12 Dorset Gift Ideas that Foodies will Love!

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Looking for the perfect locally-made Dorset gift for the food lover in your life?

With incredible produce all over the county and lots of lovely independent brands, finding a brilliant food or drink present is easy!

Cheeses, wines, beers, charcuterie, chocolate, sweet treats, chilli sauce… this guide is bursting with amazing Dorset gift ideas. Order a specially made hamper, or get creative and put your own together by visiting one of the suppliers listed at the end of this post.

As you create a beautiful bespoke gift your loved ones will adore, you’ll also support local businesses. And since you can order most of these products online, shopping local has never been easier. Whether you have a spice lover or a chocoholic to please, this gift guide has you covered! I hope it helps…

RELATED POST: 9 Places to Find Unique and Locally Made Dorset Gifts

8 Foodie Dorset Gift Ideas

Chococo Chocolates

Award-winning chocolatier Chococo was born in Dorset, and despite their national recognition, they certainly haven’t forgotten their roots! The company was founded in Swanage by husband-and-wife team Andy & Claire Burnet in 2002.

You can still visit the original Chocolate House and on-site cafe in Swanage. If you want to give someone a chocolatey gift proudly handmade in Dorset, Chococo offer a variety of hampers, as well as beautiful boxes full of artisanal chocolates. They also offer workshops and tasting sessions, so an experience voucher is a pretty unique gift idea.

Artisan Chilli Sauce from Weymouth 51

Did you know Dorset is famous for its super spicy Naga chilli – one of the hottest chillies in the world? If there’s a spice lover in your life, a chilli sauce hamper or gift set from local company Weymouth 51 makes a brilliant gift. They grow 51 varieties of chilli under the beautiful Jurassic sunshine, so they have a truly enormous selection of sauces. The fiery Dorset Naga is, of course, available – but there are plenty of others to try too.

Dorset Tea

Got a tea lover in the family? How about a gift set made up of Dorset Tea? The local brand was founded back in 1934 by Keith Spicer, who started out blending teas in his Bournemouth kitchen.

You can buy a Dorset Tea Discovery Box, packed with 7 different flavours. Alternatively, get creative and build your own tea hamper with a few different tea boxes, a fancy mug, and maybe some yummy biscuits too!

Moores Biscuits

Speaking of yummy biscuits, Bridport-based company Moores Biscuits is a local institution! They’re also one of Britain’s oldest biscuit makers, dating right back to 1880. They created the infamous Dorset Knob, a scone-like bread bun that inspired the local Knob-Throwing Festival (yes, that’s a real thing).

As well as ‘knobs’, Moores also produces a huge range of biscuits and baked goods. I love their Butter Crunch biscuits! They also have a fab range of gift packs which come in beautiful packaging, featuring paintings of iconic local landscapes.

From Dorset with Love: Jams & Chutneys

From Dorset with Love are a local company based in the heart of the beautiful Blackmore Vale. They’ve been creating a fabulous range of preserves since 2010, using as many locally-sourced ingredients as possible. They offer a huge range of jams, marmalades, and chutneys, plus more unusual options like fruit curds, fruit-infused vinegars, and mayonnaise.

For a truly Dorset-inspired gift, their iconic Dorsetshire Sauce is a must, while the Tomato and Chilli Chutney is one of my faves! They have a few gift sets, or you could pick a few jars to give along with some other local foodie bits.

Dorset Cheese Board

Nothing says Christmas quite like a cheeseboard – so how about one made up of locally-made cheeses? Dorset has a bunch of great cheesemakers to choose from. And, of course, there’s the famous Dorset Blue Vinny –  a traditional blue cheese made near Sturminster Newton. You could make your own cheeseboard using various local cheeses, or buy one of the ready-made cheeseboard selections from award-winning cheesemakers Book & Bucket.

Charcuterie Gift Hampers from the Real Cure

Meat lovers will adore these incredible charcuterie gift hampers from The Real Cure. They offer a brilliant range of locally reared and cured meat products, including salami, chorizo, and air-dried hams, all made using traditional artisan processes of smoking, curing, and air-drying. Everything is responsibly sourced, including wild deer and free-range pork, as well as locally sourced ingredients and suppliers where possible.

Dorset Ginger Company

Another fab Dorset food gift idea is the drinks range from Dorset Ginger Company, founded in 1985 by local family butcher, Ivor Bishop. They produce award-winning non-alcoholic, non-carbonated, hand-blended ginger drinks and Sicilian lemonade in Lytchett Matravers, just outside of Poole. They also have a few different gift packs and hampers which make wonderful gifts!

4 Dorset Alcohol Gift Ideas

Vineyard and Brewery Tours

If you prefer giving experiences instead of things, consider a tour of a local brewery or vineyard. There are several dotted around the county. Check out my list of Dorset Vineyards for wine lovers or these Dorset breweries for beer tastings and brewery tours.

You could also simply give a bottle of sparkling wine from any local vineyard, or a few bottles of local beers. There are some brilliant ones to choose from.

Black Cow Vodka

Did you know that the famous Black Cow Vodka comes from Dorset? This exceptionally smooth vodka is made entirely from grass-grazed cows’ milk, and was the brainchild of West Dorset dairy farmer Jason Barber. It’s known for its unique creamy taste and is a perfect gift for any vodka lover!

Dorset Gin

For the gin lover in your life, a nice bottle of small-batch artisanal Dorset gin would make a brilliant gift for any occasion. I should know – it’s the present I receive most often! Dorset has several gin distilleries to choose from.

The best-known is probably Conker Gin, but there are plenty more, so check out my list of Dorset gins here for some inspiration.

Local Ciders and Ales

Finally, why not give the gift of some local Dorset ciders and ales? There are dozens to choose from, from small-scale microbreweries to nationally recognised brands like Badger Beers. To narrow things down, why not look for ales or ciders local to a specific town or region of Dorset?

Where to Buy Dorset Food Gifts

You can order directly online from most of the suppliers listed above, so supporting local businesses has never been easier.

But if you’d prefer to put together your own gift box or a hamper or local Dorset goodies, head to a local farm shop or deli. Most of the items listed above are stocked at shops across Dorset, along with a host of other tasty local treats.

Below are the details of some of the best farm shops and delis around Dorset – or you can check out the full list of all Dorset farm shops here. You can also head to one of the many Dorset Christmas markets this season to see suppliers and browse some great local products.