Why Gift a Hamper This Christmas

Christmas is a time for joy and festivities and also is the best time to give gifts to people that you love and care for. This is when you actually put a lot of thought into the process of gift giving and spread the Christmas cheer into the lives of people that are near and dear to you. However, it can be sometimes a difficult process to choose the perfect gifts for your friends and relatives and that is when cheap Christmas food hampers in UK come in handy. These are the gifts that are enjoyed by everyone and are also appreciated by the recipient. You can save a lot of time and energy doing the rounds of malls and stores trying to put together a perfect gift. A food hamper is not only simple, but also a safe option as a gift to the people on Christmas.

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Who does not enjoy a basket full of culinary treats on a special occasion of Christmas? Your friends and family members will graciously receive the gift hamper from you and will be only too happy to share with the rest of the party, after all Christmas is all spreading the joy of sharing and eating with the friends. Here are some top reasons why you should give food hampers this Christmas.

There is huge variety available

You will never run out of options when you are putting together a food hamper. You can simply pick and choose the items that the other person enjoys, put it together in a basket and you are ready with your gift. You can make a wine and cheese food hamper or the one with candies for the children; you can also put together fruits for your parents. The choices are endless as to what goes into that basket.

You can get them delivered at their doorstep

The new age of internet has made the process of gift giving so simple that one can simply customize a basket sitting at home online, and then, have them delivered at the recipient’s address. It is as simple as that. You can also surprise someone by compiling their best foods and gifting it to them at their doorstep when they are least expecting it. You can select every item in that basket in the comforts of your living room and do so any time of the day as per your convenience.

Perfect gift for business clients

Since the food hampers are extremely non-committal, they can be easily used to gift it to your clients and employees. You can build strong business ties by just sending them their favourite foods leisurely packed in a basket. This unexpected act of generosity will not go unnoticed in your future relations with these people.

It is no rocket science to give someone a gift on Christmas, especially when it is a food hamper. Just get online and start sifting through the items that will make your basket an ideal gift.

Christmas gift hampers – A missing link which could help the business to grow in leaps and bounds

Gift giving is undoubtedly an expensive affair, but also a compulsion during occasions. Through gifts, it is possible for the individual to let know the receiver as to how much he/she is being cared and mean them in their lives. It is not at all necessary for the person to choose only expensive gifts to be presented to family members, relatives, and friends. These days it has become quite easy to find gifts that are not only gorgeous, but also are very much affordable for the pocket. Hence, there is no reason for the individual to think thousands of times for buying a gift.

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Corporate gifts

In this age of high competition, it has become very much important for any organization to stay ahead of its competitors. The best way to do so is to try to connect to the customers, partners and vendors and suppliers. The entire cycle would then be smooth and help the business to grow in leaps and bounds. This is something that can be achieved through Christmas basket delivery. As a matter of fact, an act of gift giving can set a positive new tone to the office and also make the clients to remember the brand for a long time. It can be adequately termed to be the ‘perfect holiday secret weapon’ for conducting business. This does work in an effective manner and increase loyalty of the employee and also enhance sales from the present client base.

Buying the right gifts for Christmas

The Christmas is a season that witnesses people from all part of the world indulging in hectic shopping. This is the right time to buy gifts that can be shared with the clients. Buying gift baskets have become easy. No more has the individual to search for shops that sell affordable gift items of various types and bargain for discounts on the purchase made. There are plenty of websites that do provide gift hampers of all sorts. The individual just needs to go through selected reputed websites and find out the different categories that would best fit the needs. The other thing to take care is the type of gift to be purchased. It should be something that would be useful and can be kept for a long time. The next thing to do is to compare the prices with the other gift sites and select the one that has immense reputation in the market and known for providing high quality items at the right price and with prompt delivery. Several sites also provide fabulous discounts and wonderful deals on bulk purchase that can be a real money saver.

asThe whole process of ordering, having baskets to be delivered to the specified address has become very simple. The online gift sites are equipped to handle all types of orders and also are efficient to provide to the specific address on time. This means the entrepreneur can simply save a good amount of time and money, not only on the purchase, but also in getting them managed and on courier charges. In short, the gift sites are something like a dream come true, for those who would like to keep their expenses to the minimum, without compromising on quality.

