Behind the sale: Christmas 2026’s food and drink trends

The unmistakable smell of cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon fills the air the moment the festive season arrives. Mulled wine warms gently on the stove, the mince pies are in the oven, and there’s a lavish cheeseboard already laid out for guests. Food and drink has always been the setting at Christmas time. And this year, it’s making for the perfect gift, too.

Food and drink gift buying has climbed 81% since 2022, as shoppers look for something meaningful without stretching their budget. The cost-of-living squeeze hasn’t dulled the appetite to spend at Christmas, either. Mintel reports the average spend rose from £357 to £374 between 2024 and 2025.

For independent retailers, the trend brings a genuine opportunity. Shoppers are looking for something that, once unwrapped, creates a moment of connection. Understanding that psychology, and stocking-up accordingly, is the secret to selling out this season.

Trend 1: Gifting as an occasion  

Michelle Murphy Niedziela, a behavioural neuroscientist and founder of Nerdoscientist, has spent years studying why people choose the gifts they do. She explains that food gifts do something other products may struggle to achieve. They create an occasion for everyone.

“A shareable food gift can be both an object and an experience,” she explains. “You’re giving someone the product, but you’re also giving them an opportunity for a social moment. Opening the bottle, putting out the grazing board, tasting something together, and talking about it.” 

Breaking bread can literally create stronger social bonds. Research published in the Adaptive Human Behavior and Physiology suggests that those who eat together socially tend to feel happier, more satisfied with their life, and more engaged with others than people who don’t. With that in mind, a delicious gift that can be shared has the power to connect groups.

Of course, there’s a difference between a product intended for solo consumption and a shareable treat. The first shows the giver knows the recipient well. It may be personalised, or chosen because it speaks to their taste specifically. The second is about creating closeness, whether that’s through opening a bottle after dinner or passing around a box of chocolates.

Niedziela says it’s the retailers who understand this that do well. “Don’t just market the product, market the occasion that the product enables,” she advises. Buying a gift, in her experience, brings its own decision fatigue. People wonder whether a present is appropriate, whether it looks generous enough, and if the recipient already has it. “Food gifts can then reduce some of that uncertainty better than a more durable product because they are consumable and can be a trigger to an occasion,” she adds, saying retailers should keep that in mind when stocking up.

That logic should follow through in the way staff interact with customers, too. Rather than focusing on how much a customer wants to spend, Niedziela suggests asking whether the gift is for the recipient to enjoy alone or share. Questions like that mean you can pinpoint what she calls the ‘behavioural job’ of the gift, helping staff point the customer towards the right fit.

Trend 2: Selling the story behind the product

Research from Mintel predicts that by 2026 retailers who lean into storytelling, personalised experiences and inspiration-led store layouts will be best placed to win over festive shoppers. At Starmore Boss, the Sheffield wine and spirits merchant, owner Jeff Boss understands this intrinsically, and has seen it play out in store.

“Most of the bottles we stock have a history behind them, and customers want to invest in that when they buy a gift,” he explains. “We can talk about the winemaker, tell them we’ve visited the vineyard, or explain what the producer has overcome.”

Every member of staff at Starmore Boss has a hand in buying stock, which Boss says changes the kind of recommendation a customer actually gets. “It’s never just ‘here’s a bottle of whiskey.’ It’s ‘here’s a bottle from an exclusive distillery that does its own malting, or grows its own barley on the farm.’” That detail, he says, gives the gift a rather exceptional quality. The shopper can share the product’s story with the recipient when handing it over. 

Boss has also noticed an intriguing change in customers’ buying habits in recent years. Five or six years ago, a 20cl bottle was the standard gifting size. However, he’s seen a rise in people opting for mini bottles and sampler packs rather than a single full-size spirit. He puts this down to shoppers looking to “get more value or more options for the same price”.

Trend 3: Nostalgia with a new twist

Christmas nostalgia has a certain taste. For most people, it’s the same handful of flavours coming back year after year. However, shoppers are increasingly happy to see it reworked. Recent flavour trend research found that while 46% of consumers favour familiar tastes, 71% say they’re open to trying new global cuisines. At Mookies micro-bakery in London, co-owner Elizabeth Kingham is no stranger to combining the nostalgic with a twist.

