A visit to The Newt in Somerset is pure indulgence: an award-winning hotel positioned in the heart of a country estate with extensive gardens and, of course, a state-of-the-art spa. It makes perfect sense, then, that its Twelve Days of Christmas Hamper (£370) is a twist on the usual luxe hampers. This kind of Advent calendar for grownups has a menu suggesting which gift you might open, and when – “surprises” include an apple and cinnamon panettone, apple gin or a mulled spice candle. There’s also the more straightforward Stupendous Newt Christmas Hamper (£525), packed with booze, preserves, chocolate, a tablecloth and, importantly, mistletoe.

thenewtinsomerset.com

Having been around since 1707, Fortnum & Mason knows a thing or two about packaging luxury. You can get creative and build your own hamper: select the size of the wicker basket, choose your items (Royal blend tea; posh preserves; truffles; champagne; Highgrove organic Christmas shortbread etc), add a deli hamper liner as a thoughtful touch and, assuming you’re not going to keep it for yourself, add a gift message. Otherwise, there’s a preselected Sovereign Hamper (£2,500) with a vast selection including fine wine and fizz, Christmas fruit cake, white truffle oil, King George Christmas pudding and marzipan fruits.

fortnumandmason.com

With its Middle Eastern and Mediterranean influences, Ottolenghi has a range of hampers that are a little different to the traditional British fare. The Ultimate Christmas Hamper (£370) includes a cloth-wrapped Christmas pudding infused with Lebanese arak (a distilled Levantine drink that tastes of aniseed), a Christmas cake dense with fruit, a panettone with cherries and custard, a lemon and vanilla marmalade, jammy peppers for cheese, strawberry woodland meringues and Ottolenghi wine. The Christmas Hosting Hamper (£280) includes preserved lemon oils, dukkah, lemon and vanilla marmalade, Christmas pudding – and, of course, panettone.

ottolenghi.co.uk

If you don’t have time to visit the Daylesford organic farm in the Cotswolds – where the focus is very much on wellness, sustainability and seasonal living – the next best thing is one of its luxury hampers. Daylesford is very good at thinking outside the box (basket?) at Christmas. There are gorgeous Advent calendars: the one for grownups (£275) is filled with cute jars of nuts and mini candles, while the children’s Elves Workshop Advent calendar (£100) offers a biscuit a day. The dog stocking (£45) is packed full of treats and – a brilliant idea – an edible Christmas card, while the Christmas Day hamper (£850) includes smoked salmon and caviar for a luxe touch.

daylesford.com

Some of the best-looking, brightest-coloured hampers come from Selfridges. Choose from the XXL Christmas Hamper (£5,000), which boasts 92 items including a selection of cheese, fancy fizz, sweet treats (the mince pie caramels are intriguing) and Christmas tea. Meanwhile, the Ultimate Wine Hamper (£275) has 12 bottles of assorted wines, including a sparkling malbec. The Reusable Hay Hamper (£150) swaps out the usual wicker basket for a useful piece of well-designed storage filled with a mini panettone, a coffee tin, a musical biscuit tin and a bauble to spruce up the tree. You can also email Selfridges to place a bespoke order (hampers@selfridges.co.uk).

selfridges.co.uk

In a competitive market, Harrods has a brilliant range of hampers to send to friends and family or to keep for yourself. The Ultimate Christmas Hamper (£5,500) can only be purchased in store and Harrods insists that the use of “ultimate” is not hyperbole. It might just be right. For a start, it includes not one, or two, but three wicker baskets. The sweet and savoury hampers are stuffed with 121 items, including various cheeses, British Iberian ham, Wagyu truffle sliced salami, Faroe Island gravadlax cure and several varieties of caviar. There are also, of course, some impressive alcohol choices. It might be fair to say that Harrods has, in terms of traditional victuals at least, won Christmas.

harrods.com

Main illustration by Rocío Egío; rocioegio.com