Food Hamper

[tiddledpink]

Just after maybe a few more ideas and other people's perspectives really.

We have decided this year to make a hamper for our closest neighbours and family/nursery. We will be putting together around 7/8 hampers and will be getting DS to help make biscuits etc.

What i was wondering is if you were to receive a homemade hamper is there anything in particular you would like or not like to receive?

Currently we are toying with the ideas of:
Truffles
Biscuits
Mini christmas cake/Yule log
Homemade baileys/vodka
Homemade lebkuchen

Hot chocolate mix
Biscuit/cake mix

And then a couple of shop brought treats such as:
Crackers
Cheese straws
Nuts

🎄

I don't personally like stuff home made by kids.
Tbh these hampers are going to cost you a lot more than a simple gift by the time you buy the hampers, boxes and jars, ingredients. Cist it out, you may be surprised. If I was your neighbour some homemade fudge or vodka would be lovely but I would not expect a hamper.

I wouldn't like home made either I'm afraid, and I know a lot of people that feel the same way.

If I were you I'd include:

A packet of nice Christmassy paper napkins. Often get overlooked in the Christmas prep but always so handy for last minute entertaining!

Homemade chuntney and/or pickle. Appreciated for accompanying all the cold meats that get left after Christmas.

Pretty, festive candles

The Christmas and New Year double edition of Radio Times! (Not kidding - often very much appreciated!)

Homemade mulling syrup or mulled wine mix.

Homemade cordial for hot drinks on cold winter days and an alternative for those doing dry January or who just don't drink.

I wouldn't include both biscuits and lebuchen. Also truffles would not be welcome in our house because we have a enough boxed chocolates as it is!

Making a good hamper is not cheap.

I’m not sure about biscuit mix. Really, if I wanted to make biscuits I’d just weigh out my own stuff. I’m not that keen on stuff made by children either (know how much mine stick fingers in everything!)

Sorry but that would be binned/passed on by me!
I don't want to eat things that have come out of kitchens where there are no regulated hygiene standards for a start (I'm not saying your kitchen is grotty!).
Also, I'm a food snob and things made for hampers tend to be done because it's cheaper than buying a 'present' (and I don't agree this is always the case after you've bought the containers/packaging/ingredients/the hamper etc), and therefore made using really cheap ingredients - I don't want to eat poor quality homemade food!
Sorry, not what you wanted to hear, and I realise that I'm making an awful lot of judgements here, but it would be totally wasted on me. What would be appreciated though, is the huge amount of thought!

I would bin food made by not-my-own child, sorry. Bleurgh. And would remove icing if I thought a child had handled it, tbh.

A little selection of pickles, crackers/cheese straws, amaretti biscuits, a bottle of port. Job done.

If it’s close friends then I think homemade is a lovely touch. Not too sure if my neighbours (if not bestest pals) gave me homemade though. I’ve made family Lorraine Pascale’s Christmas Apple, blackberry and cinnamon chutney to give as a gifts a few times and it always goes down well. And you could include cheese and crackers to go with?

I make hampers - dairy free for an elderly neighbour & include some scones, bread & a Christmas book & mince pies

I’d probably only let young children make stuff for family members - unless their older

Hot choc mix, chutneys, crackers etc . Love the radio times idea !!

I would imagine that the hampers would be pretty expensive to make. For example truffles need to made with good quality chocolate and double cream, made with cheap chocolate they don't taste great so you may as well just buy them from a shop. Ditto, Christmas cakes - buying all the fruit you need.
Also it will take a lot of time and not everything can be made in advance - truffles should be refrigerated and eaten in a couple of days.

It sounds like a lovely idea but expensive and labour intensive, and judging by the reactions from previous posters it might not be that well received.

I've done hampers, not home-made, but I've looked at the contents of say a duchy range hamper, costed it out, realised I'd be paying £s for the box, so purchased all the component parts and presented it nicely in a cheaper box or basket.
Home mad by the kids would be fab for grandparents, but think the cost would soon mount up.
Lovely idea though.