Homemade food gifts as christmas presents

[FlowersAndShit]

What do you all think about homemade hampers with things like hm shortbread? Would you appreciate them or would they go straight in the bin?

Depends who has made it, two of my sisters make excellent chutney and jam and after seeing them recently I have 7 jars. However if my mate who offered me a sandwich who made it directly on the kitchen counter that her cat had just walked across then no I wouldn't.

Factories will have lapses of hygiene but its when you have actually seen lapses it puts you off.

Yeah, depends what it is.

Jam is meh, but I do love chutney or chilli jam etc.

Obviously anything containing marzipan would be taken to our nearest hazardous waste facility to be destroyed,

Yep Gasp0 I worked in a cheese factory during school holidays when I was a teenager (and clearly desperate for money), and let's just say I would never, ever consider buying those pre-packed cheese selections you see in supermarkets around Christmas time.

I would love this, better than some tat! My friend made me some biscuits when I left a job once.. They were god awful but I still ate the lot I like the thought and effort that's gone into it.

Unless you put Mary Berry to shame its a bit cheapskate. Small box chocs or M&S smellies much nicer and costs same.

I do this every year. Depending on how much I like you, your hamper would contain s couple of chutneys/relishes, a few jars of jam, some booze (I do a few different ones each year, slow go/blackberry brandy/Parma violet vodka) home made fudge, brownie or gingerbread mix in a hand painted Kilner jar, cookies, sables, olive oil crackers, seasoned nuts, and a jar of port and cranberry sauce for your Christmas dinner.

People always SEEM very appreciative. If they're actually not, they're polite enough to not let it show. I took first prize at the village show with my mirabelle jam last year, though, so it's all good shit.

Cheapskate, Sazzle? By the time I've bought nice hampers/boxes, nice jars and apothecary style bottles for the booze, not to mention the ingredients, it would be far cheaper to buy 3 for 2 toiletry sets on boots. Far, far cheaper.

This

It would depend on your hygiene levels. If I'd been to your house and seen your kitchen and it was really clean and I knew you always washed your hands and never let your DC lick the spoon and then put it back in the mix I would love it.

I've got several friends who make amazing food, but one lets her dog lick the stuff in the dishwasher (!), one lets her kids 'help' with the making and the other doesn't always wash her hands after nappy-changing so anything from them goes in the bin (or DH as he is otherwise known).

interesting that a lot of posters who say they'd like homemade stuff are also the ones who are planning on making homemade things for other people

I thought this too

I'm do a lot of home made so always love to receive home made. But in fairness, I ask about a bit first and people will "request" certain bits and pieces as they know that I won't make if its going to go to waste, no point me spending time/money on making something if they're not going to use/enjiy it. So yes, to echo pp "know your audience"

We don't do jams and chutneys in this house so that would be wasted here also a shower house so bath bombs are useless, we brew our own wine and don't really do flavoured vodka.

If you really know the people then go for it.

I do this for my grandparents every couple of years they seem to really like it. I do a mix of home made stuff like Christmas cake and jams etc. and then some of their favourite chocolates, cheeses and so on. I like taking the time over it for them and as DD has got older she likes helping out especially when making the Christmas cake during half term (we don't eat it in our house so it only gets made for other people)

I wouldn't welcome it at all and, probably, wouldn't eat or drink the contents. Some people are the exact opposite though, so you need to know your recipients!

Interesting that a lot of posters who say they'd like homemade stuff are also the ones who are planning on making homemade things for other people ...........

I don't go homemade route if I can help it too much time investment. But I do like getting them.

It really depends on the person. DB is amazing at baked goods, and invented combined 3 different recipes a mint chocolate coffee bean cupcake with a liquor chocolate cream center for me as a gift one year. I loved it.

But if someone made generic cookies or something like that I'd be a bit meh about it. I'd always graciously accept any gift, but I secretly wouldn't like it.

There's my take on it.

Sainsbury's have some lovely kilner jars and bottles reduced at the moment. They'dd be good for holding home made gifts (preserved lemons etc).

I'd love homemade gifts but it would depend on the history/context.

If we'd always given each other 'little tokens' at Christmas then fine.

If we'd normally given each other expensive items which were well - thought out and you were doing something different this year I'd appreciate a 'let's not give gifts this year or just homemade gifts' heads up instead of me giving you a bottle of Chanel perfume and you giving me some home made shortbread that you've given to everyone else you know this year.

I try to really restrict the sugar I eat, and though I'm very good at not buying treats, if it gets in the house, I know I'll end up gorging on it. I just can't have a cupboard full of goodies and eat them gradually like an adult.

So, sorry to say, if people give me cake, biscuits, sweets, jam, chocolate, I'm going to have to bin 90% of it - especially if it's homemade, because I wouldn't want to give away hm stuff I'd not prepared myself and couldn't vouch on the hygiene of.

I love home-made chutney. I'm particular about who I give it to, as any batches I make have to last me the whole year until I get the next load of free cooking apples, so I need to be sure it's appreciated. Perfect your own chutney and you'll never buy shop bought again.

Just been given some quinces, so checking out recipes on-line . . . for me.

I do, however, do a good line in chocolate fudge, and lots of people get that as stocking fillers.

I would love it, I'd think it was special and kind.

I love home made stuff - alcohol, chocs, cakes, buiscuits, gloves, woolen socks are my favorites but anything really. But I think a big thing is I have disposable income so if I want something from the shop I'd buy it but home made is special becasue it can't be brought and I don't have the skill or inclination to make it.
If I needed a pair of jeans I'd be much less impressed with cake and mittens I suppose.

Oh crikey I'd never give home made - I think with the two toddlers and two dogs, I'd be giving the gift of food poisening (sp?)

My FIL (retired) does all their cooking and loves to experiment so we bought a festive looking box and filled it with lots of Waitrose stuff....spices, flavoured oils, special rice, 'Gucci' pasta etc. he absolutely loved it. It was way cheaper than my local deli where about two items cost almost a tenner. We made it so we could fill it and it didn't look miserly.

I would love a foodie hamper gift.....yum.

My kitchen is "clean enough to be healthy, dirty enough to be happy" - do people realty live with sparkling clean kitchens which have been bleached/disinfected to buggery.

Share the recipes people!!

Love receiving homemade food but I rarely get any

Totally depends on what had made it and if they are any good. I used to have a side business making and selling preserves at craft fairs and I still get requests for my jams, jellies and chutneys on a regular basis. My Christmas Chutney is all but demanded by friends and family. (None of that pinking-sheared flowery scraps on top but professional labels.)
One (ex) friend though she'd have a go one year and decided to try her hand at pickles. Red cabbage in neat vinegar with no spices or sugar is beyond awful.
Yep, I'm a food snob but always like good 'treat' food whether bought or hand-made.