A gift for someone I barely know

A new partner's parents, a host you've met once, a neighbour you owe.

I need a gift for someone I do not know well. The risk is being either forgettable or too familiar.

1. Tell me what the gift is doing socially: thanking them, marking a first meeting, or returning a favour. That sets the size.
2. Suggest five ideas that are safe without being dull. Prefer things that are good in themselves and do not require the recipient to share my taste: something consumable, something for the household rather than the person, something local to where I am from.
3. Flag the traps: anything requiring a size, a taste preference, a dietary assumption, or a display decision in their home.
4. Give me one line to say when handing it over that explains the choice, since the gift cannot explain itself.

If I have given you almost nothing about them, ask two questions rather than guessing. Do not assume their household, beliefs or drinking habits.

Who they are and the situation:
Budget:

Tricky recipients. Colleagues, near-strangers, people who want nothing, and gifts that could land as pressure.