Five Portuguese staples, chosen because they are what a Portuguese kitchen actually keeps to hand.

A short list, properly chosen

Nothing here is filler. Buttery Serra-style sheep cheese from Paiva carries the board. Chicken chourico brings the smoke. Bom Petisco sardines in extra virgin olive oil are the tin the Portuguese buy for themselves, not for tourists. Quince marmelada and a box of palmiers close it out. Five things, each one the version a Portuguese cook would reach for.

The brands

These are the labels Portuguese families actually buy, not export brands invented for gift boxes. Bom Petisco tin their sardines and tuna on the Atlantic coast and are the tin most Portuguese households keep in the cupboard. Macarico cure the olives and bottle the piri-piri. Quinta dos Jugais make their honeys and cheese jams in the Serra da Estrela, the same mountains the sheep cheese comes from. Gallo has been pressing olive oil in Portugal for over a century. Every one of them sits on the shelf in a Portuguese grocer, which is the only test that really matters. You can read more about the regional food traditions behind them at Visit Portugal.

Packing and delivery

We pack this hamper in a medium matte-black gift box with a printed ivory-cream sleeve. Cheese and charcuterie travel chilled and keep well on arrival. We deliver across mainland UK, and we can send directly to the recipient with a handwritten card if you tell us what to write. See the rest of the range on our Portuguese food hampers page.

Serving suggestion

Take the cheese out of the fridge half an hour before you serve it, and cut it open rather than slicing it thin. Set the chourico part-sliced on a board. Open the tins and leave them in the tin, which is how they are eaten in Portugal. Put the marmelada beside the cheese, not with the sweets.