What is the best thing you've received in a hamper?

[Superworm24]

My in laws are miserable hard to buy for. More so my FIL who doesn't have any hobbies or interests. This year we are on a limited budget and I'm going to put together a hamper for them. I know some people think they are naff but I have spent previous years researching and spending quite a lot of money on things like restaurant vouchers only for them to never use them!

I'll make some decorations with our baby and I'm getting DH to put together a list of all their favourite snacks etc. I will probably do 2 baskets and include food and non food items.

So I'm looking for some more generic items, what have you received and loved?

@Superworm24

I wonder whether an alternative might be one of the smaller Fortnum and Mason boxes, OP? It could be delivered directly to them.

Would they like that?

https://www.fortnumandmason.com/seasonal-events/christmas/hampers?page=2&sort=price-asc

Restaurant vouchers for places I don't often frequent and hampers people put together themselves are my least favourite thing! They end up more expensive too.

Why not just leave them to your DH? A bottle of baileys and some nice chocolates and fudge will probably go down better than random snacks in 2 baskets.

Do they like any food? I made a “just add ice cream” hamper once for young adult (ice cream cones, sprinkles, and a few other bits) which went down well.

This could be made more grown up, eg, “everything but the lasagna” hamper could have wine, napkins, salad servers, fancy salt, shelf-stable Parmesan cheese and breadsticks, all piled in a casserole dish and wrapped in a tea towel. (Secondhand dish and serving spoon to keep the cost down.)

The gift is more about novelty than anything else, but if they don’t like anything, then well…

I find hampers difficult.
eg I only use certain things on my skin, so a hamper with fancy soaps is rubbish but if you know I like and can use Lush soaps, then it is a fab treat.

Things I would never eat - waste of money, (eg jar of posh jam) but a really nice jar of something I do like, like a good chutney, delicious.

But it is so fine tuned, so nuanced, that line between nice and waste, that I don't think I could do it for anyone except my dh.
I know my own parents really well, and I'm not sure I'd get it right even for them.

And it is expeensive, it costs a lot to put together a half decent hamper

Andy Pandy and Looby Loo

Thank you for the replies. I did get them a F&M hamper a few years back but the feedback was that it was overpriced/too posh/I was showing off.

I probably should take the advise and leave it to my DH. I've been trying for years to get it right, and i think maybe it's me that is the problem rather than the gift. I think the rejection just makes me try harder.

I had naively assumed that it would be a cheaper way of doing it!

I'll still make them a decoration from the baby and a card, but as I'm on mat leave maybe this is the year I bow out.

You got feedback on a gift?! Definitely step back and leave it to DH to either try to find the impossible present or to give up and buy something a bit generic.

"I'll still make them a decoration from the baby and a card, but as I'm on mat leave maybe this is the year I bow out."

This sounds like a good idea. Give DH notice that it's on him.

They were a bit rude to say it was too expensive but they are right. Sounds like they have simple tastes.

Do either of them like gardening? The cheap £2 gardening book on the other threads is lovely as are the 89p seeds from Kew.

How about tickets to something?

My mum is notoriously difficult to buy for and one year I was no fed up I just randomly bought her some tickets to the Chelsea Flower show and she loved it now she wants them every year. They go on sale soon so I'll get her some again if I can.

I love a good hamper, unlike many on here. It doesn't really matter what we think, it's whether your recipients will appreciate it. Sounds like this might be the year you should pass the stress onto your DH as they are so hard to please! But if you do go ahead with a hamper, I like better versions of what I would buy for myself: high fruit content jams; chutney; artisan biscuits/ crackers for cheese; oils and vinegars; olives; tapenade, flavoured salts, pasta sauces etc Garden centres are often good for this, as are homesense/TKMaxx. Although if they like wine or certain spirits, I would appreciate that with a few nibbles.

I think decorations from you and the baby would be a lovely idea. Beyond that, if they've been so rude and ungrateful in the past, leave it to your DH. Why are you going to all the trouble for miserable in laws? Save your money and time and let him deal with it.

Thank you all again. They don't like gardening nor do they drink. I don't think tickets would go down well either.

I've spoken to DH and told him it's his problem from now on. I've got a baby to buy for now.

Life is a lot simpler once you give up the 'wife work'. No more presents for his side, no cards, nada. I too tried for years, never got it right. Also got called a show off for buying mil a jo malone candle once. Life is less stressful now.

Now you've got a baby, give them a photo of your baby or DH holding the baby, in a nice frame. Lovely!

My late in-laws used to make us up a hamper but they'd double up on things we'd already bought, like biscuits for cheese, we also have a huge supply of chutneys which only DH really eats.
They did give us nice stuff that we'd never buy for ourselves.

If they thought a posh hamper was showing off how about M&S

Just sack it off, it's a waste of time and money that no one is in treated I . Go for a day out together.

Feel so happy reading this! 👏

When my grandparents were getting older and the stock response to what would you like for Christmas from my Nan was oh just buy me a pair of tights, we started doing food hampers of things they would buy as treats for themselves, so packets of decent filter coffee, teabags, biscuits, bottle of wine or port, etc and yes there may have been tights and socks in there too.

Bottle of prosecco.

Everyone has different taste. I'd prefer the jam if it was strawberry but hate the chutney. That's why it's only worth gifting hampers if you know the recipient really well. I make one for my ds and his gf but I know the things they love and hate.

Just want to say that anyone who turns their nose up at a F&M hamper isn’t worth taking a lot of trouble for - imv YMMV. Funnily enough I don’t think F&M is expensive for the quality of what they provide. I’d be delighted with a hamper from them! “Posh” is such a naff expression. It was a lovely thought OP.

They sound so ungrateful!

I'd get them a pre bought hamper from m and s or bettys.

my dad used to regularly get a F&M hamper from a client.

Some things in it were lovely, but there were always random jars of really expensive ingredients that we didn't know what to do with (and pre-google)
When my parents moved we chucked away quite a few random and now out of date tins from the bakc of the cupboard, - oysters, pheasant etc.

Do they have a favourite destination they revisit? E.g if they love Portugal or Cornwall, you DH could theme it to things that would remind them of being on holiday.

Well done for making it not your problem any more!

Buy them some bottles of alcohol free prosecco and beer/cider if they don't drink and some chocolates. They won't appreciate it anyway, don't give yourself extra stress.