Just because you are diabetic or have a food intolerance, festive feasting doesn’t have to be off the menu. The Body&Soul team lift the lid on hampers that cater for all

ORGANIC VEGETARIAN

If marks could be attributed on presentation alone, this beautiful seagrass hamper would kick the competition out of the park.

On first inspection, the box appeared jam-packed with goodies; not only food, but also six high-quality crackers (with a great pop, conversation starter, charade and gift), table sparklers and a trivia quiz.

However, despite their obvious quality, the products seem plucked from the air: yes, there was a Christmas pud, which despite being gluten-free managed to be very tasty, but where was the shortbread, the cake, the cheese, to go with the oatcakes and rice crackers? The sweets were tasty and original, the bottled drinks had overpowering flavours but the espresso coffee was a great, earthy pick-you-up.

Star rating 4/5 LAURA DEELEY

Luxury Vegetarian & Organic Food Hamper £92, ripegifts.co.uk; 0845 2269182

BUDGET DIABETIC

Although sugar-free Christmas nosh doesn’t sound particularly appealing, I was pleasantly surprised. The obligatory Christmas cake, pudding and shortbread biscuits were all there and just as good as sugar-containing versions. The only gut-wrenching inclusion were the liquorice chewy sweets. As the hamper was just a cardboard tray it would be cheaper to buy the contents and a wicker basket separately.

Star rating 3/5 KATE WIGHTON

Diabetic Box £37.95, realfooddirect.co.uk; 0118-946 4706

LUXURY DIABETIC

On first impressions this was an exciting prospect, a large basket overflowing with sugar-free goodies. The nonsweet stuff was goodquality and well-chosen. I particularly liked the diabetic jams and marmalade. The remainder was made up of sugar-free biscuits and sweets. The choc-chip cookies and shortbread were particularly good (even my nondiabetic colleagues were impressed). All the sweets were good. The best – toffee chocolates – went in record time.

Star rating 3/5 JAMES CLARKE

Diabetic Hamper £71.95, tordoffs.biz; 01425-650750

NONALCOHOLIC

This attractive hamper has high-quality, goods: delicious fruit cake, Guatemalan roasted coffee, sugary mince pies, creamy Irish Gloucester cheese, and the only oatcakes I’ve eaten that don’t taste like cardboard. The best items were shortbread and a rich, tangy fruit chutney.

The Handmade Irish Fudge, however, was flavourless and rubbery. And the inclusion of brandy butter seemed odd, given that the hamper was meant to be nonalcoholic.

Star rating 4/5 HARRIET ADDISON

NonAlcoholic Food Hamper £68.50, basketsgalore.co.uk; 028-9145 2412

VEGAN

This hamper is said to be “filled with a feast of our favourite festive fare”. If this is their favourite fare, I’d hate to think what they left out. The halva tasted like sickly guest soaps and the Christmas pudding – gluten-free and sweetened with apple juice and agave syrup – verged on the inedible. The nuts and chunky “choco-block” with dates and nuts were a nice touch, and I could force myself to eat the after-dinner mints, but it wasn’t my idea of a jolly Christmas hamper.

Star rating 2/5 CLAIRE BOWMAN

Vegan Christmas Hamper £76.00, Ripegifts.co.uk; 0845-226 9182

GLUTEN-FREE

If it’s sweet treats you’re missing, this hits the spot. For pudding there’s a dried-fruit- packed concoction made with rice and gram flour, definitely good enough to stop you feeling left out. Other delights were the wonderfully coconutty chocolate macaroons and a gluten-free fruitcake. Less moreish were the milk chocolates (fine if Milk Tray’s your thing) and berry cookies which left me reaching for the biscuit barrel for the real thing. The cured and air-dried meat may be a South African delicacy, but I’ll wait till my goose is cooked, thanks.

Star rating 3/5 ANNE HORNER

Gluten Free Food Hamper/box £39.95 realfooddirect.co.uk; 0118-946 4706

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