We’ve been rounding up the best of the city’s Christmas gifts, from food, to homeware, to thoughtful things you can grab right up to the last minute.
Everything has a Manchester connection; whether it’s locally-made produce or sustainably-crafted and sourced accessories that you can pick up from some of Greater Manchester’s very best independent shops.
We’ve compiled our top picks here, but don’t forget to explore all the different guides, for even more inspiration.
Looking for something else? Read the gift guides in full…
Manchester’s best ‘money no object’ Christmas gifts
Manchester’s best food and drink Christmas gifts
Manchester’s best stylish Christmas gifts
Manchester’s best budget Christmas gifts
Manchester’s best last minute gifts
Festive Biscuit Tin, Pollen, £36
Pollen’s Christmas baked goods offering, which is available to buy through their website and in their bakeries, is nothing short of a public service. Their festive biscuit tin is a festive, indulgent hit, featuring salted pistachio shortbread, chocolate sablés, stem ginger biscuits and more. Pollen are known for never missing when it comes to their baked goods, so this is a nice way to to share that with friends who aren’t based in Ancoats or the city centre.
Eve Bag, NOTS, £120
We love these bags by NOTS, which are hand-knotted from rope. Not only are they sustainable, but they’re created by founder Emilia right in the middle of Manchester at multi-purpose creative space Altogether Otherwise. She’s recently introduced the Eve bag to the offering, which is an evening bag perfect for party season, available in silver or a khaki camouflage. Fun, functional, and properly special.
Older Than Dirt Cap, Permanent Orbit, £38
Permanent Orbit is a vintage shop that specialises in curating unisex clothing and homeware, celebrating worn-in pieces and “seeing scuffs as stories”. This RealTree camo cap, stitched with “Older Than Dirt,” is inspired by one of the shop’s favourite T‑shirts, and this cap continues their love affair with Realtree, which they’ve previously used on tote bags and tees. Each one is unique because the fabric varies – plus stocks are extremely limited. At £38, it’s an ideal present for someone who enjoys a bit of vintage-inspired style or likes to wear something no one else will have.
Frida Cooper ceramic coffee cup, £40
Mancunian ceramicist Frida Cooper is based in a studio in Pollard Yard, with some of our favourite independents for neighbours. Her creations are super-practical and all revolve around eating and drinking, from mugs to coasters or egg cups. We’re particularly drawn to this dinky re-usable coffee cup in a range of textures and finishes, perfect for a flat white or espresso from your favourite independent coffee shop.
Cooking Experience Vouchers, Food Sorcery, various amounts
With cooking schools in Didsbury and the city centre, Food Sorcery is the place to go for cooking classes that range from the sociable to the serious. You can buy gift vouchers (available online, for an amount of your choosing) for a variety of types of classes for duos, parents and teens and more, across loads of different cuisines as well as baking and even coffee-making. A really good gift for ambitious foodies in your life.
Custom knife, Boli Knife, various prices
Located inside Levenshulme Antique Village is Boli Knives, the work of bladesmith Kip Kaboli who hand makes custom knives to order, from serious-looking cleavers to Japanese-style chef knives. For any passionate cooks or kitchenware obsessives, it’s the dream gift.
Neighbourhood Merch, Manchester’s Finest, from £25
For the person in your life who loves all things hyper-local, grab them something from the Manchester’s Finest neighbourhood collection. Available in a selection of options, colours and styles, you’ll find the ideal gift for that friend who knows every place, seeks out every new opening and is seemingly across absolutely everything in town.
Schofields’s Fine & Classic Cocktails, £18.99
What the Schofield brothers don’t know about cocktails isn’t worth knowing, and anyone who has paid a visit to their perfectly executed cocktail bar in Sunlight House will agree. And while you can’t replicate the slickness of the full Schofield’s experience, you can gift an extremely through A-Z of iconic drinks, from the Adonis to the Zombie, as well as an in-depth breakdown on all the other elements, from glassware to the importance of the perfect ice cube. A perfectionist’s dream.
4013 Tartan Lambswool Scarf, Uskees, £48
Because you can’t get enough scarves at Christmas, Manchester-based brand Uskees have reimagined the classic tartan scarf using Pennine Lambswool. There are two rustic colour combinations, and they are the perfect accessory to add a bit of an outdoorsy vibe to your everyday look. Don’t knock it – it’s a Christmas classic for a reason.
Cheese Making Day, Chorlton Cheesemongers, £145
Chorlton Cheesemongers is a champion of sustainably made cheeses and the small producers behind them. Now they’re inviting curious food lovers into the craft itself with a full day workshop led by professional cheesemaker Katy Fenwick (of Neal’s Yard Dairy and Academy of Cheese fame).
