Prices correct at 26 October 2026.
A celebrity basket, and a question worth asking
This Christmas, the Meghan Markle As Ever range includes a $250 gift basket. It’s charming, beautifully presented and bound to be one of the most talked-about gifts of the season.
It also raises a question we love answering: what does around £190 actually buy you in a Christmas hamper? We put the As Ever Signature Basket side by side with our own Star of Wonder Hamper to find out.
The Meghan Markle As Ever Signature Basket: $250 (about £187)
The Signature Basket is a small wicker basket with leather and gold-tone details. Inside are As Ever’s own favourites, plus a limited-edition chocolate collaboration:
- Signature Fruit Spread Gift Box (raspberry, orange marmalade and strawberry)
- Flower Sprinkles
- Herbal Peppermint, Hibiscus and Lemon Ginger Teas
- As Ever x Compartés Botanical Confections Chocolate Bar Trio
- Signature Candle No. 519
It’s a pretty, pantry-led gift with a strong personal brand behind it. It’s estimated to ship from 17 November.
What the same money buys at Virginia Hayward: Star of Wonder, £198.63
For about £12 more, the Star of Wonder Hamper arrives in an 18-inch lidded wicker basket with carry straps, holding 16 products from 14 different makers. Delivery to UK addresses is free.
It’s built for a long Christmas afternoon of grazing:
- Wine: Borgo Conventi Pinot Grigio and Refosco from Italy’s Isonzo del Friuli
- The pudding: Cole’s Connoisseur Christmas Pudding with Cognac
- For the cheeseboard: The Fine Cheese Co. Heritage Wheat Rounds, Pea Green Boat Cumin Cheese Sables, Olives Et Al Rosemary & Sea Salt Reganas Crackers, Odysea Kalamata Olives and Olives Et Al Smoky Chilli Nuts
- Chocolate and sweets: Holdsworth Maison du Noir Collection, Joybox Milk Chocolate Hazelnuts, Forest Feast Dark Chocolate Figs, Tenuta Marmorelle Chocolate & Raspberry Nougat, Frank’s Vanilla & White Chocolate Shortbread and Ooh! Chocolata Rose & Lemon Turkish Delight
- For the cook: The Bay Tree Balsamic Dressing and The Fabulous Fruit Co. Plum Preserve with Mulled Wine
Side by side
| As Ever Signature Basket | Virginia Hayward Star of Wonder | |
|---|---|---|
| Price (RRP) | $250 (about £187) | £198.63 inc VAT |
| Basket | Small wicker basket, leather and gold-tone trim | 18-inch lidded wicker basket with carry straps |
| Contents | 7 listed items, including two multi-packs | 16 products |
| Makers | 2 (As Ever and Compartés) | 14 independent and heritage producers |
| Wine | None | 2 bottles of Italian wine |
| Christmas pudding | None | Cole’s Connoisseur with Cognac |
| Candle | Yes | No |
| UK delivery | Not stated | Free standard delivery |
Dollar price converted at about $1 = £0.75. Contents as listed on each retailer’s website on 26 October 2026.
Heritage you can taste
A celebrity name tells you who chose the gift. A heritage maker tells you how it was made, and that’s where Star of Wonder really earns its place.
- Cole’s Puddings began as A.J. Cole in Essex in 1939, when Albert Cole worked from his great-grandmother’s recipe book. It has been part of the Wilkin & Sons (Tiptree) family since 2010.
- Holdsworth Chocolates was started in Bakewell, Derbyshire, in March 1988 by Barbara Holdsworth, making handcrafted chocolates to her own recipes.
- The Fine Cheese Co. was founded in Bath in 1990 by Ann-Marie Dyas, a British and World Cheese Awards judge. Its ranges are never sold in British supermarkets.
Virginia Hayward has its own story too. Gin and Geoff Hayward packed our first hampers on the kitchen table of their North Dorset farm in 1984. More than 40 years on, we’re still family-run and still based in Dorset.
The verdict
The As Ever basket is a lovely gift if you want a piece of a famous brand. For a similar spend, though, Star of Wonder brings wine, a proper Christmas pudding, a full cheeseboard spread and handmade chocolates from makers with decades of history behind them.
It’s the difference between a gift that looks the part and one that feeds the whole family through Boxing Day.
Shop the Star of Wonder Hamper or browse our full range of Christmas hampers.
