Christmas Shopping Gift Awards 2013

Award Winning Christmas Shopping Ideas
for sharing with Friends and Family at Home in 2013

MEDIA RELEASE OCTOBER 2013

Announcing the release of the winners of the National Christmas Shopping Gift Awards, as judged by an esteemed panel of foodie and gourmet experts from around Australia.  After an exhaustive judging process, as revealed to our readership and enthusiastic followers by the highly regarded and critically acclaimed leaders in the industry.

Christmas is a Special Time of Year

It is also the time to get a few foodie friends around and put together you gingerbread house, mince pies, shortbread, biscotti, panettone, panforte and whatever other regional delicacies you include in your Christmas Celebration.  Especially in Australia, freeze ahead – one of the best things about most Christmas fare is that it can be made ahead of time and frozen – so on the day you can slowly release the frozen products and they can act as cooling agents around the kitchen.

Christmas Day

On the big day you should be all ready to go with a memorable Christmas Day since you have made the time and effort to put in some planning beforehand.  Remember to allow for those who will not be present at the table by sending them a Christmas Hamper filled with some unique, hard to find regional fare just like handmade so they too can share in your Christmas spirit.  Christmas is a time for people dropping in unexpectedly, so having on hand a ready supply of extra items and fresh produce is always convenient and gives a positive impression that you have indeed prepared for and indeed expected their arrival.  Merry Christmas from the team behind Hunter Valley Hampers and best wishes for a joyous sharing time with your family and friends.

Order A Christmas Hamper Online

Three insider tips to get the best results when you order a Christmas Hamper online.

Insider's Tip # 1 -

Can I get this hamper locally at Officeworks or Myer - if the answer is yes, go and buy it locally. 

Usually they have a big discount the closer to Christmas you get so you can realistically be looking at anything from 25% to 70% Off for in-stock, off-the-floor hampers. 

But remember, they are nothing extraordinary and you can tell immediately that they are from a discount superstore.  And if you're obsessed with low price, and couldn't possibly pay for delivery - this is your best bet.

Insider's Tip # 2 -

If you need to send many hampers out across Australia, to various destinations, choose a store that offers FREE delivery, or a single $8.50 delivery for the whole consignment.  This is simply unbeatable and you will make up for any lost or damaged items by claiming extra hampers to be sent out and if there is any mix ups with delivery.

Free delivery can amount to $1000 or more on a diverse delivery to mulitple destinations, and for a $2000 order, that is nearly saving 35%.  I know it makes no business sense at all to offer FREE delivery except for safe metropolitan deliveries, so take advantage of this offer before the hamper business disappears.  I know of insiders who have switched hamper companies each successive Christmas and still have not paid for delivery to this day. 

Insider's Tip # 3

If you actually are looking for a quality, authentic hamper, filled with unique, regionally relevant food and wine - and trust that your recipient will value these points of difference.  Then - well, there's really only one choice - a brand established in 1988 and still nationally recognised as an indicator of prestige, handmade products and careful classic styling and presentation.

Hunter Valley Hampers.

You're invited to share our work with your friends, family and business colleagues.  Just don't expect free delivery or discount prices filled with discount store products.

Hampers for Christmas?

At Christmas time there are plenty of pretenders in the hamper market.

You've got your department store wannabe, filled with boxes and packets fulls of air with a little teaser sampler inside. So when you actually open all the packaging and put all the edible food aside, you find there's about 600gm of real food there - the rest of the hamper has been cardboard, packaging, smoke and mirrors.

Like popping a balloon.

Darkness and light - from my early period reading Foucault and the genius of Diderot.

No wonder they are only $45 and reduced by 50% a week out from Christmas!

Then there's the hamper the distributor makes.

Basically this one is full of expiring stock - stuff they has been slow moving over the year and can quietly be put into a bundle buy and sold as a Christmas Hamper.

This is a step up from your department store "packaged air" hamper, but not much. You'll find the same or similar brands, big boxes with little crackers and some acrid wine you can buy yourself at your local bottlo for around $7.

But they still have the audacity to call it gourmet and will probably hit you up for around $80 - $100.

So by now we have taken out half the market or more, most likely 80% of the market share.
For people who want to send something but quite frankly don't really give a shit.

Then, you come to the specialist gourmet hamper suppliers.

You can tell this bunch because they have a little paunch from tasting their boutique wares, maybe rosy cheeks from a silently sampled a bottle of wine, even a shadow of a chocolate smile from the dipped nougat they have popped in their mouth as they answered the phone.

And their hampers - from a true lover of the genre - are something to behold. Packed by hand, with attention to colour and detail, the authentic gourmet hamper is a lumbering beastie filled with heavy clunky gourmet delights from across the region.

And you can tell immediately you set your eyes upon it.

My heady impressionist days - you can almost taste the passion in my work..

Choosing a Hunter Valley Hamper is like reading from the menu at dedicated restaurant where you just know they have put in the effort to match the flavours, tastes, smells, and appearance - even the sounds of the cellophane as it crinkles open are uniquely associated with Christmas and this time of giving.

So go forth and share a Christmas Hamper from Hunter Valley Hampers and rest assured your choice to share the best and finest will be met with similar appreciation when it safely arrives at its' destination. Call 1300 284 684 to order.

Affordable Christmas Hampers - The Wooden Box

Affordable Christmas Hampers are a genuine conundrum at this time of year as businesses and corporates strive to match their dollar with a tasteful and quality gift experience. Hunter Valley Hampers have a popular solution for Corporate Christmas Hampers that meets expectations on both value for money and taste and quality - plus it has an authentic, earthy wooden feel; The Wooden Box!

A Hunter Valley Hampers Wooden Gift Box has all the features expected when making a meaningful Corporate Gift. The Wooden Box is handmade, with sand papered edges, and has a light woody aroma that percolates the gift. The Wooden Gift Box is custom made to fit exactly the size of the products placed in it so you get a neat fit and a tidy, easy to ship experience.

The Wooden Gift Box is made at a price point that is lower than many cardboard boxes of the same size, as Hunter Valley Hampers have a secret source of labour. Unfortunately, we are not able to divulge our suppliers, but let's just say they are longstanding partners with a history linking Hunter Valley Hampers that goes back decades.

For Affordable Christmas Hampers view the Hunter Valley Hampers website or call 1300 284 684 for a personal discussion of your needs.

Corporate Christmas Hampers Bulk Orders

Corporate Christmas Hampers are in peak season at Hunter Valley Hampers.
What makes a Hunter Valley Hampers Gourmet Hamper unique is that we do not fill the gourmet hampers with novelty fillers and trinkets that are of limited value or taste. You will find the highest quality locally sourced gourmet food and wine and condiments in a Hunter Valley Hamper - NOT candy canes and imported rumballs that taste terrible.

When ordering your Christmas Corporate Hamper remember for taste and quality choose Hunter Valley Hampers. Support Australian made produce and locally produced slow food, NOT subsidised multinational imports with ridiculous carbon miles.

Christmas Hampers Bulk Orders are a speciality at Hunter Valley Hampers for Gourmet Hampers Australia.