Types of Christmas Gift Givers

Though selecting gifts has become as simple as choosing and clicking thanks to online shopping,   the quest for the perfect gift continues to be difficult.

A recent study has found that while recipients are happiest to get gifts that they have clearly asked for, givers of gifts think that surprise gifts or gifts carefully chosen by them are much more loved.

22_Sept_Cheap Christmas food hampers in UK

Today, experts point out that gifts are more about the givers rather than about the recipients. They have identified certain personality types of gift givers:

  • The Last minute delayer: This is the category, which delays picking gifts not because they don’t like to gift but because they are burdened with trying to find the perfect gift. They delay picking the gift as they want to make a big impression with their gifts. One advice given to them is to ask the receiver for what they want which makes things simpler.
  • The early planner: This is the gift giver who shops all year long for the Christmas gift. But he or she must keep a separate closet for such gifts and carry along a list of gifts purchased. Otherwise, you may build up a closet full of gifts, which you may never end up gifting.
  • Practical gifted: One may choose a practical gift but may lack imagination. Practical gifts are good for people that are just acquaintances or those who you know well but don’t know what they like such as teenagers. An example would be cheap Christmas food hampers in UK
  • The charitable: These are givers who like to contribute to a charity in your name. But don’t make the mistake of contributing to a charity you like rather than one that is close to the heart of the recipient.
  • Perfect or genuine gift giver: These are the pleaser who like to give gifts that recipients love to have rather than what they like to decide for themselves. These people love nothing better than finding gifts that the recipients love. The genuine giver has actually thought about you and decided to give you what you love.
  • The status hound: This gift giver wants a show of money or power or both. This gift has little to do with the recipient and most to do with the whims of the giver.
  • The Wolf in sheep’s clothing: This is a gift giver who gives a perfectly wrapped gift but his intentions are no more genuine than of the status hound. To sum up, Christmas is all about her or him rather than the recipient. He is likely to send a check rather than a present or re-gift presents without thinking whether the recipient will like it or not. The wolf is also likely to be dominating-playing favourites with some and neglecting others purposely in a game of gift-power play. He also expects same amount of money on his gifts from you, so be prepared for some pouting if he or she is disappointed.

These are some of the types of gift givers in the Christmas season.

Special cookies for building memorable moments

Special cookies for building memorable moments:

Life is moving fast and so does we. People don’t have time for even a little pause. But in this rush everyone wants some quality time with friends and family too. Eating together is the best way for making memorable memories. And when it is some delicious like cookies on some snack time it would count even double. Here I am presenting two delicious chocolate cookies recipes. You can make them on birthdays, for any evening snack time, or even send them as a Christmas hamper. The concept of sending handmade hampers on Christmas is something really liked by people these days. And on the handmade hampers category sending cookies and cakes as a Christmas Hampers in UK is considered one of the best options. These recipes are easy yet delicious. Do try them out and get countless appreciations indeed.

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Recipe 1:

Double up Chocolate chip cookies:

Good news for chocolate lovers. These double chocolate chip cookies are truly divine. Leaving you for craving of more bites after the first bite

What things you will need:

Serving’s size: 3 dozen. You can add or subtract in the ingredients for making more or less but keeping the ratios same.

  1. 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  2. 1 ½ teaspoons Baking powder
  3. ¼ teaspoon salt
  4. 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
  5. 6 tablespoons butter (softened)
  6. I cup white sugar
  7. 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
  8. 2 eggs
  9. ½ cup confectioner sugar

Do it this way:

  1. Take a bowl and mix flour, salt and baking powder and put it aside.
  2. Now melt one cup of chocolate chip over very low heat. Do it slowly so that the chocolate don’t burns out.
  3. Combine cream butter and sugar.
  4. Add eggs to cream butter and sugar mixture and beat it well.
  5. Add melted chocolate and vanilla to the mixture and beat it well.
  6. Slowly add the flour mixture while folding it and add remaining chocolate chips
  7. Wrap in plastic and freeze until firm (about 20 minutes).
  8. Make small balls (1 inch); roll in confectioners’ sugar. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
  9. Cool on wire rack.

