Christmas Hamper recipes required...

[notoneforselfies]

Hamper gifts for everyone went down very well last year so looking to do them again this year.

Last year I included -

Christmas Chutney
Piccalilli
little bottle of chilli and pepper infused oil
Brandy snaps
Blueberry and marzipan muffins
candied clementines
little bottle of vanilla and clove infused rum

I'll do the brandy snaps, candied clementines and muffins again - these are all quite last minute, so looking now to do the 'in advance' stuff.

So I want to replace:
little bottle of vanilla and clove infused rum
little bottle of chilli and pepper infused oil
Christmas Chutney
Piccalilli
with stuff that is similar but different! And ideally home-made (not adverse to including some shop bought stuff though)

Anyone got any tried and tested ideas or recipes I can include? Quite heavily pregnant so the more I can do in advance the better as I'm not going to be able to do much the week before Christmas!

thanks for your help folks! (oh - and if anyone wants recipes for any of the above, shout!)

I'm all about making sweets at the moment. My best are chocolate covered marzipan. Roll some marzipan out nice and thin, cut into pretty shapes with plasticine cutters (optional), put in fridge while you melt some dark choc, then cover in chocolate and put a pistachio nut or similar on top. Everyone has loved them so far. Also cashew nut brittle, a bit of a pain the make the caramel, but yummy and seems quite special.

Fab ideas - thanks!

Homemade Mincemeat always goes down well and is really easy

or what about putting dry ingredients for xmas cookies into a jar with a recipe?

Recipe 1) ingredients

Olive oil (pumice is fine)
Feta cheese
dried mixed herbs / herbs de Provance / your own mix

You also need a jar

cut the feta in to mackbox sized pieces, smaller if you are using a small jar
sprinkle the herbs on a worktop or chopping board and press the feta on top, then turn over and do again

put the feta in a jar and fill with olive oil

Recipe 2) ingredients

pitted olives sliced
one clove of garlic, peeled
a couple of mushrooms sliced thinly - button mushrooms are better
1 green and one red pepper cut in to fine strips
olive oil

just put layers of the ingredients in jars so they look pretty and whent he jars are full pour over olive oil - leave for a week and then eat with crusty bread. The oil has a lovely garlic flavour.

You could change the oil to have herbs and or garlic in it. Just stick some fresh herbs or peeled garlic in a bottle and top with oil.

I do make things that are not olive oil, just in case you think I am obsessed

Ooh hungry now! Thanks for the suggestions folks!

Mmmm
Sassh - do you need to use extra virgin olive oil for the feta? Sounds yummy!

Notone - can you share the candied clementines recipe please??!

So candied clementines.... Slice, fairly thinly, 7-8 clementines, discarding the top and bottom of each. Put 500g sugar and 250ml water in a pan and heat making sure the sugar dissolves. Once dissolved boil for 5 minutes. Place the slices in the pan, and simmer for 2 hours stirring occasionally to make sure they cook evenly.

After two hours the rind should be translucent and tender. Remove from the heat and place apart on a greaseproof papered baking tray and bake in a preheated oven at 90 degrees (fan) for a further two hours.

Then simply remove from the tray and dip into caster sugar before allowing to cool on a cooling rack for at least an hour (if you can resist!) If not eating them immediately, they need to be placed in an airtight container.

It takes a long time but no major effort really and sooooo scrummy!

Oh and I also dipped them half in melted chocolate and chilled to set. They are really sticky so I wrapped each slice in grease proof paper (just a rectangle, place the slice on half and fold the paper over, then they can be stacked without sticking together and makes them a bit easier/less gooey to eat!

This??

Lovely stuff - clears your sinuses a treat too. Only shot I will happily drink :)

Your hamper sounds fantastic - how I wish I knew someone who'd give me a hamper full of homemade goodies. I just gave my mil a hamper full of her favourite foods - Fruit jellies, sea salt fudge, M&S Jams, Turkish delight, Duchy Originals shortbread, chocolate ginger biscuits, mixed nuts....all stuff I know she loves - she's of the age where only sweet food appeals.

Sassh - do you need to use extra virgin olive oil for the feta? Sounds yummy!

Nope. You can but I generally get the big metal look like old fashioned petrol can things of pumice. I think other oils would work to preserve, but not taste quite so good.