shirts!
• 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, whether it’s for Food Truck Recipes or World Food Gift Boxes, these are good fun to make and come nicely boxed up too.

Experiences

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!

Tastings & workshops

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

• 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, Clifton Wine School or Bristol Wine School.

Cookery classes

• Little Kitchen offer vouchers for their cookery school – workshops start at £18, and include everything from kids’ classes, pasta making and cake decorating to street food.
• Papadeli offers tickets and vouchers for their cookery classes, which cover everything from Middle Eastern cooking to how to make the perfect pudding.

Meal 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).

I’d recommend getting a vouchers for a 91 Ways supperclub or 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.

You can also nab a voucher for All About the Cooks, which lets you order delicious meals from home cooks across Bristol, from Egyptian and Indian feasts to homely Italian dishes and South American cakes.

Finally, if you’re looking for a new recipe book I can recommend the Bristol & Bath Cook Book, which features interviews and recipes with lots of local bars & restaurants, including Pinkmans, Pasture, The Bristol Food Tour and more.

Let me know which gifts you opt for over on Twitter or 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