Home And Family

Have your ever bought a gift for someone only to discover that someone has bought them the same thing? Or perhaps someone beet you to it by a year or so. This is another reason why I prefer to present people with food gifts combined with the huge variety that you can choose from these days! Repeat gifts are no longer an issue.

Christmas has not long past as I am writing this, and I find myself casting my mind back to my Christmas shopping spree and reflecting on my credit card bill. The reality is that Christmas or any other occasion gift baskets need not be that expensive. Consider the cost of individual jams, wines, chutney’s pate etc, and you will soon come to realise that you can put together a pretty impressive food basket for no more that the price of a DVD these days. Of course, no one wants to be known as thrifty on such occasions, so you may want to go for something a little more upmarket, exotic or just aim for quantity depending on who the food basket is intended for.

While everyone’s tastes will vary, you may also need to consider allergies. Personally, especially around the festive season I quite like nuts but many people have an allergy to this particular delicacy so be thoughtful. Dried fruit, Belgian chocolates or truffles or other confectionary may well be the safer choice. My mother, in her retirement took to giving out food gifts on such occasions particularly home made jams, chutneys and other preserves in cute but inexpensive jar which were often recycled which you may agree is appropriate in this day and age..

The sure way to almost anyone's heart is through their stomach via gastronomic treats. Whether you are partial to a little ‘duck a l’orange pate’, chocolate covered fruit or dried fruit or a fine wine, there is something in a food gift basket for everyone, and who knows, they may just share with you.