“I’m really drawn to the idea of nostalgia,” she explains. “Some of us remember the dessert cafes from the 90s, where you’d go for strawberry milkshakes and I love taking those memories and making them feel a bit more grown‑up. For example, a milkshake with date molasses and espresso.” 

Location plays a part in Mookies’ approach, too. Nestled on Brick Lane amid one of London’s most food-diverse neighbourhoods, Kingham says it’s common for someone on the team to bring back an unfamiliar ingredient from a nearby shop and ask whether it might work. Cheerful customer conversations over the counter also impacts the ever-evolving menu.

Last Christmas, Mookies turned the classic combination of dark chocolate, orange zest and ginger into a cookie cheesecake with whipped mascarpone. As the festive season approaches, Kingham plans on trading orange for yuzu and grapefruit, and testing ginger and pecan cookies. She’s also working with brown butter for a deeper, nuttier caramel in the bakery’s signature cookies, a change she credits directly to customer feedback. 

Trend 4: Affordable luxury for uncertain times

Festive spending patterns are split by income, but not always in the way you might imagine. Research shows higher earners still spend the most at Christmas, but their spending fell 1.7% year on year. Those earning under £15,500 increased their spending by almost 5% year on year, despite spending less overall.

Moreover, those looking for a little luxury aren’t only weighing up the price tag. Niedziela points to research suggesting emotional, symbolic and functional value play a role in buying habits just as much. That means a smaller spend can still carry the same sense of occasion as a bigger one, so long as the story and presentation are there.

Jon Broadhurst, co-owner of Cheese & Friends in Sheffield, has witnessed that happen firsthand in the festive season. “We’ve grown every year, and the biggest time of year for us as a cheese shop is Christmas, and Christmas is just going stronger and stronger,” he says. “I would say quite 20% of our business is buying the cheese or an accompaniment for cheese for somebody else as a gift, because it’s delicious, it’s nice, and it’s something that’s wholesome.”

Vouchers and tasting events do particularly well as gifts, Broadhurst says. The shop has run 14 tasting events so far this year, with seven more scheduled, and at least a third of guests at each one have had their place bought for them. 

And it doesn’t end there. Cheese boxes, already packaged as luxury gifts, carry a written narrative about the cheese and its maker. It’s an approach Broadhurst and his team built themselves, and it changes the way customers perceive the products. 

“We’ve got a poster in our shop called The Role of the Cheesemonger,” explains Broadhurst. “And we think the role of the cheesemonger is to promote farmhouse cheeses and to tell the story, as far as we know it, of who made it. There’s a story behind it as a family, a real place involved.” When a customer is searching for a gift, that matters. “They’re buying products that tell a story,” he says of the shop’s bestselling Great Up North box.

How to sell

Market the occasion. Frame gifts around who they’re for and how they’ll bring people together this season. A grazing board sold as a shared experience does more work than the same items sold separately as one-off purchases.

Lean into provenance. Shoppers want a story to pass on when they’re giving gifts. Train staff to talk knowledgeably about where a product comes from and who made it.

Keep affordable indulgence in view. A lower price doesn’t need to mean a lower-effort gift. Packaging, curation and story can make a modest purchase feel truly special.

In numbers

Food and drink gift buying: up 81% since 2022 (Mintel Report)

46% of people prefer familiar flavours (Food Ingredients 1st)

71% open to new global cuisines (Food Ingredients 1st)

Higher earners’ spending down 1.7% year on year (Mintel Report)

Hamper stock check

Hawshead Cheeseboard Chutney: Featuring figs, cranberries and apples, this fruity chutney is a seasonal favourite. 

Cherry Tree Smoked Cheddar: Mature cheddar infused with natural smoke, for a cheeseboard with real depth to it.

Verduijns Parmesan Wafers: Crisp Dutch wafers baked with real parmesan, perfect as an accompaniment. 

Craft Chocolate Tasting Box: Six single-origin mini bars in a book-style box, made for sharing.