Farmgate Hampers Delivered

Everyone likes the idea of strolling through the markets on a Sunday morning - squeezing the fruit on display, asking the farmer how she made her relish, smiling at other like-minded individuals. But for most of us, working a nine to five in the city means we get limited chances to actually get out there and live this dream. So that's where Hunter Valley Hamper comes in and sources the finest quality unique and boutique farm gate produce from around the valley for you to share in a gift hamper.

Whether you don't have the time, or are in another city, away from your friend - sending a hamper to share your feelings is a tried and tested successful method of making something appear in the here and now for your friend as well as your special messages.

Christmas Hampers - Make Your Own

Christmas Hampers - You Can Make Your Own

Making a gift hamper visually appealing is much more than just piling products into a basket. Product combination, theme, colour schemes, basket balance, fillers and stuffing, wrapping, and finally ribbons and bows are all factors in making the perfect gift basket. If you need to make a gift hamper for an occasion and have no previous experience, follow this easy to read guide to make your own. Whilst making a hamper is simple with some experience, there are also some timeless tips to get everything just right, and here's the place to find out.

1. Basket and Balance
The first thing to consider is the basket itself and the balance of the products in it once assembled. The general idea is to have the products balanced towards the front side of the basket, which means there is a natural tendency for the basket to fall forward once it is made. So to counter this fill the base of the basket with densely packed filler, like shredded paper densely packed, or sand in resealable bags, or styrofoam peanuts.
Having a steady base makes for more creative freedom when you are assembling your products - and you'll see why in a moment.

2. Colors and Combinations
Browsing around online, you will notice that many commercial gift baskets offer color themed options, that go a long way towards lending an impression of professionalism and just looking right. One of the key considerations, which can be difficult to match, is having a colour theme. Simply keep in mind that matching together similar tones and colours in the hamper means that the whole impression will be of subtle togetherness. This means labels, logos and packaging of the products, because although it may be your least likely consideration, having a harmonious color combination can literally distinguish great from just good.

3. Jars and Bottles
A food hamper will always have jars and bottles in it, and the trick is to avoid glass rattle and glass touch - both can be early indicators that the glass will break in transit. Other than this it is important to simply have the jars and bottles arranged so they sit tight and won't fall over whilst the basket is being carried. A clever design tip is to place bubble wrap where two items may touch, so they you never have glass exposed to glass, which is likely to crack or break. Other tips are to keep the glass products surrounded by non-glass products so there other products act as buffers and absorb the bumps and shocks of transit.

4. Wrapping with Cellophane
The first thing you notice about crisp cellophane wrapped hamper from a heat shrunk wrapped hamper is the shiny gloss of the cellophane. So although some commercial gift basket operations will use matt heat shrink wrapping, stick to the traditional cellophane wrap. The shine is priceless in terms of appeal and impact for the recipient. Further, it pays to have the crisp, heavier weight cellophane for wrapping as this too makes all the difference with holding itself together and working to maintain the shape and posture of the basket. There is nothing worse than your basket display falling over on itself because the cellophane is too thin a grade to support a heavier product.

With these four basic tips you should be well on your way to making a memorable Christmas Hamper or gift basket. Of course, like all handmade goods, a hamper is a reflection of your personal style and taste, so do take the extra effort to give your creation a unique touch. And have fun. Making Gift Baskets should be all about fun and sharing!

Picnic For Two Hampers

Here is a great Hamper to share amongst your family and friends.

The Picnic For Two Hamper sure makes a great gift idea and Corporate Thank You.

Christmas Hampers for Office Parties

Christmas Parties for your end of year Office Do can be difficult to manage and run the real risk of causing real employee grief once there is alcohol involved.

Instead, follow what the established companies do, offer a gourmet hamper filled with quality sharing treats for the whole family and encourage your staff to take the gift off premises where they can let their hair down without worrying if Mike from Accounts will be watching.

Welcome to Hunter Valley Hampers

We have been in business since 1988 offering our world famous (yes 38% of our orders are from overseas) Hunter Valley Hampers to thrilled customers to share with family friends and business associates alike.

Here's a tip, go straight to our Gourmet Hampers or Fruit Baskets pages and make the simple decision right now to send a tasteful gift - or call 1300 284 684 direct to speak with one of our hamper makers live. International callers please dial 612 49689733 to connect.

Once you have had a look at our selection, be sure to note that we offer a diverse range of products, most likely unlike the run of the mill products you will see on virtually every other site out there. And we took this risk way back when we started, we didn't want to be just another mirror site promoting the bland sameness of it all, we wanted to be different. And memorable. And focused on our local providores.

We're confident you will be impressed with our stand-out quality, our unique gift combinations, and our classic timeless gift baskets.

So whether you are a returning corporate customer, or a first timer who has been referred by a friend, you can be confident you will receive first class service and attention to detail at Hunter Valley Hampers.

Making Gourmet Food and Wine Hampers.

Making the perfect Gourmet Food and Wine Hamper is simple if you follow these three steps. Be sure to use locally made produce, ideally from a slow food source, with organic and natural ingredients. Take the time to put your gourmet food with a delightful Hunter Valley Wine, like our favorites shiraz and semillon. And finally, the finishing touch is a crisp fresh woven basket, with a sturdy handle so you can re use the basket to carry your picnic in the park.

