Since 2016, I have been publishing my annual Swiss Holiday Gift Guide. My gift ideas are intended for people who love food. They can include cooking tools, wine subscriptions, sweet treats, cookbooks and more. I hope these suggestions help you discover some uniquely Swiss gift ideas, all of which can be purchased online for delivery within Switzerland.

Handmade Nougat from Graubünden

I first met Monika Müller when she was leading the kitchen at the restaurant for the historic Hotel Palazzo Salis in the village of Soglio, Switzerland. After leaving the hotel in 2019, she started a new company, Vitto, in the nearby village of Vicosoprano. Housed in a building that looks straight out of a Wes Anderson film, Monika makes sweet treats with hyper-local ingredients, such as smoked chestnuts and sea buckthorn berries.

Where to buy: Vitto, Strada Cantonale 192, 7603 Vicosoprano, +41 (0)79 646 72 42‬, post@vitto.ch.

The price: Monika’s handmade nougat ranges from CHF 16.80 for 100 grams to a yearlong bi-monthly delivery of two types of nougat (240 g each delivery) for CHF 288. Please note: If you want it to arrive in time for Christmas 2022, you must order by December 7, 2022.

Sparkling Wine from Mauler

Founded in 1829 in the canton of Neuchâtel, Mauler produces a number of excellent sparkling wines. In addition, they also produce non-alcoholic sparkling grape juices – Muscat Blanc or Muscat Rosé. The company has been owned and operated by the Mauler family for generations. If you can, you should also take the time to visit their wine cave, housed in a former Benedictine monastery.

Where to buy: Mauler, Le Prieuré St-Pierre, Rue Centrale 7, 2112 Môtiers, +41 (0)32 862 03 03, mailbox@mauler.ch

The price: Mauler’s sparkling wines range in price. For example, a bottle of Cuvée Tradition Brut is CHF 24.90, while a bottle of Cuvee Louis-Eduoard Mauler 2014 will cost you CHF 39.50. The sparkling juices are about CHF 9.00 per bottle.

Porcelain Dishes for a Swiss Apéro

Whether planned ahead or last-minute, you can level up your next Swiss apéro with these hand-thrown porcelain bowls. Swiss ceramic artist Laurin Schaub makes them at his studio in Bern. These delicate little bowls and small deep plates have a shiny, black and white marbled glaze with an unglazed matte finish on the bottom. You could even fill them up with little handmade sweet or savory treats when you give them as a gift. I bought these with the intention of giving them as a gift, but they may end up staying in my kitchen!

Where to buy: Slow Goods, Badenerstrasse 123, 8004 Zürich, +41 (0)43 229 29 00, kundendienst@slowgoods.ch

The price: Kleine Schale / small bowl (8.5 cm), CHF 32; and the Flache Schale / flat bowl (13.0 cm), CHF 35.

New Swiss Food & Wine Books

The publisher of my Swiss Bread and Sweet + Swiss books, Helvetiq, has two other books that I highly recommend for your holiday gifts this year. First, author Ellen Wallace has taken the popular guidebooks from Helvetiq about hiking and beer and created her own version with wine. A Swiss wine journalist for decades, she has special insight into the wine scene in Switzerland. You’ll discover a total of 50 itineraries in her new book, Wine Hiking Switzerland (available in English, French and German). And, for a classic Swiss cookbook in English, you must get Andie Pilot’s new edition of her bestselling Helvetic Kitchen. With more than 100 color photos and dozens of traditionally Swiss recipes, this cookbook would also make a perfect gift.

Also, the new edition of Patrimoine Culinaire Suisse (Culinary Heritage of Switzerland) is on my own Christmas list this year! With over 450 different types of traditional foods and 720 pages, this inventory is a must-have for anyone interested in studying Swiss food.

Where to buy: Online via Helvetiq (for the books above in English) and Infolio éditions (for Patrimoine Culiniare Suisse) or at Swiss bookstores.

