Finished baskets!!

sallyjh

Have just completed my first basket - cousin announced engagement last week and wanted to get her something so after reading all these threads decided on the following:
Wedding fund money box by Bombay Duck £9.99 (half price on Boots.com - rrp £19.99)
Wedding mag £2.99
Box of Bendicks £1.99 in wilkos -everywhere else theyre £3.99
2 small bottles of Frexinet - part of a set I got reduced in Sainsburys after Christmas
Cupcake candle from Cargo £2.99
Packet of giant love heart sweets 25p
The glittery shredded stuff is the hair/beard from a Father Christmas door hanger that I umm well culled/gave a haircut to- that cost me 5p in the Works after Christmas

Was struggling a bit with the wrapping as the basket is oblong - but decided to do it like a big sweet with ribbons on each end. The cellophane is clear with red hearts on it.

Am quite pleased with it even if I do say so myself - and its given me more incentive for other occasions coming up! Hope they like it too! Pictures below...:D
http://www.flickr.com/photos/23518892@N02/?saved=1

alison6692

aww its lovely.. I am sure they will love it.

danksybaby

does anyone have any ideas for making an indian hamper??!

sammy_kaye18

how about a handi - its liek a big bean pot - deep casserole dish

will psot more ideas avfter but am sprinting out the door to do bfs shopping - be back in 5

SDH

danksybaby wrote: »

does anyone have any ideas for making an indian hamper??!

I just posted a curry cookbook and some packets of spices off to the states for my friends birthday (she is craving curry and can't find any indian restuarants out there!).

The book was from The Works £3 and the spices were from Julian Graves. They were just over a £1 each (I think). I got Garam masala, corriander seeds, curry power, couple of others that I can't can't recall now.

This might be a good starting point for a hamper - You could always use a big frying pan as the "basket". (ikea do cheap frying pans). Include some snazzy rice, popadoms, jar mango cutney (homemade?) ...

hope this helps

rainmac

sallyjh wrote: »

Have just completed my first basket - cousin announced engagement last week and wanted to get her something so after reading all these threads decided on the following:
Wedding fund money box by Bombay Duck £9.99 (half price on Boots.com - rrp £19.99)
Wedding mag £2.99
Box of Bendicks £1.99 in wilkos -everywhere else theyre £3.99
2 small bottles of Frexinet - part of a set I got reduced in Sainsburys after Christmas
Cupcake candle from Cargo £2.99
Packet of giant love heart sweets 25p
The glittery shredded stuff is the hair/beard from a Father Christmas door hanger that I umm well culled/gave a haircut to- that cost me 5p in the Works after Christmas

Was struggling a bit with the wrapping as the basket is oblong - but decided to do it like a big sweet with ribbons on each end. The cellophane is clear with red hearts on it.

Am quite pleased with it even if I do say so myself - and its given me more incentive for other occasions coming up! Hope they like it too! Pictures below...:D
http://www.flickr.com/photos/23518892@N02/?saved=1

Love the basket Sally, I'm sure your friends will be really chuffed!

shaz_mum_of__2

danksybaby wrote: »

does anyone have any ideas for making an indian hamper??!

I am doing one for my dad as hes started cooking recently and is favouring indian


You could use a karai(bit like a wok ) as the basket our local indian shop has allsorts of interesting stuff as well as pans etc the spices are really cheap too you can get a big platter type thing with little pots in for all the different spices to go in (sorry dont know the name )but like this my local sells them for about £5
http://www.spicesofindia.co.uk/acatalog/Indian-Food-Masala-Dabba-Complete.html


plus a cookbook an maybe some serving dishes (thinking oval stainless plate typeor balti dishes )

I would go look raound for inspiration if you have one nearby

Shaz

sammy_kaye18

For the indian basket you could buy

a Karahi/kadhai/ - the wok shaped thingy like shaz recommended

a tawa/tava - these are like griddles with handles - very popular in indian cooking for making chappattis/bread etc.

indian spices - the 5 basic indian gourmet spices are Red Chili powder, Turmeric powder , Cumin Powder, Coriander Powder & Garam Masala - apparently! :rolleyes:

indian cook book - 'How to cook indian food' is a beginners guide which could be good

some pakkads - (tongs to you and me) but they are flatter than usual tongs.


hope thats helped. Like previously said to someone doign the chinese basket - rainmac possibly - you could also decorate a pretty envelope and put a supermarket gift token in there too so they can go and pick up other needed ingredients when they have found a recipe they like.

SugarSpun

If you're near an Asian food shop and planning multiple hampers, then buying spices in bulk might be a good idea - buy five or six large-ish bags of spices then divide them into small sealable bags and label them. It'll be cheaper than buying several bits of the same thing.

I'd include a rice bowl or a Chinese soup bowl and spoon set for a Chinese hamper.

rwaite

I've just seen these books on The Book People website - they look pretty good.

http://www.thebookpeople.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_10001_10051_23616_100_48148__category_

http://www.thebookpeople.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_10001_10051_56561_100_48148__category_

http://www.thebookpeople.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_10001_10051_105684_100_48148__category_

http://www.thebookpeople.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_10001_10051_83700_100_48148__category_

http://www.thebookpeople.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_10001_10051_16599_100_48148__category_

Just an idea. xxx