21 Best Food and Drink Advent Calendars for 2026
21 Best Food and Drink Advent Calendars for 2026
Our favourite food and drink Advent calendars for 2026 cover everything from handmade fudge and Welsh cheese to Scotch whisky and spiced rum. We’ve pulled together the picks from our Christmas magazine and checked the UK listings, including the latest Drinks by the Dram range at Master of Malt.
If December in your house means the good crackers come out early, there’s a cheese calendar with nearly 1.2kg to work through. If you’re buying for someone who can’t resist a new ingredient, start with the £45 spice calendar. And if you’re after a whisky Advent calendar with 25 drams, the £99.95 Drinks by the Dram edition is where we’d start.
Prices checked on 11 November 2026. Stock, calendar editions and delivery dates can change. The spirits calendars are for adults aged 18 and over.
Food and drink Advent calendars at a glance
If you’re buying for… Our pick Price What’s inside
A keen home cook Terre Exotique Spice Discovery £45 24 spice sachets and a bonus jar
A cheeseboard fan The Welsh Cheese Company £49.50 Six Welsh cheeses, just under 1.2kg in total
A sweet tooth Roly’s Fudge £60 25 individually wrapped portions
A whisky drinker Drinks by the Dram Whisky £99.95 25 × 30ml whisky samples
A gin drinker Drinks by the Dram Gin £74.95 25 × 30ml gin samples
Someone who likes their rum spiced Drinks by the Dram Spiced Rum £74.95 25 × 30ml samples
Best food Advent calendars for sweet treats and keen cooks
1. Terre Exotique Spice Discovery Advent Calendar — £45
If you’re looking for a food Advent calendar for home cooks, this is the one we’d choose. The illustrated tower holds 24 sweet and savoury spice sachets, each with tasting notes and recipe ideas, plus a full-size jar. The selection includes Viking Smoked Salt, Timur berry and speculoos spice. We’d put the smoked salt straight onto a tray of roast potatoes and save the speculoos for a batch of biscuits. See it at Sous Chef.
2. Chilli No. 5 Hot Sauce Advent Calendar — £125
This hot sauce Advent calendar is for the person who reaches for the bottle before tasting dinner. The 24 products include sauces, oils, flakes and spice blends, so there’s plenty to do with them beyond adding heat to eggs. Try a drizzle on roast veg, or put a few bottles out with the Boxing Day leftovers and let everyone pick their own. See it at Chilli No. 5.
3. Roly’s Fudge Advent Calendar — £60
A square of crumbly fudge and a cup of tea sounds like a decent way to spend five minutes in December. This handmade fudge Advent calendar has 25 individually wrapped 20g portions, with flavours including Vanilla Clotted Cream, Sea Salt, Honeycomb and Christmas Pudding. Devon illustrator Helen Leslie designed the box. Standard UK postage is included. Buy online here.
4. Lakrids by Bülow Liquorice Advent Calendar — £75
For a sweet Advent calendar you can share, this 690g box has four pieces behind each window. The Danish maker pairs its liquorice with flavours such as milk chocolate, salted caramel and passion fruit. It’s a good choice for someone who already has a favourite Lakrids flavour and fancies finding another. See it at Sous Chef.
Best cheese Advent calendars for a December cheeseboard
5. The Welsh Cheese Company Artisan Welsh Cheese Advent Calendar — £49.50
Six windows and just under 1.2kg of cheese make this a good choice for sharing over a few December evenings. There’s a blue in Perl Las, a mature Cheddar in Black Bomber and a soft cheese in Cenarth Brie, alongside Ffili, Heb Enw and Bouncing Berry. The retailer lists delivery from 25 November. The box is 51cm wide, so you might want to take the cheeses out before trying to squeeze the whole thing into the fridge. See it at The Welsh Cheese Company.
6. Paxton & Whitfield Artisan Cheese Advent Calendar — £175
For a luxury cheese Advent calendar with a different cheese each day, Paxton & Whitfield’s selection has 24 numbered boxes with at least 75g in each. The cheeses come with tasting notes and pairing ideas, and the full line-up is kept under wraps. The price includes three UK deliveries, listed for 27 November, 4 December and 11 December. It’s the one we’d pick for a household that takes its cheeseboard seriously. See it at Paxton & Whitfield.
