It's the season to gift

Department stores have put up lovely holiday decorations. Christmas songs are played in stores and on the radio. Despite the relentless drizzle and tropical sweat, Bangkokians know that winter festivities are around the corner.

It's the time of the year not just to celebrate and be merry, but also to give and share.

Offering a well-thought gift is an ideal way to honour the essence of holiday tradition while pampering the ones you care about at the same time.

Whether it is for those dear or near, a gift hamper is always in handy.

Here's a comprehensive collection of gourmet hampers from top-tier establishments that suit any lifestyle preference and dietary need.

Grand Hyatt Erawan

From now until Jan 8, the Erawan Bakery has become a Santa's parlour-inspired shop, offering holiday hampers customised by the hotel's French executive chef David Senia.

Each hamper is prepared fresh daily and filled to the brim with the finest gourmet specialities including festive food and beverages.

Of the signature sets, highlighted savoury items include glazed gammon ham, prime-grade balik salmon, duck terrine Forestier-style, and French pâté en croûte. Sweet treats are traditional fruitcake, Christmas panettone, palmier pies and assorted holiday cookies.

Prices range from 2,890 baht net to 6,690 baht net per set. Customers can also have the hamper customised to their liking and budget.

Call 02-254-1234 or visit grandhyatterawanbangkok.com.

Anantara Siam

Available at Mocha & Muffins until Jan 15, the hotel offers a bespoke hamper service as well as pre-packed sets.

Highlighted items, which can be ordered à la carte, include fruitcake, homemade panettone, macarons, brownie brittles, home-made cookies and chocolate pearls, juniper-based spirit, local jam, tea, honey and wine.

There are also chocolate advent calendars available for more fun-filled gifting.

Prices start from 1,800 baht per set.

Call 02-126-8866 or email dining.asia@anantara.com.

Siam Kempinski

The hotel's collection of 2022 festive hampers, created by executive chef Carlo Valenziano, is on offer at Hanuman Bar until Jan 4.

The nutcracker-inspired small hamper, priced at 2,999 baht, has a mini fruitcake, black truffle and salted butter cookies, curry and coconut granola, and a Dresden stollen.

The larger Frosty hamper, 4,999 baht, includes chocolate bars, chocolate-coated nuts, assorted cookies, stollen, fruitcake, a trio of jam, a box of pralines, a reindeer doll and speculoos spiced biscuits.

Personalised hampers are also available at least 24 hours in advance of pre-ordering.

Call 02-162-9000, Line @Siamkempinskihotel or visit kempinskibangkok.com.

The Athenee

Available from The Bakery until Jan 31, Athenee hampers are presented in a designed bag and carry boxes featuring specially-selected home-made goodies.

Expect to find traditional treats such as fruitcake, Christmas stollen, butterfly cookies, Christmas cookies, panettone, chocolate pralines, Christmas pudding and a miniature gingerbread house.

Prices start from 1,990 baht net.

Call 02-650-8800 or visit Facebook.com/TheAthenee@luxurycollection.com.

Mandarin Oriental

Available until Jan 15 at the hotel and also at the Mandarin Oriental shops across the city, the Mandarin Oriental signature hampers encompass traditional delicacies such as English fruitcake, stollen and panettone.

The set also includes chocolate cashew nut cookies, salted chocolate cookies, red chocolate-coated cranberries, dark chocolate-coated almonds and biscuit de Savoie. Enhancing the experience are house-concocted pomelo jam, Sunkist orange marmalade, organic mulberry honey, crystal sugar cinnamon stick and fine tea.

Prices range from 4,750 baht net to 16,900 baht net per hamper. Tailor-made hampers can be requested.

The hotel also offers a special festive menu for takeaway. Highlights include roasted Christmas turkey (1,980 baht per kilo), roasted organic mulberry honey glazed Christmas ham (1,700 baht per kilog) and Beef Wellington (5,000 baht per order).

Home delivery service is also available within Bangkok. Pre-ordering is essential.

Call 02-659 9000 or bangkok.mandarinorientalshop.com.

The Peninsula

This year, The Peninsula offers three hamper options, each with a Peninsula Thai teddy bear.

The Pageboy Hamper, priced at 11,880 baht net, also features a 375ml bottle of Deutz Brut Champagne, a Christmas panettone, stollen, mince pies, matcha green tea pistachios, Superfood bonbons, homemade blueberry jam and fine tea.

The Noble Fir Hamper, 8,880 baht net, includes a 750ml bottle of red wine, panettone, minced pies, Christmas cookies, Lego chocolates, home-made nougats, Alain Milliat juice and fine tea.

