The Christmas Hamper Thread

You must add this to it - 4 ingredients Chili Jam goes great with meats and cheese and its delish! and is easy to make and looks beautiful too

/recipes/chilli-jam

That looks incredible, will definitely be trying that.

The button on the website "switch to imperial/metric" is genius!

CO your baskets look so pretty and festive!!

I'm doing blueberry and raspberry vodka, chutney, shortbread, chilli jam (all homemade) coffee, cheeses and biscuits. Might do more homemade stuff if there's time not sure atm

You are all soooo very talented with your baking and cooking etc!!

I made my christmas cakes yesterday! Will be 'feeding' them with brandy and possibly some rum in the run up to Xmas and then I will cut them up and decorate them.

I am making some hampers this year..they will include -

Christmas Cake

Homemade onion marmalade

homemade mince pies

homemade ginger bread shapes (making with the Step kids)

some wine / beer / whiskey - dependant on recipient!

possibly some bought goodies frm the boots 3 for 2!

I use a box or a basket - whatever i can find - TK MAxx is a good place to look.

I have been making hampers for the past few years, last year instead of a hamper box, i used a Christmas tray and a large Christmas bowl for 2 of them!

I buy my cellophane from ebay

I normally make: Shortbread, fudge, tablet, cookies, honey butter, bread, truffles, cinnamon buns (bake these fresh on christmas morning!)

Then I add: cheese, oatcakes, chutney, oils/vinegars, garlic mayonnaise.

There's some other things i've forgotten but that's the gist of it!

? As if by magic...

Thank you!! You magic person

Just saw your other thread. I have an AMAZING fudge recipe:

500g white granulated sugar
500ml whipping cream
50ml Baileys
150g white chocolate, grated

Put the sugar, cream and Baileys into a heavy bottomed pan and heat gently until the sugar has dissolved. At that point, turn up the heat and boil until the mixture reaches the 'soft ball' stage (117 degrees on a jam thermometer). Be careful it doesn't bubble over - even though it doesn't look like much mixture in the pan to start with, it bubbles and froths up A Lot while it's heating. Stir every so often to prevent burning on the bottom.

Once it's reached the soft ball stage, take it off the heat and stir in the grated white chocolate. Pour into a greased and lined tin (I use a square one that's 21cm x 21cm) and leave to set for a few hours at room temperature.

I make this a lot (made some this afternoon in fact!) and it's sooo lovely and so easy.

I really want to do fudge but the ball method is scaring me and i dont have a thermometer. What if i go too hot wont it turn solid and burn and ruin my pan?

I'll try and find mine ofr you...

I'm thinking about making rosemary salt and vanilla sugar for people