I know I have covered Christmas Hampers before, and it’s July… why on earth would I be thinking of Christmas! Well even though Christmas is still 171 days away, you can never be too prepared… right?
Don’t worry I haven’t started doing my shopping already, but I never stop trying to save you money, all year round. Many of us like to spread the cost of Christmas and that is a great idea, but be wary of where and how you budget for Christmas. I recently came across an advert for pay weekly Christmas hampers – just like those in the old days where you pay a weekly fee and all your goodies are delivered in one go just before Christmas.
Whilst the nostalgia did hit me a little, I was soon brought back down to earth by remembering the Farepak scandal where lots of savers found their Christmas ruined when the company suddenly went bust.
Pay Weekly Christmas Hampers
I genuinely thought that pay weekly Christmas Hampers were a thing of the past – even the hamper giant Park has switched over to a voucher based savings scheme. But I was kind of excited when I saw pay weekly hampers on sale again
But what I found shocked me.
I know that Christmas Hampers are notoriously bad value. But you pay a premium for the convenience of having all your Christmas groceries delivered to your door. You avoid the shops, the company does the hard work, and everyone is happy. But how much are you truly willing to pay for that convenience
The Value Will Shock You
I won’t name the hamper company here. That wouldn’t be fair. I am sure they are good at what they do and have many happy customers. But when it comes to value for money – thats another matter. Yes I am willing to pay a small premium for the convenience of having my order picked packed and delivered. Asda charge me about a fiver for it. And they don’t have my money resting in their account for the best part of a year either.
The Experiment
I looked at the most expensive single hamper on the website. It came in at £430. Of course I expected the company to make some profit on it – perhaps 20%? After all businesses are there to make profit or there would be little point in being in business. But what I found truly shocked me.
I added up the cost of all of the items in the hamper. Below is the full list—with UK‑average Tesco/Ocado prices (July 2025) and estimated subtotals for each item. Items in italics are estimated when exact match wasn’t found; duplicates counted individually.
🍷 Wine & Beer & Beverages
| Item | Qty | Unit Price | Subtotal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Casalinga Pinot Grigio 75 cl | 1 | £7.75 | £7.75 |
| Casalinga Sangiovese Red 75 cl | 1 | £6.75* | £6.75 |
| Stella Artois Lager 440 ml | 4 | £1.00 | £4.00 |
| Nescafé Instant Coffee 95 g | 1 | £4.25 | £4.25 |
| Princes Pure Orange Juice 1 L | 1 | £2.00 | £2.00 |
| Yorkshire Tea 80 pk | 1 | £3.50 | £3.50 |
🍫 Chocolate & Tea Treats
| Item | Qty | Unit Price | Subtotal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terry’s Chocolate Orange 157 g | 2 | £2.00* | £4.00 |
| Cadbury Festive Friends Box 150 g | 1 | £1.50 | £1.50 |
| Quality Street Cool Mint Matchmakers 120 g | 1 | £2.50* | £2.50 |
| Celebrations 185 g | 1 | £3.00 | £3.00 |
🍪 Biscuits & Snacks
| Item | Qty | Unit Price | Subtotal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walkers Luxury Shortbread Selection 250 g | 1 | £2.45 | £2.45 |
| Fox’s Classic Biscuit Selection 275 g | 1 | £3.50 | £3.50 |
| Jacob’s Biscuit for Cheese 300 g | 1 | £3.85 | £3.85 |
| McVitie’s Penguin Biscuits 6‑pk | 1 | £1.00 | £1.00 |
| McVitie’s Victoria Assorted 275 g | 1 | £3.20 | £3.20 |
| Pringles Sour Cream & Onion 190 g | 1 | £1.95 | £1.95 |
| Big D Salted Peanuts 240 g | 1 | £1.60* | £1.60 |
🎄 Christmas, Puddings & Preserves
| Item | Qty | Unit Price | Subtotal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Princes Fruit Cocktail in Juice 410 g | 1 | £1.00 | £1.00 |
| Aunty’s Chocolate Sponge Pudding 2‑pk | 1 | £2.00 | £2.00 |
| Ambrosia Devon Custard 400 g | 1 | £1.50 | £1.50 |
| Bird’s Brandy Sauce 465 g | 1 | £1.50 | £1.50 |
| Brambles Yuletide Log 450 g | 1 | £8.50* | £8.50 |
| Brambles Iced Christmas Cake 600 g | 1 | £7.00* | £7.00 |
| Brambles Brandy Mince Pies 4‑pk | 1 | £2.50* | £2.50 |
| Matthew Walker Rich Fruit Pudding 400 g | 1 | £5.00 | £5.00 |
| Hartley’s Blackcurrant Jam 300 g | 1 | £2.50* | £2.50 |