Recipe 2:

Oatmeal cookies with chocolates chip drizzle

What about enjoying some chocolates chip cooking with high health benefits too? Yes its oatmeal cookies rich in fiber and minerals. Best to enjoy on breakfast too.

Serving’s size: 3 1/2 dozen. You can add or subtract in the ingredients for making more or less but keeping the ratios same.

What things you will need:

  1. 1 cup softened butter
  2. 1 cup light brown sugar
  3. ½ cup white sugar
  4. 2eggs
  5. 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  6. 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
  7. ½ teaspoon baking soda
  8. 1 teaspoon salt
  9. 3 cups quick cooking oats
  10. 1 cup chopped walnuts
  11. 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips.

 

Hampers: Back to the Basics

If you want to buy a Christmas hamper this year, for yourself or maybe for your loved ones, take some time out and think about what you are going to give this season. Nowadays, everything is modernized and designers have a new take on almost everything. So with everyone growing all futuristic, how about we return to the basics this year? While going out to buy Christmas hampers, let us go for a traditional theme.

Now that we have established that we want to go traditional when we shop for our Christmas gifts this year, let us take a look at what items we should include. In short, the do’s and don’ts of traditional Christmas hamper shopping-

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Re-usable wicker basket: This is as basic as basic can be. Baskets are really useful and can be used for a variety of things. They are available everywhere- at the local markets and even at your departmental stores. However, you can get them from your local charity shops like Oxfam for highly affordable prices. Remember to get a gaudy ribbon to tie off the hamper – it makes the hamper look nice and attractive. Also, include a greeting card with warm wishes. Nothing like cards to get through the holiday cheer!

  • Now comes the part when we need to select the gifts for the basket. The big question is raised – what to put inside?
  • If it is for the jaded connoisseur, include hand blended liqueurs off the peg and of bespoke flavours; Jade Dragon is a mix of lime, green cardamom and Schezchuan peppers and is a good example of basket hamper items.
  • For all the health nuts out there, you can include a packet of French roasted pumpkin seed oil. Veg roasts cooked with this is a cracker of a dish.
  • A crispy, fruity, nutty toast to have with a delectable array of cheese is a great choice for all the snacking ploughmen.
  • Put in chocolates and do not be stringy about it. From the children to the elderly, there is not a single soul who does not like chocolates. Belgian chocolate, chocolate truffles, chocolate cupcakes are some of the things you just have to put in.
  • For all the experimental foodies, put in packets of minced pie, brandy butter and other hand popped flavoured popcorn packets. They are sure to love it.
  • For all the people who prefer soft drinks, gift them La Mortuacienne pink lemonade, because everything sounds better in French anyway!
  • Remember, this is a Christmas hamper, and a traditional one at that. Include some flowers, a few scented and dried rose petals can do wonders and the gift is elevated to a different level. Include a few clay robins or such to put under the Christmas tree and you are set.

Your traditional Christmas gift hamper is now ready. Gift people and share the joy!

What to gift this Christmas to the ladies in your life?

The chilly and snowy winter brings with it the happiness and celebrations in the form of Christmas…. You have been waiting for this year end celebrations just after the end of last year celebrations. The most prominent part of it is the Christmas tree, cakes, chocolates and Christmas gifts. Oh the Christmas gift!!! You find the most hard to choose? And when it comes to send Christmas Hampers by post to your girlfriend, wife or mother then your mind will be wrapped in a spider web. No worries!! We will guide you to choose a hamper as per your relationship.