Cost: From Helvetiq: Wine Hiking Switzerland, CHF 29 (in English, French and German); Sweet + Swiss, CHF 39 (in English, French and German); and Helvetic Kitchen, CHF 29.90 (in English). Please note that I receive a small commission when you purchase a book via the affiliate links from Helvetiq.

From Infolio éditions, Patrimoine Culinaire Suisse, CHF 79.

Bio-Knospen Nusstorte (walnut cake) mit Bündner Baumnüssen from Meier Beck

You may remember that I wrote about Meier Beck bakery in my first cookbook, Swiss Bread (2020). This wonderful family-owned bakery sits in the village of Santa Maria (Graubünden). If you can, you should visit Meier Beck for yourself and have a coffee and piece of walnut cake (nusstorte) in its cozy wood-paneled café. If you can’t make it out to this remote corner of Switzerland, then why not order Meier Beck’s wonderful organic Nusstorte, made with Swiss walnuts from this region. It’s so good that Bio Suisse recognizes it as the organic product of the year for 2022.

Where to buy: Meier Beck, Via Veglia 99,CH-7536 Sta. Maria, +41 (0)81 858 51 16, info@meierbeck.ch

The cost: Bio-Knospen Nusstorte mit Bündner Baumnüssen, 10 cm (230 g) for CHF 12.50 or 14 cm (420 g) for CHF 22.00.

Swiss-Made Kitchen Towels

It might seem boring, but personally, I love getting fresh, new kitchen towels. They make a great practical gift or stocking stuffer for someone who loves to cook at home. In Switzerland, you should check out the Swiss-made “waffle” towels and dish cloths from MEYER-MAYOR. Made with 100 percent cotton, I will use them to wrap up a homemade loaf of bread as a gift for friends. There are lots of different colors and other styles to choose from online.

Where to buy: Rigotex – swiss house of textiles, Soorpark, 9606 Bütschwil, +41 (0)71 982 70 40, info@rigotex.swiss

The cost: Waffle Towels, CHF 21.90 per kitchen towel (48×85 cm) and 100% Swiss made

Magenträs Gift Box with Recipes

Want to discover one of my favorite Swiss food products that few people seem to know about (outside the canton of Glarus anyway)? It’s Magenträs, a spiced, salmon-colored sugar that contains powdered sandalwood. You can sprinkle it on buttered toast for breakfast or use it to make Ankenzelte (a flat cake recipe from my Swiss Bread book) or candied walnuts (a recipe from my Sweet + Swiss book). This little gift box set comes with a small booklet of recipes. It makes a good stocking stuffer or sweet treat for someone special who appreciates super regional Swiss food.

Where to buy: Gewürzladen Näfels, Im Dorf 17, 8752 Näfels, +41 (0)55 612 41 00, info@gewuerzladen.ch

The cost: Trietolt Magenträs (Magentraes) Schiebebox mit Rezept (sliding box with recipes), CHF 22.90.

Ticino Gift Box

A gift box makes an easy holiday present because someone else has already taken the time to hand select an interesting mix of gifts. Gusto Ticino has done precisely that with its “Cesto Eccellenza Ticinese” (basket of Ticino excellence). Switzerland’s Italian-speaking canton has its own collection of regional food products with a completely different flavor from the rest of the country. You’ll find products in this box such as polenta, Gazosa (carbonated lemonade), olive oil, pasta and biscuits made with Farina Bóna, a toasted corn flour.

Where to buy: Gusto Ticino, Via Stazione 10, 6593 Cadenazzo, +41 (0)91 858 18 22, info@gustoticino.ch

The cost: Cesto Eccellenza Ticinese (basket of Ticino excellence) gift box, CHF 80.00

For more Swiss holiday gift suggestions, please check out my holiday gift guides from previous years!

What else would you add to my Swiss holiday gift guide? Please leave a comment below.