Darby Street Coffee and Chocolate Festival

Curling up under a blanket with a good book? Or getting on down to Darby Street for a some fresh ground coffee and quality chocolate? Easy to make a Gourmet Hamper out of the plethora of available food items in the stall and shops along Darby Street.

Despite the grey skies and instinctive call to hibernate, it was well worth weathering the cool to do the Darby Street walk and catch up with some local shop owners and their products.

Music, food and plenty of familiar faces made it a great way to spend a couple of hours on a Sunday afternoon.

Value-For-Money-Gifts-in-Australia-Top-7-Tips

OK, here we are sharing the Top 7 Tips for Gift Hampers to keeping your costs low and making for maximum value and visual impact on delivery when sending food hampers and wine gift baskets to friends, family and clients to save money and make the whole process easier and less time consuming.
Create Your Own Hamper - Visit a website that lets you decide exactly what you want to put into your hamper. A great way to control the cost of your gift, as these sites will let you remove items if you see that your hamper is becoming too expensive.  If in doubt give a great regional supplier like Hunter Valley Gift Baskets, like 1300 284 684 and discuss what you exactly want, from experience, they are reliable and more than willing to go out of their way to accommodate your needs....
Hampers need not be Massive - You are giving a very nice gift in the form of food items. Where does it say that hampers have to be huge? It doesn't. So, select a variety of items that relate, but keep the quantities down to a minimum. Remember, it's the thought that counts.  A few Premium Gourmet items are far preferable to a mumble jumble of big boxes filled with preservative filled imported food that has travelled half way around the world and is months old.

Alcohol is not Vital - Sending a gift hamper does not require alcohol. This will keep your hamper costs down and there are plenty of luxurious treats you can fill a hamper with that are more economical. If you want to send a drink, why not send a non-alcoholic drink instead?

Only send Hampers within your Country - Delivery costs are usually added at the end of your purchase. But if you want to send a hamper to another country, the costs increase considerably. By sending hampers only within your country, the costs are not increased. If you need to send a hamper to another country, select a hamper company from that country first.  There are affiliate links but they take out a percentage of your order.  Type in gourmet hamper australia and the country name to find a reliable supplier.

Don't send Hampers on Weekends - Delivery charges are quoted for Monday through Friday deliveries, because that's when most courier companies deliver at the most affordable rates. If you would like to deliver a hamper for a Saturday delivery, you will pay dearly for that convenience. Keep deliveries to weekdays and save.
Don't pay for a "Personal Message Added" - To have a personal message added to your hamper, this should be a free service, which includes a free card. Some companies will even have your message handwritten on a greeting card. It just adds that personal touch, which recipients like.  Trusted companies like Hunter Valley Gift Baskets and Hampers include a handwritten card at no cost.  It is these small touches that separate us from the inferior others...

Are the Products Value for Money? - Looking at the items put into hampers, have they won any food awards - like the local produce at Hunter Valley Hampers has? Top quality fine foods always receive awards. Quality food companies enter fine food competitions often because winning means more sales. It's your guarantee that the food in your hamper tastes as good as it looks.

With so many choices on the internet these days, it really pays to shop around and see what sites have to offer. Each are quite different and if you take the time to go past the first page of your Google search, you will find that it was well worth your time.
Gift Baskets and Gourmet Hampers www.huntervalleyhampers.com.au Call 1300 284 684

Gift Baskets, Hampers, Fruit Baskets - Hunter Valley Hampers Originals

Have been doing brisk trade this month as people really get behind the hunter valley hampers promotions and word of mouth referrals. 
Surprisingly, our corporates are trending towards their favourites, whilst our online retail clients are simply loving the Freshest Fruit Baskets in Newcastle. 
It is great for business and we really appreciate the rapid turnover of fresh new Hunter Valley Gourmet Food, although it is not ideal weather in this chill wind being out and about for our delivery guys Darren and Kirby (thanks guys!)

Anyway, just a short post to keep it real.
Here's some of the guys from masterchef we bumped into at the Sydney Food and Wine show.  Great event and made some really special connections - watch out for our new website and business concept.

Pizza-Is-Great-in-Venice

Pizza by the slice is one of the great indulgences whilst backpacking through Europe.  Here Kacy munches on an oversize Venetian Pizza slice whilst we meander along the bustling canal front.  Of course, a simple cheese and mushroom topping is the ideal complement to the crusty base.

It wasn't long before we found our way back to the villa where we were staying.  An upstairs abode with an apt juliet balcony overlooking a timeless paved courtyard.  It did not occur to me when I had to slam the door and pull what I thought was extraordinarily hard to close it until we returned, and we could not open the door.  I tried a few times and pushed and pulled and then scoped out the rest of the block for a niche to make my way to the window.  No chance.

We shrugged and thought it best to retire across the courtyard to the (who would've guessed) late night pizza joint, staffed by a couple of affable migrants from Egypt.  They chatted with us about Australia as we waited for the pizza, and thought why not and drank a bottle of rose in plastic cups and wonky chairs on the pavement.

But we still coundn't get in.  (Continued)