Xmas hampers

[Snadger]

Any viners doing them this year? Any tips for what to add?


I am doing four hampers again this year but I haven't got any homegrown stuff or homemade stuff to add

With moving home a couple of months ago anything I had must have been chucked out or is still buried in a box somewhere.

I have relied on Aldi and Lidl for additions up until now but just wondered whether anyone had any good ideas.

[Nicos]

How much are you intending to spend?
Mine have all been homemade items apart from a few teatowels ( can never have too many of those!!!)

Maybe melt some chocolate and make some 1.5 inch rounds on grease proof paper and sprinkle with a combination of raisins, nuts, coconut, ginger...maybe add some chilli to black chocolate ones..make a few white chocolate and milk chocolate ones too so they look a tad different?
Very, very simple and quick to make and look really good!

[Small pumpkin]

I'm not going to be much help ( nothing new there! ).
I've been commissioned to do a chilli based hamper . For someone from Sri Lanka so they are used to hot. So they are getting HOT. As I speak I have a tray of Naga's drying to be turned into powder ( making that is going to hurt ).
I've spent ages gooooogling ideas for decorating / wrapping the hamper. Going with my usual style of winging it.

I'll put a picture up when it's done. So you can see how not to do it .

[Guest]

We tend to do goody boxes (both received and given) rather than hampers and are very much tailored to suit. They include any of the following

Own made stuff (but that also gets exchanged throughout the year)
Basic supermarket pickles - sweet gherkins, whole roasted peppers, peppadew chillies, silverskins, mixed veg.
Aldi or farmers markets - chutneys
Local brewerys - ale and fruit wine. We do have some nice fruit juice producers further out as well.
For the meat lovers a trip to various butchers for their speciality stuff - guinness and treacle bacon, strawberry jam and black pudding sausages, red onion and marmalade saus., festive saus. and saus meat etc.
For those with a sweet tooth - homemade Irish cream fudge, Scarlets chocolate brownies, various mini snowball/ christmas pud/ truffles.
I know I will receive some bits from a smokehouse out my Dad's way - duck breast and shrimps

I have threatened for years that I will make farmers cheese but it is still on my list.
Also looking forward to (hoping) to send out - honey goodies next year.

Other things this year are hand made decs and dried flower arrangements.

[Snadger]

Thanks all so far folks some good ideas there! OH has threatened to make some homemade stuff and I like the tea towel idea and the local beers as well.


I will probably speculate £100 on the four hampers so I need cost effective fillers!


Luckily I already have the wickerwork hampers and have ordered some bows and polythene to cover

[Lumpy]

For what ages are you hampering?
Youngsters, olders with false teeth?

Fir cones a bit of glue and glitter help make a box sparkle.
Cheap shortbread with half dipped in chocolate.
Look out for the ever increasing buy one get one free or multi packs that can be split. I recently saw chocolate tree decs, eight in a pack in the £1 shop.

[Snadger]

For what ages are you hampering?
Youngsters, olders with false teeth?

Fir cones a bit of glue and glitter help make a box sparkle.
Cheap shortbread with half dipped in chocolate.
Look out for the ever increasing buy one get one free or multi packs that can be split. I recently saw chocolate tree decs, eight in a pack in the £1 shop.

Medium age groups Two Sons and Daughters families plus my Sister.

I have quite a bit in them now but need Tea Towels,jam or marmalade, biscuits and crackers, cheese and any home made stuff to finish off. I'll stick a piccie on when I am finished and would relish seeing anyone elses hampers.

[Bren In Pots]

How about a couple of knitted dishcloths to go with those tea towels, you can buy the yarn at craft or wool shops.

[mothhawk]

How about a couple of knitted dishcloths to go with those tea towels, you can buy the yarn at craft or wool shops.

Oh my gosh, I remember knitting dishcloths as a little girl. They lasted forever and were turned into floor cloths when they became too 'grey' to use any more for the dishes.

[mothhawk]

...Luckily I already have the wickerwork hampers and have ordered some bows and polythene to cover

Too late for this year, but on the rare occasion I make hampers, instead of an actual hamper, which, let's face it, is pretty useless to use for anything else once it's empty, I buy tupperware type hamper size boxes from £ shop or wilk0s. Sit the lid underneath, and fill as you would a regular hamper.

Then when it's empty the recipient has a decent plastic container and lid to store stuff in.

Just my take on it, 'cos I always save wicker hampers and baskets I'm given, never use them, and eventually have to chuck them out. (Especially those ones that come with plants in - hate them!)

edit - hampers make good windowsill cat beds though

[Snadger]

I have two wicker four bottle hampers with handles as well Really well made but I'll have to wait until next year to utilise those with home made drinks/plants.

[Nannysally99]

I have made small hampers for 5 of my family this year. They are not that big, but include toiletries, sweets, new hat each, socks and lots of little fiddly bits. Saved me a fortune on wrapping paper and they can use the baskets afterwards. Enjoyed doing them as well. They all have a main present and then these

[Scarlet]

My young niece loves crafts, every year she makes decorations ( her house is full ) this year she is making reindeer from inch thick branches...my brother has cut her loads of different sizes and she whitttles their faces and feet.
Not hers....but something similar



In the past she has made wooden bunnies for Easter and snowmen.
(Again these aren't hers - I found the photos on the web)


Food obviously comes first at Christmas but something handmade in the basket that you can bring out every year is lovely.

[Chestnut]

Biscuit Christmas tree, the sort where you stack half a dozen star shaped biscuits of progressively reducing size. Add icing and edible glitter or sprinkles, wrap in cellophane.
Or edible tree decorations? Batch of gingerbread and set of pastry cutters, don’t forget to make the hole for the ribbon before you bake them hard! If you want something which takes more space, a gingerbread house?

Do you have a jigsaw? I have seen some lovely but simple tree decorations made from half inch timber, cut to xmas tree shape, drill small hole for ribbon, sanded and given a coat of green woodstain. If you are an adveturous woodworker, angels, reindeer etc all become possible, Or go the whole hog and make a nativity scene? Might be able to get shapes to print out online.....

I am doing a couple of hampers, but mostly bought stuff. German supermarket lebkuchen, mint chocolates on offer, nonalcoholic mulled wine from local health food store, some savoury snacks from small local firms. Only home made stuff is pickled beetroot, and maybe some mince pies, but they’re easily bought ;-)

[Lumpy]

Next year how about turning MFB’s into hampers and include a packet of seeds and a hand written set of instructions. The outside of the black buckets could be nicely decorated.
I use one as a kitchen bin for odd bits.