| Ocean Spray Cranberry Sauce 250 g | 1 | £1.75* | £1.75 |
| Gales Lemon Curd 410 g | 1 | £2.50* | £2.50 |
| Bartons Apple Sauce 280 g | 1 | £1.20* | £1.20 |
| Bartons Ploughman’s Pickle 370 g | 1 | £2.00* | £2.00 |
| Terry’s Chocolate Orange ‹dup› | 1 | £2.00* | £2.00 |
🥫 Canned & Cupboard Essentials
| Item | Qty | Unit Price | Subtotal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Branston Baked Beans 415 g | 2 | £1.00 | £2.00 |
| Heinz Spaghetti in Tomato Sauce 400 g | 1 | £0.70* | £0.70 |
| Heinz Vegetable Soup 400 g | 1 | £0.80* | £0.80 |
| Heinz Cream of Tomato Soup 400 g | 1 | £0.80* | £0.80 |
| Heinz Pea & Ham Soup 400 g | 1 | £0.80* | £0.80 |
| KTC Plum Peeled Tomatoes 400 g | 1 | £0.65* | £0.65 |
| John West Pink Salmon 213 g | 1 | £2.00* | £2.00 |
| Princes Corned Beef 340 g | 1 | £1.50* | £1.50 |
| Princes Red Salmon 213 g | 1 | £2.00* | £2.00 |
| Fray Bentos Steak & Kidney 400 g | 1 | £1.50* | £1.50 |
| Princes Pear‑Shaped Ham 454 g | 1 | £3.50* | £3.50 |
| Branston Beef Ravioli 395 g | 1 | £1.00* | £1.00 |
🍴 Sauces, Condiments & Mixes
| Item | Qty | Unit Price | Subtotal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bisto Turkey Gravy Granules 170 g | 1 | £1.50* | £1.50 |
| Colemans Seafood Sauce 155 g | 1 | £1.50* | £1.50 |
| Colemans Mint Sauce 165 g | 1 | £1.50* | £1.50 |
| Colemans Luxury Bread Sauce Mix 40 g | 1 | £1.00* | £1.00 |
| Heinz Tomato Ketchup 460 g | 1 | £1.75* | £1.75 |
| Hellmann’s Mayonnaise 400 g | 1 | £2.00* | £2.00 |
| HP Brown Sauce 285 g | 1 | £1.50* | £1.50 |
| Bartons Original Piccalilli 269 g | 1 | £1.50* | £1.50 |
| Bartons Pickled Onion 269 g | 1 | £1.50* | £1.50 |
| Sage & Onion Stuffing 170 g | 1 | £1.00* | £1.00 |
| Bens Sweet & Sour Sauce 450 g | 1 | £1.50* | £1.50 |
| Patak’s Tikka Massala Sauce 450 g | 1 | £1.50* | £1.50 |
| Bartons Sliced Beetroot 340 g | 1 | £1.00* | £1.00 |
❄️ Frozen Food & Veg
| Item | Qty | Unit Price | Subtotal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cafe Asia Vegetable Spring Rolls 20 pk | 1 | £1.90 | £1.90 |
| Cafe Asia Samosas 20 pk | 1 | £1.90 | £1.90 |
| James Cook Breaded Scampi 450 g | 1 | £4.40 | £4.40 |
| Korkers Sausage Rolls 24‑pk | 1 | £3.25 | £3.25 |
| Lands Garlic 10‑pk | 1 | £2.50* | £2.50 |
| Mr Prawn Cooked & Peeled 220 g | 1 | £3.50* | £3.50 |
| Aunt Bessie’s Stuffing Balls 12‑pk | 1 | £2.35 | £2.35 |
| Aunt Bessie’s Yorkshire Puddings 12‑pk | 1 | £1.40* | £1.40 |
| Aunt Bessie’s Roast Potatoes 720 g | 1 | £2.65 | £2.65 |
| Cream of the Crop Button Sprouts 907 g | 1 | £2.20* | £2.20 |
| Cream of the Crop Baby Carrots 907 g | 1 | £2.20* | £2.20 |
| Cream of the Crop Garden Peas 907 g | 1 | £2.20* | £2.20 |
🍖 Meat & Poultry
| Item | Qty | Unit Price | Subtotal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grade A Turkey 3.6–3.9 kg | 1 | £25.00* | £25.00 |
| Grade A Chicken 1.7 kg | 1 | £6.00* | £6.00 |
| Boneless Pork Joint 1–1.2 kg | 1 | £8.00* | £8.00 |
| Minced Beef 454 g | 1 | £3.50* | £3.50 |
| Black Pudding 454 g | 1 | £2.50* | £2.50 |
| Best Back Bacon 400 g | 1 | £3.50* | £3.50 |
| Pigs in Blankets | 1 | £3.25 | £3.25 |
| Gammon Joint 1.1–1.3 kg | 1 | £10.00* | £10.00 |
🎁 Non‑Food
| Item | Qty | Unit Price | Subtotal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Luxury Crackers 10‑pk | 1 | £4.00* | £4.00 |
| Free Blonde Gold Leaf Sparkling Wine | 1 | £20.00* | £20.00 |
🧮 Grand Total
Sum of all subtotals: £248.10
The hamper they are charging £430 has a retail value of less than £250. They are making over £180 on it. Of course there are the logistics and the transport costs of delivery but as Ive paid for the hamper up front weekly in advance they would have had my money sitting in their bank account earning interest for them. Assume these are a generous £30 and thats £150 they are charging on top of what the goods inside are worth.
That is more than I spend on my entire Christmas food shop.
So this Christmas shop smarter. Start saving as early as you can and put the money you save into an interest paying account such as an easy access savings account. If yoou do want to gift a hamper make your own with a few well chosen goodies. Or consider supermarket savings schemes but only the ones like Asda who pay you a bonus on the money you save with them.
Oh and by the way I know it’s only July but MERRY CHRISTMAS!
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