Over seven hours you’ll learn the science and hands‑on techniques for making two very different cheeses. You’ll finish the day with a fresh cheese to take home, then receive your own hard cheese a few weeks later once they’ve matured it for you. Lunch and hot drinks are included, the class is capped at ten people, and all sessions are held in their Chorlton shop.
It’s a memorable gift for anyone who loves cheese enough to get their hands in the curds. New dates for 2026 are 8 February, 31 May and 4 October.
Gift box, Batch Bottlestore, various prices
Altrincham’s Batch Bottlestore isn’t just a great place to go for a drink, it’s also an incredibly well-supplied bottle and can shop, stocking beers from some of the most interesting breweries both locally and across the country. Think colourful labels and unpronounceable names. They offer a number of gift box options, and on Christmas Eve they’re open until midnight – you don’t get much more ‘last minute saviour’ than that.
Absolutely anything from LOT54, various prices
An industrial estate just outside of Altrincham might not scream ‘perfect interior design purchases’, but the team from furniture store Rose & Grey are proving that wrong, with the opening of LOT54, their ‘modern vintage outlet’. Because it’s an outlet, you can’t shop online, but it’s well worth an excursion to explore their unique, mid-century inspired homeware from lamps to crockery to seating. The perfect gift for a homeware-obsessed friend. You’re sure to find a stunning something, with loads of personality.
Open Fire Dining Club gift cards, from £95
Open Fire Dining Club has had an amazing first year, inviting diners to the quite gorgeous Torr Vale Mill for supper clubs by some of the city’s finest chefs. We’re planning to do it all again in 2026 too, and you can gift a loved one a seat at the table. They can redeem it against any Open Fire event they want to attend. We might be biased, but it’s an impeccable gift for your pal who is always out and about at new restaurants.
‘Girl Dinner’ Decorations, Idaho, £12-£16
When it comes to gorgeous, independent gifts, nowhere does it quite like Idaho. You can find stores in Altrincham and Sale, stocking beauty, jewellery, homeware, books and cards and more. We’ve been magpie-ing over the delightfully kitsch and girly dinner-inspired Christmas decorations. We love the olive, and the crisps, and the Chicken Wine of course. Oh, and the sardines…
Handpainted wooden lamps, Jane Blease, from £225
Based in the ever-inspiring Manchester Craft & Design Centre, artist Jane Blease combines the seemingly counterintuitive elements of woodwork, painting and lighting design in these one-off pieces that make a unique gift for arty friends and loved ones. If a £200+ lamp is out of budget, she also creates artwork, brooches and bookmarks. You can have a mooch around her studio, or view her shop online.
Manchester Wine Tours, £80 per person
Founded by food and wine writer Kel Bishop (whose words have featured right here in Manchester’s Finest), Manchester Wine Tours is a wine tasting ‘with legs’. You get guided around some of the best wine spots in the city, while sampling amazing wines and snacks. It’s suitable for experts and amateurs alike, which makes it a great Christmas gift for you and a wine-loving relative, partner or pal.
Len Grant Charity Calendar, Mustard Tree, £10/£15
For Mustard Tree’s 2026 calendar, they’ve partnered with much-loved urban sketcher Len Grant. His lively, personality-filled drawings of different neighbourhoods around Manchester are a firm favourite here at Finest. The calendar features twelve illustrations from the charity’s three hubs in Manchester (Ancoats) and Salford (Eccles & Little Hulton), including scenes from its community shops, food clubs, training areas and creative clubs. We couldn’t think of anything better to brighten up your desk or wall all year long.
Drama Call Rubik’s Cube Keyring, £15.99
Founded in 2017 by Charlie Bows, Drama Call grew from a Mancunian bedroom brand into one of the most talked‑about names in UK streetwear. It’s known for heavy, logo‑centric “Trackeh” tracksuits and guerrilla marketing tactics that build hype and community. Their latest festive drop includes a Rubik’s Cube and a mini keyring version. Both are playable puzzles, but the keyring is the perfect budget pick at £15.99 – clip it to your bag or keys for a hit of nostalgia with streetwear edge. The full‑size cube is £21.99 if you want to go bigger. The drop goes live on Sunday 14 December at 7 pm, and Drama Call’s releases typically sell out quick, so set a reminder. This is an easy stocking‑filler for fans of independent fashion and anyone who loves gifts that blend pop culture with design.
Raised Fist Felt Decorations, People’s History Museum, £12.50
Why shouldn’t you show solidarity on your Christmas tree? People’s History Museum has unveiled a beautiful new range of handcrafted Christmas tree decorations, featuring exclusive designs available only through the museum. The collection is a creative collaboration with artist Frockdolly and draws inspiration from traditional European folk art. Each is handmade, so completely unique – buy them online, or on your next visit to the museum.
Read more:
The best things to do in Manchester this week
The best Manchester gigs and club nights in December 2025
Manchester restaurants join forces for this year’s StreetSmart campaign to support homelessness