Gifts for Mom’s:

The most charming and darling personality in your life is your mother. She is the one who loves you the most in this world and her love is unconditional and priceless. Every spring have to face the autumn but the spring of mother’s love never have any autumn. Parents are the one who spend most on the Christmas for the happiness of their children and grandchildren but get the least in return. Do something unique for them this Christmas. Sending a personalized gift is a great idea to show your care and tell her that you made a bit more effort for the gift and bringing a smile on her face. The personalized gift can be a cushion, mug, bear, towel or anything depending on your budget. The other most loved item by moms are kitchen accessories, beautiful utensils for cooking, serving plates, wine glasses and much more. Sending a classic hand bag is also a wise idea.

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Gifts for Wife:

What to give to a woman who has everything or making a right choice is always a shaky question. Wives are your better half, your life partners and the one who brings countless happiness your way. She must be waiting something special from your side this Christmas so why not spoil her by gifting her with a spa treatment or a relaxing message therapy in the best salon in town. This would give her some relaxing time help her regain her energy level. The other best idea which always hit a six is gifting her some jewelry. It can be white gold, pearls set or something from diamonds. And if your wife is not much interested in jewelry then you can also go for some white or gold watch or the one having diamond ring, or anything similar. This would surly makes a gift which will truly be loved and make a lasting impression.

Gifts for Girlfriend:

Choosing a gift for your girlfriend can be a hardest of all decision despite the fact how long you know her. Many suggest you to give a perfume or jewelry but who knows that it will straight throw on your face or your girlfriend is expecting something unique from your side. She might say that you are not in love with her, this is what that she only deserve, that’s all she worth.

But the good point is that, there is one perfect gift that will always be loved by her. That is flowers, the decision of buying flowers never went wrong as it truly says I love you in a heart touching manner. And if the flowers are like Love Spell, Red Velvet bouquet or Luxury Red Roses then the idea of sending gift by post will be loved more deeply.There are different meanings attached to colors of flowers, so choose the one which shows your emotions and feelings.

  • Red: Love and affection
  • Dark Red: Passion and commitment
  • Pink: Thankfulness, appreciation and recognition
  • Lavender: Love at first sight
  • White: Purity and innocence, heavenly

The other gift can be sending chocolates. It’s a timeless gift and suits every season. And when you have to send Christmas gift by post then the decision of sending chocolates to your girlfriend is the best decision ever. The chocolates have so many variety and flavors, the romantically decorated assorted chocolate box will make a Devine gift for a seductive temptation like Belgium chocolate selection. Teddy bear also make a cute gift which provide your girlfriend an opportunity to curdles up with when you are not there and it will silently makes a fluffy partner with which she can talk about you too.

Going cheap with Christmas gifts this year

We all do care about celebrations. Whether they are big or small, they should be special. The most special event for celebration that comes back every year is Christmas. People, who are all about fun and partying, will look forward to this part of the year where the smell of pine needles, tons of gifts under the Christmas tree and a super-fun party would be awaiting them. For the more practical ones, it is also the time to sit down with the calculator and check the expenses! People, who socialize and have a large number of relatives and friends, need to send Christmas gifts to all. This is the reason cheap Christmas hamper is the best option. These hampers are provided by many stores today. They pack in the most special gifts of the best quality and yet the total price is kept well within budget.

4A great Christmas treat

It actually becomes quite expensive to purchase gifts for every individual soul in the family. Since one cannot avoid gift-giving, the only thing one can do is purchase gift hampers that will accommodate gifts for an entire family. These hampers are also cheap and they make the most sumptuously packaged gifts. These hampers are of various kinds and one can choose them according to one’s fixed budget. A few of these hampers comprise of only perfumes that have the most exotic fragrances while some others will have chocolates of various flavours. A classic assortment is always ensured and these stores will always take care of the packaging. The assortment of perfumes is perfect for a female friend or for a house full of ladies. These have cute little colorful strings tied round their necks to give them the ultimate attractive look. One of the most popular hampers, which are liked immensely by young boys and girls, are the gift hampers packaged entirely with bathing soaps and fragrances. They have the most exotic and fresh smells along with an immensely effective soothing lotions and bathing gels. These hampers are the most charming and impressive ones. But, surprising they are not as expensive as they sound. If bought from the right sites, they can fit into one’s budget perfectly.

