Christmas hamper goods for the elderly?

Goldiegirl

Bottle of wine or sherry or a few cans of lager?

vodkawitch1

You can get Salmon princ@@@ salmon in £1 shop, maybe a `posh` hamper and a fleecy throw (some cheap ones in Ikea)

anakat

Buy the things you would like to get! Old people are not an alien race.

PasturesNew

Just keep to regular food, not "middle class/posh" food because, in the main, people receiving hampers won't have been exposed to those "strange things" and will have no idea what to do with them, so will leave them unopened until it's time to toss them out.

Nice, well-known in the 70s/80s names would be good. Dairy Milk chocolates, Matchmakers, After Eights. For booze, I think the current older generation are more partial to a bit of Baileys than a sherry; sherry's a bit more for those born 1890-1920.

Cheesy biscuits are good, e.g. Ritz. Or even Jacobs cream crackers and some (normal sounding type) cheese to go with them.

Packets of "instant" sauces. e.g. instant custard, instant brandy sauce or even just instant whipped topping. Tins of fruit too: peaches, or fruit cocktail, pineapple or mandarins.

A cracker would be a nice inclusion too - choose them based on the contents being better than a plastic cowboy. e.g. ones that might include a keyring, or a bottle opener, or a twisty metal puzzle.

An individual Xmas pud wouldn't go amiss; but not a huge/whole one or they'll never cook it.

Biscuits: chocolate ones, or shortbreads. If a tin then go for the "old fashioned names" that they at least recognise, or a supermarket own-brand one that's got a good variety of chocolate covered ones.

For a bit of "extra glitz", toss a handful of Quality Street/Celebrations/Heroes onto the top of the goodies randomly.

Those orange/lemon slices were always popular in the 60s/70s too.

For nuts I'd go with Walnuts or monkey nuts - easy to open and identifiable.

NewShadow

Can I second crystallised ginger - My nan was a devil for that stuff.

Apparently post war, up until the 70's, it was a common cheap sweet alternative.

Also consider humbugs, imperials, cinder toffee.

As people get older their tastebuds don't work as well (degradation starts from about age 25).

Stronger distinctive tastes are therefore welcome, and it's one of the reasons for the very sweet tea and biscuit little old lady stereotype

Lance_De_Boils

Just asked dad (late 70s) what he would like.
He said booze, fancy coffee, packet of long rizla.
Licorice all sorts, jelly babies. For after he has used the rizla.

How old are the Rolling Stones now? Can't imagine them eating wherthers originals.

pigpen

Most of the older people I know have more disposable income than I do with a brood of children to feed!!

They throw out masses of food because they buy because they can and because they get their social life from the local shops..

My late Nanna said she had never had so much money as she did as an 80 y/o woman and she couldn't spend it because she needed nothing and couldn't even go out alone.. she needed the money when her 6 children were little and they had nothing. My other Nanna is now in that situation having had nothing when her husband died leaving her with 3 young sons..

I absolutely could not condone cigarettes or alcohol.. they cause illness and disease.. The one thing most are lacking is people! Company, people who care about them and who they can care about.

Lance_De_Boils

anakat wrote: »

Buy the things you would like to get! Old people are not an alien race.

I agree. A lot of elderly people are teenagers trapped in frailer bodies.

BritishBibliophile

I'd contact the church that's organising it and see if there's anything in particular that they think will be useful/wanted but they suspect will be in short supply as it's not stuff people normally think of.

We did the same thing when I was at secondary school and off the top of my head we mostly got things that were nice but would last, especially as - during bad weather - elderly people struggle to get out and get food in. This included tinned puddings, malt loaf, some decent soups etc.

meritaten

hmmm trying to think what mum would have liked - she used to 'treat' herself with Posh Biscuits from M&S a couple of times a year. but Aldi have very similar for about a third the price.
tinned red salmon - you wouldn't dream of using the cheaper 'pink' salmon at special occasions or for guests.
a box of dates.
real 'tangerines' as opposed to clementines or satsumas (they really don't taste the same) - and my OH picked up what he thought were satsumas in Aldis and guess what? they were Tangerines!!!!!! I couldn't believe it - they smelled and tasted exactly like I remembered!
as others have said - one portion packs of Christmas pudding. and don't forget the 'tinned cream' to go with it! many of my mums generation prefer tinned cream.
a good local cheese - even a small amount would be appreciated. its really hard to find good Caerphilly cheese - and guess where I live? right! Caerphilly! or near enough!
a really nice fruit cake - don't worry about the size - oldies know how to keep it fresh for days - and within days it will be eaten! again, aldee do a lovely fruit laden Christmas cake (its the one I buy as soon as they stock it, cover it with marzipan and ice it and pretend I made it). its about £3 but you could cut it into quarters and cling wrap it well.