Meanwhile, the Holly Hamper, 6,680 baht net, presents red wine, panettone, minced pies, cookies, nougats and Alain Milliat juice.

Call 02-020-6969 or Line @peninsulabangkok or visit peninsula.com.

Capella

Curated with sustainable and locally sourced products, the Capella hamper celebrates Thai artisanship while honouring the Christmas tradition.

With prices ranging from 4,000 to 6,000 baht, the sets highlight items such as smoked tea leaves from a premium Thai tea brand, herb-fragrant sea salt, Christmas fruitcake, assorted macarons, honey caramel and housemade jam by the hotel's executive pastry chef Sylvan Constans. Each set comes with a bottle of Champagne exclusively produced by the prestigious Vranken House.

For a la carte goodies, there are galette des rois puff pastry, panettone and Buche de Noel log cake with Christmas spice.

Call 02-098-3888 or email info.bangkok@capellahotels.com.

Sindhorn Kempinski

The hotel presents various festive hamper options to cater to different likings.

The De La Mer Hamper, priced at 9,999 baht net, features a repertoire of ready-to-eat seafood while allowing a culinary sneak peek of the hotel's upcoming French-Mediterranean restaurant. The set includes a steamed lobster with cocktail sauce, smoked salmon, foie gras terrine, canned sardines, assorted charcuteries, cheeses and onion jam, olive tapenade, bread, Taittinger Champagne, special-edition Evian water and chocolate bonbons.

The Berthold Hamper, 5,900 baht net, showcases Kempinski's delicatessen classics including Vanilla Hill pear chutney, Christmas pudding with brandy sauce, stollen, cookies, chocolate spread, cheese, Berthold coffee beans and coffee mug.

The Ki Izakaya's Hamper, priced at 5,900 baht net per set, presents a festive lunch box from the hotel's Japanese gastro-pub. The set encompasses housemade delicacies such as kazunoko herring roe, tokobushi baby abalone, hotate shigureni scallops, traditional fish cake, sweet rolled omelette, simmered prawns, Japanese spiny lobster, miso-marinated black cod, eel chirashi sushi and sake-steamed clam soup.

Call 02-095-9999 or email fb.sindhorn@kempinski.com.

St. Regis

The St. Regis' Exquisite Festive Luxury Hamper, priced at 8,200 baht net, features traditional Christmas confections including stollen, panettone, plum cake, Dundee cake, cinnamon star cookies, Christmas bonbons, chocolate Santa, macarons, minced pie, goat cheese, a bottle of Follador prosecco D.O.C. Treviso extra dry and a "Little JJ" teddy bear.

The set comes in a refined collectable case with a leather strap. Available at the Lounge on the ground floor until Jan 31.

Call 02-207-7777 or email fb.bangkok@stregis.com.

Shangri-La

A variety of whimsical-looking festive treats hand-crafted by the hotel's executive pastry chef Alex Hekimov as well as luxurious pre-set Christmas hampers are on offer at the Chocolate Boutique until Jan 5.

Highlighted items include a gingerbread house, chocolate Christmas tree, chocolate snowman, chocolate Santa, Yule Log eggnog cake, banana & pecan cake, traditional stollen, Christmas pralines and gingerbread cookies. Prices start from 250 baht net.

The hamper sets, priced at 2,600 baht and 4,600 baht, also include Earl Grey loose tea and a Teddy bear.

Delivery service is available within Bangkok.

Call 02-236-7777 or visit bit.ly/FestiveGoodies2022-Media.

137 Pillars Bangkok

A selection of thoughtful, eco-friendly festive hampers is on offer at Bangkok Trading Post from now until Jan 15.

The sets, each featuring an attractive tote bag, feature organic products from local producers around Thailand.

Among the highlights are Thai chocolate, coffee beans, fine tea, handcrafted home décor products and scented candles. Prices range from 1,600 baht to 2,500 baht per hamper.

Individually priced à la carte items are also available.

The hotel also works with Good Shepherd Thailand, a foundation supporting vulnerable women and children. Part of the proceeds goes to support charity and help improve the income of disadvantaged families.

Call 02-079-7000 or visit 137pillarshotels.com.

Waldorf Astoria

The Peacock Alley offers a festive afternoon tea takeaway gift box from now until Jan 1.

Crafted by Italian executive pastry chef Andrea Noli, each set includes a vast selection of light bites and sweet delicacies including crayfish vol au vent, spinach cream mascarpone tart, beetroot croissant truffle brioche, smoked turkey, king salmon gravlax, Baeri caviar with blini, cherry-Gianduja chocolate choux log cake, caramel-cinnamon mousse with apple honey and Christmas stollen.

