How to start a gift hamper business from home in the UK

To start a gift hamper business from home in the UK: register with your local council as a food business if any food or drink goes in your hampers (free, at least 28 days before you sell: this applies even to sealed, shop-bought food), keep bought-in products in their original labelled packaging, fully label anything you make or repack yourself, and leave alcohol out unless you hold a premises licence or partner with a licensed seller. Non-food hampers (candles, pamper items, flowers) need no registration but must meet product safety rules. Most home hamper businesses charge £30–£90 per hamper.

1. Food in hampers means registering

The Food Standards Agency's rule is broad: anyone who sells, stores, handles or distributes food for the public is a food business and must register with their local council at least 28 days before trading. That includes assembling hampers from sealed, shop-bought chocolates, biscuits and jams. Registration is free and cannot be refused. Because you are handling pre-packed, low-risk food, the inspection is usually straightforward: store food cool and dry, away from pets, and keep records of what you bought and when. See registering a food business.

2. Labels: bought-in vs homemade

• Bought-in, pre-packed products: leave them in their original packaging with the manufacturer's label, and check best-before dates against when the hamper will be eaten.
• Things you make or repack: homemade cookies, fudge, decanted sweets or spice mixes packed before the order count as pre-packed for direct sale and need a full ingredients label with allergens emphasised (Natasha's Law). Read our allergen guide.
• Allergen information for the whole hamper: list what is in each hamper on your shop so customers can check before buying.

3. Alcohol needs a licence

Selling alcohol (including a bottle of prosecco in a hamper) is a licensable activity. You would need a premises licence for where the alcohol is sold from and a personal licence holder to authorise sales. Most new home hamper businesses leave alcohol out, offer alcohol-free alternatives, or let customers add their own.

4. Non-food hampers

Pamper, baby, candle and flower hampers need no council registration. Each item must be safe and properly labelled: scented candles need CLP labels, and soaps and bath products are cosmetics with their own rules. Buying from established suppliers who provide compliant labels is the easiest route. See the rules for handmade crafts.

5. Pricing a hamper

Add up the contents at what you paid, the basket or box, filler, wrap and card, then add your time and margin. Worked example: £22 of contents + £6 of packaging = £28. At a 1.8× mark-up that is £50, leaving £22 for about 30 minutes of buying, assembling and wrapping. Offer three set sizes rather than fully custom hampers: it keeps buying simple and waste low.

6. The busiest times

Christmas (with corporate orders from October), Ramadan and Eid, Diwali, Mother's and Father's Day, Valentine's Day, new babies, get-well and thank-you gifts. Open pre-orders early and set a cut-off date.

7. Selling and delivering

Hampers are bulky and breakable, so local collection and delivery keeps costs down. On Cravers Eats you get a free shop: list each hamper with its contents and allergens, customers nearby order and pay by card, and you choose collection or your own delivery area and fee. You keep 95% of each sale, with no monthly fees.

Sources: Food Standards Agency guidance on registering a food business and on prepacked for direct sale (PPDS) labelling; Licensing Act 2003 guidance on the sale of alcohol; GOV.UK product safety guidance; Cravers Eats seller terms. Last reviewed 2026-11-05.