Have you ever bought or received a Christmas Hamper from a proper posh place like Selfridges, Fortnum & Mason or Harrods and wondered how you’re going to finish half of the things in it? Well, you’re not alone.
Instead of purchasing a pre-selected hamper, wouldn’t it be much nicer to build one yourself with the items you actual want? Hence, I’ve spent some time to put together a premium hampers with less than ten items that I would buy if it was the last hamper I would ever buy.
Oh so lovely Hamper <£250
- Domecq Iberico Loin – Pata Negra ham – 80g x2 (£14.99 each)
This Iberico ham is perfect with artisan bread, high quality olive oil and a good cheese selection. My recommendation is that the meat is saved for special occasions and for people that appreciate high quality Jamón Ibérico, since my wife and son couldn’t really taste the difference between this and the normal parma ham we get.
Available from: Selfridges
2. Krug Grande Cuvee NV – 750ml (£135)
This has been on my wish list for two years, since I can’t really justify spending this much money on a casual wine for my own consumption, since my wife doesn’t drink. As with most wines over 100 pounds, most people will not be able to taste the difference (me included), hence it’s just buying into an experience, the brand, and the nicely shaped bottle. This kind of Champagne isn’t really put into hampers, ever, since 50% of the value of the hamper would go into the wine itself, but I’d rather have this than try to eat some stinky stilton or try to appreciate a £25 pound bottle of balsamic vinegar.
Available from: Laithwaites
3. Fortnum & Mason Organic Smoked Salmon Pack, 300g (£30)
Instead of the aforementioned balsamic vinegar, the smart option would be to include the organic smoked salmon, a favourite for canapes, starters, salads and more. Cheaper alternatives are available, but just don’t carry the same gravitas as the Fortnum & Mason name.
Available at: Fortnum & Mason
4. Fortnum’s Cranberry Sauce, 230g (£5.50)
I think Cranberry Sauce is slightly more versatile than Piccalilli for savoury biscuits or crispbreads, since it goes quite nicely with some soft cheese. When I crave the taste of pickled vegetables, it’s must easier to just get some pickled gherkins.
Available at: Fortnum & Mason
5. Selfridges Selection – British Rosemary Sea Salt savoury biscuits (£4.49)
These biscuits are more like savoury wafers and the reason they are here is because they taste nice and weren’t totally useless when I went through the Selfridges hamper two years ago. Each biscuit won’t really hold that much cheese, cranberry sauce or salmon, which might be interpreted as embracing the low-carb living (or not).
Available at: Selfridges
6. Fortnum’s Cheddar Box, 800g (£15)
The standard cheddar included in Fortnum’s hampers is a cylinder shaped cheddar packed in wax (Wax Cheddar Truckle 400g), which makes cutting into slightly painful. This cheddar seems to be much easier to chop into thin slices. It should deliver quite a strong taste as well, since it’s aged for 24 months vs. the 12 months on the cheddar truckle.
Available at: Fortnum & Mason
7. Large Hamper Basket (£18.99)
You can get the hamper itself in varying sizes from the likes of eBay. I could probably pick up some hay for free from a local farm, since that ends up in the bin quite quickly and isn’t really the nicest thing to have into the house.
Grand total: £238.96
It isn’t cheap by any means, but that would keep me happy for quite some time, without putting me through the potted Stilton challenge.