GUIDE: Festive Food Gifts for the Nice Ones on Your Christmas List

(SPOT.ph) Gifting can be complicated, but you almost can’t go wrong with food to as a way to show appreciation to your loved ones. Doesn’t matter if the person on the receiving end is a serious foodie with a restaurant bucketlist, or a casual eater who doesn't like to go hungry—we’re all drawn to things that taste good by different measures. Consider stuffing the stockings (and fridges!) of the nice ones on your list with one or more of these food gifts that are useful, versatile, and/or simply put, delicious.

Also read: 

GUIDE: Where to Order Food Trays for the Holidays

GUIDE: A Cheat Sheet to All the New Christmas Food and Drinks 

GUIDE: The Dreamiest Desserts to Bring Sweet Cheer to Your Holiday Parties

Ham is a holiday must, and Wildflour’s helping take the guesswork out of choosing the right ham and accompaniments with their Christmas Ham Box (P2,500). It’s got everything you need: 

a ball of Christmas Ham, roughly a kilogram in weight (their version is a treat for those who like theirs on the lean but uber-flavorful side); Hokkaido milk buns; and jars of pineapple jam and honey mustard. They also have a range of other gift-ready packs and hampers—Executive Boxes that start at P4,100; a Santa Snacking Basket for P2,650; Panettone for P295; and more.

For orders, visit Wildflour’s website. See a list of Wildflour branches.

Who doesn’t love chocolate, especially this time of the year? It's well worth going beyond the usual bars at the supermarket and checking out one of the Philippines’ many amazing craft chocolate makers, like 1919 Chocolate who uses cacao from their family farm in Malvar, Batangas. Their Festive Five Set (P1,490) is a great way to get to know what the brand is about as it has five 65-gram chocolate bars in the box—three holiday exclusives (Gingerbread Toffee, Peppermint Cookies + Cream, and Puto Bumbong) and two of their award-winning classics (62% and 70% dark chocolate).

For orders, visit 1919 Chocolate’s website.

There’s something about sipping on a gingery drink that’s especially suited for the Christmas season, and if you’re looking for a change from the traditional salabat, consider this locally made liqueur by Cebu-based Uy Masuy. Made with real ginger, it has a sharp, zippy profile that’s best had as a tonic or mixed into cocktails.

For orders, visit the websites of Uy Masuy or Proudly Promdi. For more information, check out Uy Masuy’s website.

Show your appreciation for a friend who’s been good all year with this grand box of goods (P4,070) from Bizu. You get a range of sweet and savory nibbles and pastries: a Truffles Rectangle Box, Belgian Chocolate Cookies Tube, Almond Cookie Tuile Canister, Strawberry Pistachio Mendiants, Milk Chocolate with Croquantine Mendiants, Belgian Chocolate Ensaymada, Cheddar Cheese Ensaymada, and Almond Praline Ensaymada, all in a sturdy, picturesque box (choose from pink or black!) any food lover would be thrilled to receive.

Bizu’s got a whole line of packages designed with gifting in mind: the Sweet Wishes Gift Box (P3,880) with a Truffles Box, Dark Chocolate Almonds, Pistachio White Chocolate, Milk Chocolate Hazelnut, and Macadamia White Chocolate; Santa's Favorites Gift Box (P4,250) with Moet Wine, Macadamia White Chocolate, Pistachio White Chocolate, Milk Chocolate Hazelnut, and Dark Chocolate Almonds; and the Joyous Set (P6,080) with a Truffle Box of 12, Salted Caramel Bonbons, Dark Chocolate Pretzel Joie, two tubes of Cookies, and a Chocolate Bar.

For orders, visit Bizu’s website. You can also check out their Facebook page.

Who doesn’t love a good charcuterie box? They’re as fab as they are effortless pleasers, and they allow you to sample a variety of tastes and textures in one go. For gifting, The Marketplace has your back with their ready-made boxes in different sizes, for different purposes and occassions—pick up a mini charcuterie box (starts at P300) for your consciously unpartnered pals, a regular box (starts at P999) for the long-lost BFF you’re reuniting with over the holidays (it doubles as pica-pica for your catchups), or one of their bigger boards (starts at P2,000) for the supervisor you’ve been dying to impress. You can customize your own box as well, depending on your budget and preferred assortments.

See a list of The Marketplace branches. You can also check out their Facebook page.

Italian dining spot a mano gives panettone a festive update in this gift-ready version. It’s got a crisp, cookie-like crust of almonds and white sprinkles, and an airy, buttery crumb that’s studded with butterscotch chips. You can get just the panettone (P550) at a mano branches, or preorder gift bundles with the panettone and other AF Hospitality treats—the Sweets Gift Bag (P1,750) with Lusso mini crinkles and Grace Park pastelitos de mangga; or the Holiday Gift Bag (P1,950) with Ramen Ron nori shio noodle chips, Steak & Frice BBQ beef tallow popcorn, Lusso mini crinkles, and Grace Park pastelitos de mangga.

See a list of a mano branches. For orders of gift bundles, fill out AF Hospitality’s holiday gift bags order form. For more information, check out a mano’s Facebook page. 

If you or any of the people on the list are the type to hoard jars of specialty condiments, Salsa Para Casas’ Iberico XO sauce (P600). Consider it a flavor bomb in a bottle, with jamón Ibérico, Spanish chorizo, virgin olive oil, smoked pimentón, and spices cooked low and slow into a rich sauce you can stir into rice or pasta, or spoon over grilled or roasted meat or veg.

For orders, send a message to Mig Vecin on Instagram.

The Philippines is home to a number of heirloom salts from different parts of the country that are still produced the traditional way, and whose heritage ought to be preserved for the years to come. This set from Real Food (P850) gives you three in one go: Asin sa Buyo from Botolan, Zambales, a mild-tasting salt that begins by soaking earth in sea water during high tide, then adding seawater to produce a brine that’s then boiled down into the finished product; Asin Tultul from Guimaras, Iloilo, which has a rich, nutty profile from the infusion of coconut milk into the brine in the salt-making process; and Budbud Salt from Miagao, Iloilo, a subtly smoky salt made by soaking sand in sea water, then allowing the brine produced to evaporate in bamboo logs over a fire. The salt bottles are packaged in a handwoven basket, then wrapped in a sustainable sinamay bag—just add names and gift away!

For orders, visit Real Food’s website. See a list of Real Food branches.

It doesn’t get any more festive than a colorful selection of charcuterie arranged so as to resemble the Christmas wreaths that hang on our doors this time of the year. Edible Box Co.’s Charcuterie Wreaths (P4,950) have it all: four kinds of cheese, three kinds of charcuterie meats, roasted nuts, honey, grapes, and dried fruits over a 12-inch round wooden board packaged in a black box with a ribbon and Christmas tag. You get a great selection bound to impress your boss, your in-laws, even your Ayala Alabang situationship with a taste for the finer things in life.

For orders, fill out the Edible Box Co.’s order form. You can also check out their Facebook page.