The Christmas Gift Guide

Guides Christmas 2026

The Christmas Gift Guide

By Chef Robert Thompson MBE · RT Café Grill, Ryde

Everyone has enough things. What most people don't have enough of is an evening with no washing up, a reason to get dressed up in January, or a decent dinner cooked for them. This is a guide to giving those instead.

The short version A gift voucher if you don't know what they'd choose. An afternoon tea if you want it to feel like an occasion. A meal kit if they'd rather cook it themselves. Everything here is available online, and vouchers arrive by email within minutes.

We've split this by what you're actually trying to do rather than by price, because "under £50" is a category that tells you nothing about whether someone will like the thing.

If you don't know what they'd pick

The Gift Voucher — from £50

The honest answer for most people. It can be spent across everything we do — lunch on the terrace, dinner at RT Café Grill, afternoon tea, a Thompson's evening, or a private dinner in the cellar. They choose, which removes the risk of guessing wrong.

Delivered by email within minutes of ordering, so it works on the twenty-third of December as well as it does in November. Valid for twelve months.

What the amounts get you

£50 — lunch for one, or drinks and something from the bar on the terrace.
£100 — dinner for one, or two courses for two at the Café Grill.
£150 — a Thompson's tasting evening for one.
£200 — dinner for two, properly, with wine.
£300 and up — an evening at Thompson's for two, or a serious thank you.

Buy a gift voucher →

If you want it to feel like an occasion

Afternoon Tea for two — £70

Sandwiches, warm scones with clotted cream and jam, and a small collection of pastries from the kitchen. Served Thursday to Sunday, overlooking the Solent.

It's the gift that works for the people who are difficult to buy for — parents, grandparents, someone who says they don't want anything. Nobody dislikes afternoon tea.

Add a glass of Prosecco, English sparkling or Champagne on the day if they'd like to make more of it.

Thompson's — from £100 a head

Six, seven or eight courses in the cellar dining rooms, on a handful of evenings each year. The menu is written around what's at its best that month and changes every time.

Dates are limited and tend to go a month ahead, so this is a gift that needs a little planning. A voucher covers it if the dates aren't out yet.

See the Thompson's dates →

The cellar rooms, set for an evening — RT Café Grill, Ryde

If they'd rather cook it themselves

YouBeChef meal kits

Restaurant cooking, sent to their door, from the kitchen at RT Café Grill. Everything measured and prepped, with instructions written so the result is genuinely good rather than approximately right.

It suits the person who likes cooking but is bored of their own repertoire, and the couple who'd rather stay in than book a table. It also solves the gift for someone who lives too far away to use anything else on this list.

• Date Night — the one most people start with. Dinner for two, no decisions required.
• The Signature Menu — changes with the season, so it's a different gift depending when you send it.
• Vegetarian — a proper menu rather than a version of something else with the meat removed.

Browse YouBeChef →

Ordering in time Meal kits are cooked and packed to order, so they need more notice than a voucher. Check the delivery cut-off on the YouBeChef site before you leave it to the last week.

If it's a serious gift

The Cellar — a private dinner

Two private rooms beneath the restaurant, each looking into the wine cellar. Eight to twenty-two guests, a menu built around the occasion, and the room to yourselves for the evening.

It's the gift for a significant birthday, an anniversary that deserves more than dinner, or a family that hasn't all sat down together in years. Not something you buy off a page — get in touch and we'll put it together.

Enquire about The Cellar →

Ordering in time

Gift vouchersDelivered by email within minutes, any day including Christmas Eve. The genuine last-minute option.

YouBeChef kitsCooked and packed to order. Check the delivery cut-off on the site — usually mid-December.

Private diningBest arranged by conversation. Get in touch and we'll sort the details.

Voucher validityTwelve months from purchase, redeemable across everything we do.

Give an evening rather than an object.

Buy a gift voucher

Frequently asked questions

How quickly do gift vouchers arrive?+

By email, within minutes of ordering. You can forward it, print it, or save it to send on the day — which makes it the one gift on this list that still works on Christmas Eve.

How long are vouchers valid for?+

Twelve months from the date of purchase, and they can be spent across everything we do — RT Café Grill, afternoon tea, Thompson's or a private dinner in The Cellar.

Can I add a message?+

Yes. There's a field at checkout and whatever you write appears in the voucher itself.

What's the last date for a YouBeChef delivery before Christmas?+

Kits are made to order, so the cut-off is earlier than most retailers. The current date is on the YouBeChef site — worth checking before the second week of December.

Can a voucher be used towards a private dinner?+

Yes. Vouchers can be put towards a booking in The Cellar. Mention it when you enquire and we'll take it off the final bill.