Best whisky Advent calendars for 2026
7. Drinks by the Dram Whisky Advent Calendar — £99.95
The flagship Master of Malt whisky Advent calendar is our pick for someone who enjoys a bit of everything. There are 25 wax-sealed 30ml drams, so it works out at just under £4 a sample before any delivery charge. The mix spans Scotch, Irish whiskey, American whiskey and more. Master of Malt lists more than one version of the 2026 calendar, with different line-ups, so choose the edition on the product page if there’s a particular dram you’re after. See it at Master of Malt.
8. Drinks by the Dram Scotch Whisky Advent Calendar — £134.95
Choose this Scotch whisky Advent calendar if the recipient is happiest exploring Scotland’s distilleries. It has 25 × 30ml samples, with scope to compare softer, fruitier whiskies and smokier drams in the same box. It’s a good early Christmas gift for someone who likes to work out what they enjoy before committing to a bottle. See it at Master of Malt.
9–13. Whisky calendars for peat, sherry casks, bourbon and more
All five are listed at £134.95 each. The Drinks by the Dram calendars below have 25 × 30ml samples. That Boutique-y Whisky Company’s edition has 24 × 30ml.
Calendar: Why we’d choose it
World Whisky For the curious drinker who wants to compare whiskies from different countries.
Sherry Cask Whisky For someone who gravitates towards dried-fruit and spice notes in their whisky.
Peated Whisky For the smoke lover who wants to explore peat beyond the familiar Islay names.
Bourbon & American Whiskey For comparing bourbon with rye and other American whiskey styles.
That Boutique-y Whisky Company For a whisky fan who likes seeing what independent bottlers have found.
14. Gravity Drinks Whiskey Tour of America — £219.95
This American whiskey Advent calendar comes in a wooden cabinet with two engraved tumblers and a distillery guide. The retailer’s product description lists 24 × 50ml bottles, covering styles including bourbon, rye, Tennessee whiskey and American single malt. We’d pick this as a gift for someone who’d keep the cabinet and work through the samples at their own pace. See it at Hard To Find Whisky.
Best gin, rum and vodka Advent calendars for adults
15. Drinks by the Dram Gin Advent Calendar — £74.95
If the person you’re buying for usually orders a G&T, this gin Advent calendar gives them 25 × 30ml pours to explore. At just under £3 a sample, it’s a good way to compare botanicals with a favourite tonic. If you want to keep a note of what you like, try a little of each gin neat before adding the mixer. See it at Master of Malt.
16. Drinks by the Dram Rum Advent Calendar — £124.95
This 25-dram rum Advent calendar is the one we’d pick for someone who likes sipping rum and wants to compare producers and styles. If their usual order is a spiced rum and ginger beer, the £74.95 Spiced Rum edition below is a closer fit. Both list 30ml samples. See the Rum Advent Calendar at Master of Malt.
17–21. More Master of Malt spirits calendars
Calendar Price What to expect
That Boutique-y Gin Company £59.95 24 × 30ml pours for someone who likes an unusual gin.
Premium Gin £99.95 25 × 30ml gins for someone who already has the classic styles covered.
Spiced Rum £74.95 25 × 30ml spiced and flavoured rums for mixing or sipping.
Vodka £79.95 25 × 30ml vodkas to compare, including options for a vodka Martini.
Flavoured Vodka £69.95 25 × 30ml flavoured vodkas for a friend who likes experimenting with cocktails.
Questions about food and drink Advent calendars
Which food Advent calendars cost under £50?
Terre Exotique’s Spice Discovery calendar is £45 at Sous Chef, and The Welsh Cheese Company’s six-window calendar is £49.50. Check delivery at checkout if £50 is your total budget.
Which Advent calendar makes the best gift for a whisky lover?
We’d choose the £99.95 Drinks by the Dram Whisky Advent Calendar for someone who likes variety. For a Scotch drinker with a favourite style, the Peated Whisky or Sherry Cask Whisky edition is a more personal choice. Master of Malt lists those at £134.95 each.
Do all food and drink Advent calendars have 24 doors?
The number depends on the box. Roly’s Fudge and several Drinks by the Dram calendars have 25, while The Welsh Cheese Company’s has six larger portions. Check the number and size of the portions if you’re buying for a couple or a household.
There’s more festive food, drink and gifting in Issue 18 of our free Foodie Explorers Christmas magazine, including canapés and a Clydeside S’Mores cocktail for anyone who fancies putting a dram to work. You can also browse previous issues of Foodie Explorers Magazine.
