Irina

30+ gift ideas for your favourite budding chef or star baker

Posted on 15th November 2025

Has your partner taken up cooking this year, or perhaps a loved one is into baking sweets and treats? We’ve gathered an array of pretty and practical gift ideas for the budding chef and star baker on your list.

For many of us, beyond being a hobby or passion, cooking and baking is a love language on its own. So, if you have an aspiring chef or baker in your life and want to surprise them this Christmas, we’ve got you covered with more than 30 gift ideas. From must-have tools, chic cookware, aesthetically pleasing kitchen gadgets, to stylish serving trays and cake stands, read on to get inspired and browse through some of our favourite solutions…

Kitchen tech

Although small, these countertop appliances are pretty mighty. Any baker needs their own striking stand mixer, while a pro-style blender or pasta maker is sure to make any budding chef happy – or if they are keen entertainers, why not gift them some nice-to-have tech, like Smeg’s soda maker or Cuisinart’s gelato gadget?

A Christmas kitchen space with a copper mixer and baked goods. — Hand mixer in Copper, £89.99, Dualit.

Moodboard edit of kitchen gadgets with a stand mixer, soda maker, gelato maker, pasta machine, and a blender. — 1. Soda maker in Matte Storm Blue, from £149.95, Smeg. 2. Pure Power blender in Porcelain White, from £149, KitchenAid. 3. Marcato Design Atlas pasta machine in Red, £115, available at John Lewis. 4. Cuisinart 1.5-litre Compressor Elite ice cream and gelato maker, £299.99, available at Lakeland. 5. China Rose 6-litre stand mixer, £330, Laura Ashley.

Chic cookware

Cast iron cocottes and colourful casseroles, bakeware sets, and dainty ramekins are all practical, timeless additions to any chef or baker’s kit, which will help them perfect dishes and recipes while also brightening up their kitchen for many years to come.

Dessert in satin black ramekins with gold spoons on a wooden table. — Appolia Set of ceramic ramekins in Satin Black, £16.99, Peugeot. Photography: Eric Marin.

Moodboard edit of cookware and bakeware, with colourful casseroles, black and stainless steel dishes, and retro ramekins. — 1. Reserve bakeware in Black, £129, GreenPan. 2. Cast iron round casserole in Sea Salt, from £219, Le Creuset. 3. Heritage Veranda set of four ramekins, £56, Denby. 4. Cast iron cocotte, £299, Buster + Punch x Staub. 5. Classic 22cm casserole 2.5-litre, £108, Stellar. 6. Glass and seagrass oven dish, £38 for a medium, The White Company.

A Christmas kitchen with a wooden worktop, spice rack, and neutral casserole dishes. — Cast iron 28cm shallow casserole dish in Stone, £65, ProCook.

Serve in style

A chef or baker also needs proper dishware to serve all the mouth-watering treats and sweets they worked hard for. Whether they prefer simple, minimalist solutions like rustic platters and cake stands, or more statement, patterned designs such as 70s-style plates and bowls, we’ve got something for every taste.

Textured kitchen splashback and worktop with a wood open shelf, and pink and neutral dinnerware set. — Minerals 12 piece set in Rose Quartz, £180, Portmeirion.

Moodboard edit of kitchen ceramics for chefs and bakers with platters, trays and cake stands. — 1. Samla oval serving platter, £112.50, Oka. 2. Ceramic butter dish in Yellow, £19.95, Rex London. 3. Pretty Pink glass cake stand, £25, Rockett St George. 4. Kintsugi cake stand, £225, Seletti. 5. Beatrice Springtime set of six dinner plates, £88, Casa by JJ. 6. Poterie bowl, £32, Abobe Living. 7. HKLiving Ascend set of 70s ramen bowls, £44, Idyll Home. 8. Juniper Drop ceramic stand, £90, Nkuku.

A wood worktop with four retro, 70s style plates. — HKLiving Set of four 70s ceramic saucers in Ocean, £35, Rose & Grey.

Kitchenware gifts

Complete your loved one’s kit this Christmas with these fun and functional must-haves – think iconic salt and pepper mills, marble rolling pins, patterned kitchen textiles, wooden cookbook holders, brass measuring spoons and chunky chopping boards.