Seasonal Archives

The best chocolate hampers for a Dessert Day gift

Thursday the 14th of October is Dessert Day! So we’re showcasing all our favourite chocolate hampers for you dessert-lovers. Give them to a friend, colleague or loved one- or keep ‘em for yourself. We won’t tell! These are our best Dessert Day gift hampers.

Our best-selling chocolate hampers

Deluxe Golden Tower

This £60 hamper is a favourite for people who really want to impress. At 50cm tall, it’s a huge gift hamper. It has loads of treats across all 8 gift boxes. These include award-winning butterscotch cookies, honey baked flapjacks, medal-winning sea salt & caramel fudge and Belgian truffles. There is also a selection of chocolate-coated Brazils, fruit cake, caramels, Sicilian lemon biscuits and after-dinner mints. But there’s so much more too. The golden gift boxes make quite the impression – no matter where you gift this impressive tower.

Cookies & Cake Tower

Baked goods are a year-long indulgence few can live without. And the Cookies & Cake Tower takes our love of oven-fresh treats and makes them accessible as a gift. Perfect for anyone in the office (and sure to be shared) the Cookies & Cake Tower is 34 impressive centimetres of goodies. They’ll love the delicious flapjacks, fruit cakes and award-winning butterscotch cookies. (But maybe squirrel away the honey biscuits for yourself.) At £39.99, it’s an affordable #dessertday treat.

Chocolate Heaven Hamper

A rose by any other name? Not this hamper. Gift the ultimate in chocolate indulgence with the Chocolate Heaven Hamper. The handmade wooden and seagrass basket is sure to get repurposed around their home and the selection is truly delightful. They’ll enjoy Elizabeth Shaw Dark Chocolate & Raspberry Biscuits, Willies Cacao Chulucanas Gold Dark Chocolate and Lindt Excellence Mint Intense Bars, plus many more treats. We particularly love the Belgian Chocolate Hazelnut Praline Pieces; absolutely stunning. This gift is perfect for the chocoholic in your life.

Staff-favourite chocolate hampers

Pol Roger Champagne Hamper

Admittedly, this is pushing the boat out a bit. For someone you truly love; however, the Pol Roger Champagne Hamper is a breathtaking gift. This champagne is world-renowned and a beloved favourite of the late, great Sir Winston Churchill. It’s served in a hand-made wicker basket with a light wash and luxury bow. Pair the delectable champers with the included Lindt Lindor Assorted Cornet Truffles, Olives Et Al Kiln Roasted Harissa Nuts and Baronie Belgian Chocolate Caramel Pralines. It’s a decadent experience your recipient won’t soon forget.

Chocolate Lovers Hamper

Affordable and tasty. You can’t go wrong with the cheerful Chocolate Lovers Hamper at only £32.99 – a bargain! It’s packed to the brim in a fun red and white basket. They’ll love amazing chocolate treats like Willie’s Cacao Peruvian Hazelnut Raisin Chocolate, Dark Chocolate Coated Brazil Nuts and the award-winning Buchanan’s Chocolate Russian Caramels. That’s not all, either. There are a total of 7 delicious chocolate confections inside. And the gift basket is durable and reusable for home storage too!

Not sure if these are right for you or want something bespoke? Talk to our helpful team about your perfect Dessert Day gift today.

How to picnic in the fall

As the UK turns away from summer and into autumn, the leaves change colour and the air gets crisp. However, with just a light jumper, it can still be lovely weather for a day out in the park or by a lake. Ideal as a low-cost activity for families and a romantic afternoon for couples, picnics are universally appealing. So, if you’re wondering how to picnic in the fall, we’re sharing tips. We’ll guide you to the right location for your picnic blanket, how to pack and hacks for convenient dining like fall picnic hampers.

Selecting a pitch

Overall, you want a smooth and dry spot. Since the sun is unlikely to be a large factor in autumn, it’s not necessary to consider shade during a picnic in the fall. A patch of leaves can provide a lovely cushion for your blanket, old towel or purpose-designed picnic mat. Just check that there aren’t any sharp objects or roots growing up into your picnic location before sitting down your fall picnic hampers or DIY picnic kit to prevent injury. Perhaps bring a dustpan and brush to clear any rubbish from your patch before laying out your blanket and food items.

What to pack

We’ll cover food including fall picnic hampers next, but you’ll want plates, cups and utensils in addition to your ground covering for a more DIY option. There are biodegradable disposable varieties that are better for the environment than plastic options. Or you could simply bring some of your usual dinnerware – packaged with care – for use in the park. Store any cold items in an insulated bag and don’t forget to bring a wine bottle opener if you need it. Also include some napkins and cleaning wipes for afterwards. Bring a rubbish bag with you or maybe two, just in case there are not readily available bins at your picnic site. Remember to pack some warm accessories in case the weather turns like mittens, scarves, hats and outerwear.

