Christmas recipes suitable for hampers?

[IlanaK]

Last year I made hampers for the first time and used recipes from the BBC good food magazine. I will use these again, but I am after one more recipe. I already have: mincemeat, pickled pears, chutney and christmas cake. I want something that does NOT go in a jar, but can be made in advance. Maybe some sweets or something? ANyone have any ideas?

What about a lovely oil? I know it's in glass but not a jar. Olive oil with sundried tomatoes, or chilies etc...

Sorry - I read thread titles as
"Christmas recipes suitable for hamsters"

< hic >

Peppermint creams?

Shortbread biscuits?

Cinder toffee (puff candy)?

Chocolate truffles?

An oil is a good idea, but as I am making 10 hampers and have just paid out for hte jars, I don't really want to have to buy any more bottles or anything.

Do people like peppermint creams? I don't, but then the hampers are not for me! I can't make shortbread - did some last week with ds1 and it was a disaster. What is cinder toffee? And do chocolate truffles keep??

Cinder toffee is like the inside of a cruchie bar. Quite yummy and comes out in biggish chunks so fills up a bag quite quickly.

I think lots of people like peppermint creams if they are really minty and covered in chocolate!

We've done quite a variety of chocolates, but always did truffles as kids (all chocolates will keep fine if they have lots of alcohol in them!). Gingerbread is also nice (fun for kids to decorate too if they are making the hampers with you). Special biscuits are good, but you will need to make them quite close to Christmas (Florentines are good, or meringues).

Truffles definitely and peppermint creams! What do you mean do people like peppermint creams? there is nothing edible in the whole world that I like better!

how about coconut ice, flapjacks a plant cutting ?

What a fantastic idea anyway Ilana. Who do you make these hampers for anyway? Friends or family or both? I hate trying to think of things for people for Christmas. Maybe this is the answer.

How about a cake that you can freeze? Just defrost a day in advance?

Whizz, me too.

cheese straws,
almonds stiffed in dates
mice pices
marzipan stuffed in dates dipped in chocolate

How do you box it? I mean, what do you use? Give me the low down please!

Whizzz, I read it as "suitable for hamsters" too ...

mince pies nit mice pies

Oooh sweeties, peppermint creams are lovely, my mum used to make these, also these pink and white coconut ice things, fudge, toffee, cinder toffee... I want to make hampers now, you've given me an idea. I remember making rum balls with my Gran when I was younger, she made them in the summer!! She used to let me make little balls and roll them in the chocolate strands.

Thanks everyone - I have decoded on cinder toffees - they look great!

To answer the other questions - last year I bought baskets and made the hampers for friends and family. It went down really really well. It is not necessarily cheaper (the way I do it) than buying presents, but I was so fed up of buying things for people that they neither want nor need. I have been making my own cards for people for a while now, so this seemed the logical next step.

This year, to keep costs down a bit as I am making so many, I have decided to try to get some shoe boxes which I will cover inside and out with suitable wrapping paper (lid too) and then use some festive tissue paper and put the jars and things in that. Although baskets are nice, they are expensive and many people don't keep them anyway.

My SIL does this sort of present most Christmases, and collects boxes and jars throughout the year. Now we all give any ones we come across in the hope that we might get it back some time full of lovely goodies!

I totally agree about being sick of giving presents that people don't really want. My family are like that. they all have everything they want it seems to me. I once made a box of sweets - fudge, peppermint creams, truffles, that sort of thing for the men in my family because I find the men particularly hard, but sweets don't always go down so well either as they are so fattening. But I really think I might go for the food hamper. Do you think it can be exported to my dh's rellies in Oz?

No, I don't. It would be really heavy to send and I don't know what the rules are for sending food anyway. My in-laws are in Oz too and they are excluded from the hamper list.

Oh well, just a thought. Our parcel to the rellies usually costs a fortune to post anyway as dh always buys huge books. I thought a jar of pickle might be less, but they do have stringent import laws don't they?

Dont think you can take or send any food in to Australia Lonelymum. Good chance it will be confiscated at customs. Saying that I did manage to get my wedding cake through.( long story)
If you looking for Hampers to send though, search Hampers in yahoo.com.au there are loads of companies. I always use them for gifts for weddings, births etc for my relatives in Australia.
Sorry for the hijack.

Cori - snap! My wedding cake went through customs in Australia too! My MIL took it through for us, but dh and I mentione it to the customs official who joked he would have liked a slice! Still, a hamper would cost too much to post and I wouldn't want any customs official snaffling my hard work!