Planning a budget

It is obviously necessary to plan a proper budget to prevent things from going out of hand. People, who wish to spend their Christmas and New Year without compromising on the fun quotient, must plan a budget. With so many gift sites around, it is easy to come up with an estimation of the expenses based on the prices of the gift hampers. It isn’t really difficult to find a place that will cater to the needs of gift-buyers, especially when new businesses based on gift hampers are springing up almost everywhere. Gift-giving is the most ancient tradition, and today it is possible to give people the most alluring gifts without burning a hole in the wallet! Gift shops have become quite customer-friendly as their every demand is taken into accord.

Presenting a gift card or voucher as Christmas gift is not always a perfect idea.

Presenting people with a voucher of their favorite shop and letting them buy whatever they wish in a particular budget seems to be a good idea at first glimpse but what if I tell you a bitter truth that last year families waste an amount total of £84m on Christmas gift cards which goes unspent. The main reason behind this is the expiry date of those cards. Many of the cards have very short expiry time and many of them expired even before the recipient gets the chance to spend it. People have much to do for Christmas celebrations and they simply don’t have time to go on a particular shop and make the purchases. One other thing which result in huge non spend amount is that if you are gifting a £30 gift card and the receiver make a purchase of £25 then the remaining £5 goes wasted and people don’t bother to make purchases against such a small amount when everything else in the store is not less than £10 or £15

The other big reason behind the waste of Christmas gift cards in UK is that many high street firms has collapsed just after Christmas and the vouchers and gift cards ending up with nothing more than a piece of paper or plastic with no worth at all. Although those cards and vouchers have some worth as they are also the creditor of the company but they comes in the last on the priority list and the value of a card goes in Pennies, that’s why no one bother to take it as a Christmas gift.   Marin Lewis who is the founder of consumer website MoneySaverExpert.com says about gift cards, “They’re just a promise from a company, but if that company goes bust or changes hands you’ve no rights,” he said. “Remember too that one of the ways that companies make money from vouchers is that many remain unredeemed.”

christmas-gift-ukAndrew Johnson of the UK Gift Card & Voucher Association said that if you are keenly interested in gifting a gift card as a present then you should buy it from the company which have a good credit history and it’s not supposed to collapsed soon and keep an eye on the expiry date of the card. Gift a card which has at least 2-3 month of expiry time. And if you are a card receiver then make the purchase in the January sale to avoid the card to go wasted. A research shows that people make 40% more purchases then the face value of the card. So the main motive of the companies is to bring more and more people to their shops rather than giving them the variety to choose the gift. If you are keenly interested in gifting someone’s on Christmas for their happiness then you should focus on what is the choice of the receiver and gift him/her a present which would be truly loved rather than bounding them by presenting a gift card to go on a particular shop and buy something out. One better idea in this regard would be presenting cash and let them enjoy it in any way they want.

A simple Recipe for a perfect Christmas Gift Hamper:

Jingle bells, the sound starts coming in our ears as the Christmas countdownbegins 10, 9, 8 ….. . And it also reminds us to hurry up and speed up our Christmas preparations so that we don’t have too much work on the big day or a day before.

What to send to your loved ones on this special time of the day? A Christmas hamper gift..….? The idea is quite good as you can make hampers as per recipient need and wishes. So here we present you a simple recipe for making a beautiful, eye catching Christmas gift hamper. It consists of three simple steps.

  1. Selecting a Basket or Box

Take a simple cane basket or simply take the cardboard box of any product you used to buy like Milk cartons etc. Wrap it with a wrapping sheet; the best one would be of silver of Gold color to give your hamper a luxury look.

