There is a kind of advent calendar that assumes you can cook. Not one that hands you a chocolate at eight in the morning, but one that hands you a tin of orange-infused olive oil, a jar of cranberry sauce and a small pot of something anchovy-flecked to stir through pasta on a night when nobody can face another mince pie. Fortnum’s Feasting Advent Calendar has been redesigned for 2026, and it is squarely that calendar — a walk through the Piccadilly Foodhall spread over twenty-six openings, with two small bottles of gin somewhere in the middle of it.
£265. Twenty-six items, twenty of them full size. Orderable now, with delivery from 2 November.
The numbers
The Feasting Advent Calendar is £265, and Fortnum’s own at-a-glance panel puts the contents at twenty-six items, twenty of them full size. There is no stated worth published for it, so we haven’t quoted one. What Fortnum’s does say is that the calendar holds a mix of full and deluxe sample sizes, with some pieces made specifically for it, and that larger versions of those are sold separately both online and in store.
It is new in this form for 2026 rather than a carry-over. It is orderable now, with delivery from 2 November, and UK only — there is no international shipping on this one. Fortnum’s doesn’t publish a door count, and lists the contents “in no particular order”, so the shape of the countdown is left deliberately unannounced. Three of the twenty-six contain alcohol: two 5cl Amalthea gins, dry and pink, and a chocolate chestnut liqueur.
Does it pique our interest?
What makes this one interesting is the savoury seam running through it. Food calendars, almost without exception, are sweet — chocolate, biscuits, more chocolate. This one gives you a fennel, anchovy and preserved lemon flavour paste, a Christmas hot honey and parsnip hot sauce, a tin of orange-infused extra virgin olive oil, hickory smoked mixed nuts and cheese sablés with rosemary and thyme. That is a genuine pantry, and it arrives in the fortnight when a pantry is under the most pressure.
The sweet side hasn’t been neglected. There is a blackcurrant and cassis curd, a Christmas fig preserve, the Sunburst clear marmalade, marzipan fruit shapes, a milk chocolate honeycomb bar and a bag of the Midnight Feast chocolate hedgehogs, which are exactly as good as they sound. And it brews properly too: a flower tea infuser with Christmas black tea, a Moroccan mint tin, a Royal Blend pocket tin and the After Dinner blend ground coffee.
Twenty full-size items out of twenty-six is the figure doing the most work here. A calendar of this size can easily turn out to be twenty-six tasting spoons; this one is mostly things you put away in a cupboard and are still reaching for in February. The mulled wine spice box and the cranberry sauce are, frankly, the two we would have opened first.
What we’d change
A few things are worth knowing before you commit.
The first is that six of the twenty-six are not full size. Fortnum’s is upfront about it, calling them deluxe sample sizes and pointing you towards the full versions in store — which is honest, but it does mean a handful of mornings are a taste rather than a jar.
The second is that two of the twenty-six are not food at all. The Fortnum’s kitchen tea towel and the mini nutcracker crackers are lovely objects and plainly meant as keepsakes, but if you are in this for the eating they are the two mornings that land flattest.
The third is practical: there is no international delivery on this calendar. If you were thinking of sending one to a relative abroad, that decision has been made for you.
Full contents list
To drink
- Amalthea Dry Gin, 5cl
- Amalthea Pink Gin, 5cl
- Chocolate Chestnut Liqueur, 5cl
- Flower Tea Infuser with Christmas Black Tea, 25g
- Moroccan Mint Tea Tin, 60g
- Royal Blend Pocket Tin, 5 Silky Tea Bags, 12.5g
- After Dinner Blend Ground Coffee Tin, 75g
The pantry
- Cranberry Sauce, 230g
- Christmas Hot Honey & Parsnip Hot Sauce, 150ml
- Orange Infused Extra Virgin Olive Oil Tin, 100ml
- Fennel, Anchovy & Preserved Lemon Flavour Paste, 105g
- Sunburst Clear Marmalade, 200g
- Christmas Fig Preserve, 200g
- Chef Honey Cinnamon, 200g
- Blackcurrant & Cassis Curd, 195g
- Mulled Wine Spice Box, 20g
To nibble
- Hickory Smoke Mixed Nuts, 100g
- Traditional Shortbread Fingers, 170g
- Christmas Orange & Dark Chocolate Biscuits, 125g
- Rosemary & Thyme Sablés, 80g
- Marzipan Fruit Shapes, 100g
- Milk Chocolate Honeycomb Bar, 80g
- The Midnight Feast Chocolate Hedgehogs, 50g
Keepsakes
- Fortnum’s Kitchen Tea Towel
- Mini Nutcracker Crackers
Who it’s perfect for
This is a calendar for the person who does the Christmas cooking — the one already working out what goes with the ham, who would rather have a good olive oil than another bath bomb. It suits a household as much as an individual, because much of what is inside is meant for a table rather than a desk drawer.
It is also, quietly, a very good gift for someone whose taste you know well: the pantry items are specific enough that they read as chosen rather than simply bought. If what you want instead is a chocolate a day and a bit of theatre, Fortnum’s does that elsewhere, and the Favourites Truffle calendar is the one built for it.
Our Pique Verdict
Perfect for: the person who does the Christmas cooking
Best product: Fennel, Anchovy & Preserved Lemon Flavour Paste, 105g
Biggest drawback: two of the twenty-six are keepsakes rather than food
Value for money: ★★★★½ (4.5/5)
Frequently asked questions
How much is the Fortnum’s Feasting Advent Calendar 2026?
The Fortnum’s Feasting Advent Calendar is £265 from Fortnum & Mason.
How many items are inside?
Twenty-six, of which Fortnum’s states twenty are full size. The remaining six are described as deluxe sample sizes.
How many doors does it have?
Fortnum’s doesn’t publish a door count for this calendar, and lists the contents in no particular order, so we haven’t stated one either.
Does it contain alcohol?
Yes. There are two 5cl Amalthea gins, dry and pink, and a 5cl chocolate chestnut liqueur, alongside a mulled wine spice box.
Is it suitable for vegetarians?
Not entirely — the fennel, anchovy and preserved lemon flavour paste contains anchovy. Worth knowing before you give it to someone who doesn’t eat fish.
When can I order it, and when does it arrive?
It can be ordered now, with delivery from 2 November 2026. Delivery is UK only; there is no international shipping on this calendar.
Where to buy
Fortnum’s Feasting Advent Calendar is £265 at Fortnum & Mason.
Read next
The M&S Foodhall calendar is the other proper food-hall-in-a-box of the season, built on much the same idea — our review of it is here.
And if it is the Piccadilly green box you are drawn to rather than the pantry, Fortnum’s beauty calendar is worth a look too.
Fortnum’s smaller countdowns are worth a look as well — the Tea Lovers’ calendar at £35 and the Favourites Truffle calendar at £40.