What to eat/drink

If you want to skip all the faff and invest in fall picnic hampers for your day out; like our Picnic Feast for Two, they include everything you need for a luxurious meal as a couple.

Skip the DIY with our luxurious fall picnic hamper for two – £80

However, if DIY is more your speed, consider packing a mix of sweet and savoury treats. We love nuts, olives, cured meats, pickles, hard cheeses and relish for salty options. For sweet items, biscuits, mini cakes, sweet chutneys, jams and jellies are lovely. To drink, the fall is a welcome occasion for hot beverages like teas or coffees. Keep your hot drinks warm with Thermos like this selection at John Lewis or heat everything up in the car right when you arrive with a travel kettle. A tipple of whiskey or brandy can be a nice treat as well or you could stick with the more seasonal lighter versions of red wine. As a very festive finisher, you could include desert items with pumpkin, nutmeg, gingerbread or other seasonal flavours to leave a lasting impression on your fall picnic experience.

Christmas Hampers For Clients – Corporate Hampers

Christmas can’t come too early for business owners. It takes a lot of planning to ensure everything runs smoothly by the time December rolls around. This can mean getting ready in advance. Gift-giving for clients is an important tradition for many businesses, and can often become overwhelming when you have so many people to thank. Our luxury selection of Christmas hampers ticks all the boxes. From big sharing baskets to small gift boxes, we have something for everyone. Or shop the full range of Christmas Hampers For Clients – Corporate Hampers.

Luxury Xmas Wine Hamper

One of our bestselling Christmas hampers, the Luxury Xmas Wine Hamper is a fantastic choice for clients or colleagues alike. The duo of award-winning wines will be sure to impress, while the selection of luxury goodies will keep them coming back for more.

The Supreme

If you want to make a BIG impression this year, the Supreme is one for you. This Christmas hamper is brimming with a massive selection of luxury, award-winning and gourmet treats for the recipient to discover.

Prosecco & Treats Gift Box

This bubbly gift features Bottega Poeti Brut Prosecco to wet their whistle. And then, for afters, they can enjoy Grandma Wilds Butterscotch Cookies, Brown Bag Lightly Salted Crisps, I Love Snacks Smoked Almonds, Borders Dark Chocolate Gingers Biscuits, Rich Fruit Cake, Baronie Belgian Milk Chocolate Caramel Pralines and so much more. It’s all lovingly prepared and presented in a black box with a magnetic latch and tied with a ribbon.

To shop more of our Christmas hampers for corporate gifting and view our full range, click here.

Surprise Your Loved One with our Valentine’s Day Hampers

Valentine’s Day is the time to express your love for that special someone. It’s the day to remind your loved one just how much they mean to you, or perhaps you’re starting off a new relationship. New love or old love, the art of gift-giving stays the same. Who doesn’t love receiving a wonderful present on the most romantic day of the year? Our selection of Valentine’s Day hampers will work a treat. From chocolate towers to pamper hampers, and cuddly teddy bears coupled with champagne, they will be spoilt for choice!

The Sweethearts Tower

One of our popular Valentine’s Day hampers, this little tower is packed full of mouth-watering treats. The adorable heart-shaped boxes house a medley of items like creamy caramels, white chocolate fudge, truffles and more. Curl up together in front of a romantic movie while you tuck into the delicious Sweethearts Tower.

Sparkling Surprise

Have this romantic hamper delivered to their door for a Valentine’s Day surprise they will love. Celebrate your lives together, or clink a glass of bubbly to signify your new love with the Sparkling Surprise. The beautiful woven basket contains all the essentials for a romantic gesture. A Baron d’Arignac Brut pairs with the wonderful selection of goodies to discover. Nestled among the tasty treats is an adorable fuzzy little bear. Perfect for cuddling!

Bathtime Gift Tower

Treat them to the ultimate pampering session. The Bathtime Gift tower is one of our most popular Valentine’s Day hampers. This impressive tower houses a wondrous selection of luxurious items for bath time. Run a warm bath, place this hamper next to it, and surprise your significant other with the perfect pampering session. While they enjoy the bath bombs, bath brulee, scented candle and more, you can cook them their favourite meal. Afterwards, you can share the pair of cherry truffles we hid in the top box!

Want something less obvious? Shop gifts for her or him.

Pancake Day around the world

There is no doubt about it, we don’t need a good excuse to enjoy delicious pancakes. That said since Pancake Day is just around the corner we thought you would be interested in learning a little bit more about Pancake Day around the world. We have asked various foodies from around the globe to share their traditions with us. Be prepared, this might give you too many delicious ideas to celebrate with your family.

On your pans, set, go!

Pancake Day in the UK

The British version of Pancake Day is something you are most likely already familiar with but every family celebrates it in a different way. Emily from Twin Mummy and Daddy has shared with us how they tend to celebrate this day.

