The best: Festive food boxes and hampers in Manchester to enjoy this December

Luxury Lancashire hotel and Michelin-starred restaurant Northcote has followed up the success of its recent Autumn food boxes with a brand new seasonal edition released just in time for Christmas. Launching on Tuesday 1 December and available to order until Friday 4 December (with delivery slots scheduled for Friday 11 December), Northcote’s Winter Boxes boast a range of goodies including the venue’s signature bread, two bake-yourself Viennese mince pies and an array of delicious hand-crafted chocolates.

Those after something a little more extravagant might opt for their four-course Winter Gourmet Box (£100) which includes two appetisers (Warm Juniper Cured Salmon, Pickled Cucumber Tartar with Butter Sauce and Sweet White Onion Soup, Lancashire Bomb Cheese Raviolis with Chestnut Crumble), a main course (Waterford Farm Salt Aged Beef, Marrowbone Crust, Smoked Pancetta, Mushroom Bourguignon with Beef Fat ‘Chip’) and a festive dessert (Valrhona Chocolate ‘Yule’ Log). Both are designed to be shared between two people – and available while stocks last.

One of Manchester’s most iconic and loved Italian restaurants, Don Giovanni, is celebrating the festive season by launching a range of Christmas hampers, each featuring a hand-picked selection of premium food and pantry items. By placing an order request via the web form below, hungry customers will be able to tuck into Italian goodies like balsamic vinegar direct from Modena, truffled salame, parmigiano, truffle oil, tricolore fusilli, olives and hand-made bottles of zesty Limoncello.

Designed to provide a luxury European alternative to the typical Christmas supermarket shop, Don Giovanni’s Christmas hampers are available for delivery to addresses on Thursday 10 and Thursday 17 December for a £5 shipping cost. Alternatively, customers can pick up their hampers directly from the restaurant’s Oxford Road venue. Three different hampers are available including the Taste of Italy hamper (£25), the Festive Italian Hamper (£50) and the Christmas Feast Hamper (£75).

Rebellious dough dudes Pizza Punks are bringing the office Christmas party vibes home this year with their Punk It Up DoughIY kits (£29). Boasting the brand’s signature San Franciscan sourdough base, hungry party goers will be able to adorn their pizza with a range of festive toppings like pigs in candied blankets, garlic and sage turkey with stuffing, and shredded sprouts with bacon.

As if that wasn’t enough, customers will also have a choice of killer cocktails to accompany their food, each of which is bottled to order. Will you go for the Drumstick Caiprisma featuring vanilla and raspberry rum, fresh lime juice and a real drumstick lolly on top? Or perhaps the Smoked Popcorn Daiquiri with charred sweetcorn infused rum, sweetcorn syrup, fresh lime juice and vanilla smoke is more you? The Pizza Punks team have even thrown in a Christmas Spotify playlist that can be accessed by scanning a code on your pizza box to help get the fun started.

Authentic Japanese noodle restaurant Shoryu Ramen invites customers to take the joy of Japan home with them this Christmas with their DIY food kits. Each £20 pack includes a 12 hour tonkotsu soup, original ramen noodles, char siu BBQ Pork Belly, beni shoga red ginger, and spring onion and kikurage mushroom garnish to place atop the ramen.

Vegan options are also available, featuring supplies for a white natural vegan ramen with the venue’s unique vegan tonyu broth made with soy milk, miso, konbu and shiitake mushroom, original ramen noodles, atsuage fried tofu, spring onion, menma bamboo shoots and kikurage mushrooms.

Festive delivery slots are available on Wednesday 23 and Wednesday 30 of December, allowing customers to enjoy Shoryu Ramen’s dishes as an alternative to the typical Christmas dinner fare – and full cooking instructions will be provided with each kit, making the whole process as easy as possible.

Manchester restaurant Tast has been bringing the flavours of Barcelona to the city for a while. now, and this year they’re letting customers take them home with their range of luxury Spanish food and drink hampers. Whether it’s a Christmas gift for a loved one or simply something different for the family to snack on during the festive break, Tast’s web shop is stocking a range of different food packs, each at different price points.

Their premium hampers (£46 -75 ) includes items like Cava and Sols Sweet Wine alongside cured meats like Iberico ham and Spanish traditional nougat Turrón, while simpler options feature olive oil and fuet sausage (£16), Borsao red wine, manchego cheese and Fuet sausage (£24) and Dolç Mataró red wine and Turrón (£27). Follow the link below to browse their full range of hampers and gift cards.

Ancoats’ baked goods hub Pollen Bakery has recently launched its web shop just in time for Christmas. Once there, you’ll find their new Christmas Gift Boxes which are sure to be the perfect prezzie for the croissant and sour dough lover in your life. Enclosed within each rustic-looking food box are jars of croissant butter, sea salt caramel and vegan chocolate chip peanut butter, alongside some croissant butter truffles, chocolate orange shortbread and almond cantucci biscuits. We know what you’re thinking, they had you at ‘croissant butter’, right? Us too. All this is available for £52, with limited availability – so make sure you get your order in quick.

Stretford’s newest foodie destination The Hive has had a tricky year. They were only open a handful of days before lockdown restrictions forced them to close their newly-refurbished doors. Thankfully, they’ve spent this down time putting together a stellar Christmas delivery box option, with two delicious sharing boxes available that are suitable for both meat-lovers and vegans alike.

For £19.95, The Hive’s meat Christmas box boasts starters, mains and desserts for two, with dishes like country farmhouse terrine, smoked salmon mousse, Moroccan lamb, and cod loin on the menu. Meanwhile, their £17.95 vegan food box for two contains tasty meat-free alternatives like Mushroom bhajis with mango chutney, crispy pea fritters, tomato and smoked feta arancini and The Hive’s own vegan nut roast – all topped off with a decadent chocolate orange mousse. Both come with some Christmas crackers to help make your meal extra special.