The price is 2,100 baht net per box. At least 24 hours advance ordering is required.

Call 02-846-8888 or email bkkwa.fb@waldorfastoria.com or Line @WaldorfAstoriaBKK.

Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen's Park

The Queen's Park Hamper, priced at 4,200 baht, includes home-made spiced English fruitcake, traditional stollen, assorted Christmas cookies, dehydrated premium fruits, gingerbread men, chocolate Santas, candy canes and red chocolate coated cranberries, accompanied by local produce such as hilltribe honey, pineapple & raisin jam, local craft chocolates and a tea box.

The Marquis Hamper, 3,200 baht, features a sublime selection of holiday-themed treats such as fruitcake, stollen, gingerbread cookies, chocolate Santas, candy canes and red chocolate coated cranberries, accompanied by passionfruit jam and a tea box.

The Siam Tea Room Hamper, 1,800 baht, features stollen, cookies, chocolate Santas, chocolate coated cranberries, candy canes and chocolate & coconut dipped rolls, along with pineapple & raisin jam and a tea box.

The festive hampers are available at Siam Tea Room, until Jan 15.

Call 02-059-5999 or visit siamtearoom.com.

Amari Watergate

The hotel has two variations of festive hampers, Sai-Fon and Yam-Yen, both of which feature a variety of environmentally-friendly edibles, assorted body care amenities and a bottle of bubbly.

The sets, priced at 2,999 baht and 3,999 baht, are crafted with a sustainably-conscious mindset, encompassing organic rice, natural honey, spa products, premium chocolate, macarons, crispy fruit chips, Thai-style flavoured peanuts, fruit juice and prosecco.

A portion of the hamper sales will be donated to The Foundation for the Welfare of the Mentally Challenged of Thailand under the Royal Patronage of Her Majesty the Queen. The objective of the foundation is to provide physical, mental, intellectual and social rehabilitation to mentally challenged people in order to lead normal lives.

Call 02-653-9000 or visit amari.com.

Centara Grand at CentralWorld

Three specially curated Christmas hampers are on offer at Zing Bakery until Dec 25.

The small hamper, priced at 3,300 baht, features homemade nougat, Christmas stollen, panettone la Tirinese, gingerbread, Christmas cookies, crispy rice chocolate, home-made passion fruit jam, strawberry & cranberry jam, marinated olives, Shiraz grape juice and Christmas blend tea.

The medium-sized hamper, 3,700 baht, has an addition of Pitars Cuvee Prestige. While the large hamper, 7,500 baht, also includes white truffle oil and a 700ml bottle of Chivas regal XV Years.

Call 02-100-1234 or email diningcgcw@chr.co.th.

Thonglor Thai Cuisine

The Thai restaurant presents four sets of Thai-style holiday hampers in beautiful wooden boxes from now until Jan 7.

Offering traditional delicacies with a contemporary twist, the sets showcase various Thai desserts together with assorted home-made relishes and chilli paste, palace-style appetisers and auspicious Chinese pastries.

Highlighted items include cha mongkut tart, thong ake soft cookies, foi thong sweet golden threads, young tamarind chilli paste with crispy fish, ma mad green peppercorn & chilli relish and freshly-made flower-shaped prawn dumplings.

Prices range from 480 baht to 3,500 baht per set. A minimum of two days' advance pre-ordering is required.

The restaurant is located at Staybridge Suites Bangkok Thonglor, Sukhumvit 55. Call 095-426-4646 or 02-000-4701 or Line @thonglorcuisine.

Royal Osha

The fine dining restaurant led by Michelin-starred Thai chef Vichit Mukura has come up with a one-of-a-kind series of gourmet holiday hampers.

Highlighted items include premium-quality chilli paste and relishes, namely roasted chilli jam (vegan), green curry paste (vegan), red curry paste (vegan) and toasted chilli & dried fish relish (nam phrik pla haeng), crispy mushroom snack, premium curry puff and Thai-style rice crisps.

Curry puff is offered with five filling options: chicken, chicken-truffle, beef massaman, savoury mung bean and mushroom (vegan).

Meanwhile, the granola-bar-like rice crisps are made with organic red jasmine rice, pistachio, white and black sesame, and organic cane sugar.

Prices are 1,400 baht and 3,999 baht per box.

The restaurant is located at 99 Royal Resident Park Lumphini on Wittayu Road. Call 02-256-6555 or Line @royalosha.