Been given a Christmas food hamper-please help me work out what i can freeze?

WantToBeSE

Hi
As the title suggests, i have been given a food hamper (all home made food) for Christmas. The main problem being that Christmas is a month away.
So i am planning to freeze as much as i can, to bring out a few days before Christmas. I am not sure what i can and cannot freeze though, and this is where you can all help me..please?

I think i CAN freeze the following:
A small Christmas cake (with icing)
Choc and cranberry cookies
Sausage rolls
'Stain glass window' cookies
Orange shortbread
Matchmakers (mint)
Mince pies
Choc cookies
Gingerbread men
Cheese straws

but can someone just confirm that i can freeze those?

I dont know if i can freeze:
Christmas pudding bon-bons
Panforte
Mint choc snowflakes (basically slabs of white and dark choc)
Honeycomb
Peanut brittle
Fudge
A small Christmas pud
Chutney ( no idea whats in it)

If anyone can help, i'd really appreciate it.

craigywv

i would freeze it all making sure its wrapped well, the likes of the chutney if its in a glass jar or if any of the hamper is in glass decant it into tupperware etc as for the peanut brittle, fudge and bon bons they wouldnt make to the freezer i would have them ate,. your very lucky thats a lovely hamper you got and i sure it took whoever made it a long time well done!

WantToBeSE

Thanks Craigywv, i am tempted by the bon-bons i must admit!
I will probably leave the fudge out for the kids to munch on.

Thanks for the tip about glass

The hamper is my Christmas pressie from my sister

Mojisola

Chutney will last at least a year in the jar. No need to freeze it.

Christmas pudding won't need it either.

If the Christmas cake is the usual heavy fruit cake, I wouldn't freeze that either. Wrap in greaseproof paper and put in a tin.

Chris25

you shouldn't need to freeze the Christmas cake - store it in a tin. Likewise, the Christmas pud & the chutney - they should continue to improve. Are the matchmakers HM or bought? if bought, they won't need freezing.
Cheese straws can be frozen but will prob be a bit more crumbly - better for a warming in the oven to crisp up when defrosted.
Stained glass window biscs may become v brittle after freezing but if you re-heat, you may soften the 'window' so take care with those.
The honeycomb & peanut brittle, i'd store in a tin too.

peachyprice

The cake shouldn't need freezing, neither should the pud, the chocolate snowflakes, peanut brittle, honeycomb, fudge or chutney (as long as you haven't opened it since it was jarred).

WantToBeSE

Thanks Everyone.
Chris, the matchmakers are home made.

scaredy_cat

Christmas pudding bon-bons
Panforte
Mint choc snowflakes (basically slabs of white and dark choc)
Honeycomb
Peanut brittle
Fudge
A small Christmas pud
Chutney ( no idea whats in it)

i'd basically store everything on a tin except the christmas pud and the fudge, those i'd put in the fridge.
if you put the honeycomb and brittle in the fridge it might go soft.

Chris25

if the matchmakers are just chocolate, sugar & mint, they should be fine in a tin - keep checking every so often
If they've got biscuity bits in, they might soften by Christmas so freezer would prob be ok - can your sister tell you if any of the recipes say that you can freeze?
lovely present to get btw

RAS

The sausage rolls would benefit from freezing.

As far as I can tell none of the other items needs to be frozen and some would be damaged if you did it.

Put them in clean dry tins and store in a cool dry cupboard or larder.

if any of the biscuit/pastry items get a bit soft, pop them in the oven to crisp up the day you serve them.

WantToBeSE

Thanks for the advice
I'd love to be able to ask my sister, but she is out of the country at the moment and i cant get hold of her (hence the reason she gave the present early).

I think i will freeze all the cookies and sausage rolls, and keep everything else in tins. I might wrap the cake and pud in tin foil forst.