Emily: “Our pancake tradition is to make pancakes from scratch with the kids. They love helping to make the batter, whisking up all the ingredients and watching mummy and daddy flipping them over. We tend to roll them up and pack them with fruit for kids. We call them fruity pancake roll-ups! My husband and I tend to have a squeeze of lemon with ours and a sprinkling of sugar.”

Pancake Day in Italy

We asked Giada from Miel Cafe to tell us all how she celebrates Pancake Day in Italy.

Giada: “Over here in Italy Pancake Day is called ‘Martedì Grasso’. It’s the very last day before Lent, the last chance to enjoy some traditional ‘fat eating’ and the last day of our well-known Italian Carnevale. We actually don’t have a custom of eating pancakes but a traditional food we eat is ‘Chiacchiere’ or Angel Wings. It’s a sweet fried dough (very simple flour and eggs sugar dough with a touch of rum covered in icing sugar. It’s very basic but such a nice, delicious classic. They are different from classic pancakes and are friable and crispy. But I’ll reveal something, we love pancakes as much, in any of their forms, so we use it as an excuse to eat them too on Pancake Day!”

Pancake Day in Denmark and Germany

German blogger Laura Berg now lives in Denmark and writes about her life there through her blog The Copenhagen Tales. We asked her to share with us some traditions from both Germany and Denmark.

“In Denmark, Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Day is called Fastelavn. A number of traditions surround the festivities – children dress up in costumes and play a game called ‘Beat the Cat out of the Barrel’. In this game, a wooden barrel filled with sweets is hit with sticks until it breaks, and whoever deals the final blow is crowned ‘King or Queen of cats”. Instead of pancakes, Danes eat a special kind of bun, Fastelavnsbolle, which is often filled with cream and glazed with icing or chocolate. There’s even a poem about those buns!

In Germany, the highlight of the carnival or Fasching, festivities is Rose Monday, but in some regions, Shrove Tuesday is celebrated with parades as well. Further, there are some traditions and rituals held around midnight, the night between Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday. These are meant to conclude the carnival festivities, for example with symbolic funerals or burnings of the figure representing the sinful spirit of carnival or ‘Fasching’.”

Pancake Day in France

In France, Shrove Tuesday is known as ‘Mardi Gras’ (fat Tuesday) but the main day for eating pancakes is ‘Chandeleur’ on the 2^nd of February where they eat crêpes (pancakes in French). It is a fun day for all the family to get together and eat delicious pancakes. As sometimes Chandeleur falls on a working day, it’s common to organise something during the weekends with family and friends to prepare and enjoy the pancakes altogether. The most popular pancakes are the ones with chocolate spread and banana, but sugar and jam are of course always invited to the party.

Pancake Day in Poland

In Poland, Pancake Day is called ‘Tłusty czwartek’. Pancake Day literally translates as ‘Fat Thursday’ and the pancakes are actually doughnuts. There are also competitions to choose the most delicious doughnuts during different festivals.

Many of our hampers have some yummy jams perfect for your pancakes, such as the ones in our breakfast hampers. We hope that this post has given you an uncontrolled craving for pancakes and you will be celebrating Pancake Day with your family and friends.

Don’t hesitate to comment below to tell us a little more about your own pancake tradition!

Be victorious this Valentine’s Day: Win a hamper!

Be victorious this Valentine’s Day — This competition is now, closed but you can shop all our fabulous hampers for Valentine’s Day here.

As John Paul Young once said: “love is in the air”, or so it will soon be as Valentine’s Day fast approaches. Will you be celebrating Saint Valentine’s Day with a cosy meal for two or a fantastic feast for one? Either way, we have you covered, as we’re giving away two incredible hampers to make sure that you’ll be celebrating in style.

Giant Teddy and Rosé Champagne Hamper

Because nothing says “I love you” like a giant white teddy bear holding a plush red heart, this is the perfect gift for any old softie out there! The delicious Drappier Rosé Champagne can be enjoyed by both of you as you feast on delicious Lindt Lindor Milk Chocolate Cornet Truffles and Belgian Milk Chocolate Caramel Pralines; the only real dilemma you’ll have is knowing which ones to tuck into first.

Cheese and Port Choice

Who needs to go out for a romantic meal when you have cheese and port waiting for you at home? This timeless combination features Snowdonia Cheese Co. Black Bomber Extra Mature Cheddar Waxed Truckle and Ramos Pinto Collector Ruby Reserve Port. As if it couldn’t get any better this delicious hamper also contains Cairnsmhor Crushed Black Pepper Crackers and Belgian Milk Choc Mousse Pieces; perfect for afters. In fact, it’s so delicious you simply won’t want to share.

How to enter the competition

This competition closed at 12 noon on Monday 8^th February 2016. One lucky winner received each hamper.