  1. How to fill it up:

Fill the hamper with the products as per your wish keeping a close eye on the recipient choice. Making hamper by yourself give you a lot of room to move according to you budget. You can go as high or a low as you want. You don’t have to compromise on the assorted product of market made hamper and you will be able to choose whatever you want to put in your hamper. You can make different kinds of hampers like:

gift-hamper

        I. Focus on one kind of Product range

It can be a good idea to focus on one product and make your hamper loading with its variety. These hampers also sound good if you know that the recipient like something specific like no other. The Examples of these hampers are

  • Chocolate
  • Biscuits and cookies
  • Cheese based products
  • Sweets
  • Fresh fruits
  • Dry Fruits

      II. Gifting some drinks

Sending the hampers based on drinks can be a good idea to sizzle up Christmas celebrations. One would love to enjoy your hamper on Christmas night with friends and family. The drinks can be:

  • Some good wines
  • Champagnes
  • Whiskies and other alcoholic bottles
  • Soft drinks
  • Alcohol free drinks
  • Fruit Juices

    III. Focus on Dietary needs

There can be some friends or family in your circle who has some health issues or they are on weight loss diet so you can make your hamper in a way that they can enjoy it with no restrictions or resistance. The examples for such people can be

  • Diabetic
  • Low calories products
  • Vegetarian
  • Those with food allergies such as gluten intolerance

    IV. Assorted hamper

The most popular kind of hampers is assorted hampers. They are more popular when you are giving a gift to the family not for individual person. So you should add one or two products for each member. The best idea is to make hamper combining the options mention above thus creating a one big hamper for a family Christmas celebrations.

  1. The final wrapping and message card:

Garnish this beautiful Christmas gift hamper with a big transparent bag and tie it beautifully with a ribbon and present it with a message card. Do try our simple recipe to send Christmas gift hampers UK or anywhere in the world.

Christmas Delights

Luxury XMAS gift hampers can be the best thing ever. Especially, if they have the products that are particularly a must have around this time of the year.

You can create a gorgeous Christmas dish from all the contents that will be at your disposal if you get the hamper. It may include a lot of products such as Chianti, Prosecco, bottle of Touraine Sauvgnon, piccalilli, savoury thyme biscuits, English fudge, strawberry jam, Christmas pudding, box of chocolates, brandy butter, giant chocolate coin, tea and coffee.

However, the main item in the hamper you will get is panettone that is enriched, intense, slightly sweet Italian bread, which will fill your kitchen with its signature aroma once you open the cellophane wrapping. Panettone is one of the signature dishes of Christmas, and if you are willing to put in some effort, a lot of it mind you, then you can try your hand at making it. However, the guaranteed satisfaction will make it worthwhile.

19Serving panettone just like that to the guests can be uninspiring and a bit bland. Here we present to you a way you can jazz it up and serve it as a finger-food.

Panettone Party Bites

Ingredients:

  • A large panettone (750g-1kg)
  • Some chocolate to melt (you may use the chocolate coin)
  • Festive cookie cutters
  • Edible gold glitter (optional)

Take the panettone, peel off the cardboard casing and place the bread right side up on a cutting board. Take a large bread knife and score marks right around the circumference, approximately 1.5cm from the bottom. Slice off a whole round and try to keep the same thickness. Punch out shapes using festive cookie cutters. Repeat this till you have the desired number of cut-outs. Place the bread pieces on a baking tray and toast on a hot grill plate for a minute.

Keep an eye on them as they brown very fast. Toast till golden, it will help keep the shape and will be easier to handle. To get a combination of crisp and soft texture, toast just one side. Remove from under the grill and allow it to cool. After cooling, arrange them closely together, untoasted side up, on a baking sheet ready for chocolate piping. Take the chocolate coin and melt it. Give the melted chocolate a stir until the chocolate becomes smooth. Keep in mind not to overheat it or else it will become all lumpy.

Take a sandwich bag and in corner, spoon in the melted chocolate. Twist the bag around the corner to create pressure and snip to make a piping hole. Be careful as the chocolate comes out immediately. Make pipe lines across the bread. Once the chocolate has cooled and hardened, keep it in air-tight containers until ready to serve. Do not throw away the pieces of bread that did not form perfect cut-outs. Have them when you make strong coffee.

Bon appétit!