Homemade Hampers For Tasty Edible Gifts

Instead of buying an expensive food hamper as a gift, why not do a homemade hamper instead? It scores on several points – it’s personal, it’s suitable for everyone from kids to grannies, and it’s perfect for that relative you can never think of a gift for.

Homemade hampers can be as large or as small as you want. They can work out much cheaper than a shop-bought hamper too. It does require time, a bit of imagination and perhaps some shopping around, but that can be really satisfying. Posting can add quite a bit to the cost, so a homemade hamper may be best suited to people you can hand deliver it to.

I always keep baskets or gift boxes that come with presents to reuse, but if you don’t have any then look around charity shops or cheap shops for a suitable container. Even something like a shoe box or a plain cardboard box will do, covered with wrapping paper. Whatever you use make sure it has a sturdy base. Fill up your container with shredded paper to support as well as show off the food items.

So what do you fill it with? There’s no end to the types of food you can put in a homemade hamper, whether general or tailored to individual tastes. You might want to stick to a mix of inexpensive treats; jams, fancy biscuits, fruit cake, crackers, chutney, sweets and so on. Gourmet foods might include aged vinegars, speciality oils, single-estate coffee and smoked seafood. If you’re a keen cook then you can make the hamper contents yourself.

Is your intended recipient a chocoholic, a cheese devotee, mad for ginger or chilli, a lover of honey, a keen barbecuer, fruit fanatic or a savoury snacker? Themed hampers are a great way to indulge their tastes, and make a unique gift. There’s so much variety, even in a supermarket, that you could easily come up with suitable hamper food for almost any taste.

World food is another themed hamper idea – think curry paste, jars of sauce, spices, chapatis, Basmati rice and Bombay mix for an Indian food-themed hamper. For Moroccan you could add preserved lemon, harissa, chickpeas, cumin, apricots, etc. In an Italian hamper you might have speciality pasta, extra-virgin olive oil, antipasti, porcini, Gorgonzola and biscotti.

Homemade hampers can cater to special dietary needs or preferred ways of eating. You can find plenty foods to suit a vegetarian or vegan hamper. Do a little research to find out what is suitable for a diabetic hamper, or a low salt one, dairy-free, gluten-free etc. Organic food is great for a recipient who is environmentally aware.

Have fun making your homemade hampers – and get satisfaction from creating a unique, personalised gift for a loved one.

For more gift ideas, head over to Treat Them! Great Gift Ideas For Family & Friends.