We all have those people on our lists. They have everything they need and the money to buy whatever else they want. It’s hard to shop for them, but you still want to give something special. I think a carefully chosen gift basket is a nice option. It’s fun to try gourmet food items (or other products) that wouldn’t normally purchase for yourself. I recently had the opportunity to review a gift basket from GourmetGiftBaskets.com and I have to say I was impressed.
I have to be honest that I didn’t know what to expect. Suffice to say that no one every sends me a food-related gift basket (ahem), even though I think they’re pretty cool. We received the Christmas Gift Basket Classic, which retails for $59.99. It came in an actual basket and included peanuts, dipping pretzels, raspberry honey mustard pretzel dip, a dark chocolate bar, Almond Pecan-dy Crunch (caramel popcorn with almonds and pecans), chocolate chip pecan cookies, Buttered Peanut Crunch (kind of like a peanut brittle), trail mix, chocolate covered cherries and parmesan artichoke and garlic cheese biscuits. I will say for the record that not a thing in this basket was safe for Bug with is nut allergies, except perhaps the mustard dip.
My favorite item in the basket was the Parmesan Artichoke & Garlic Cheese Biscuits from the Salem Baking Company. I would never have picked these up off a shelf, but they were divine. They were light and crispy and cheesy. Mmm. I may have to buy more. My second favorite was the Almond Pecan-dy Crunch from Morley Candy Makers. Caramel popcorn can be too chewy if it isn’t fresh, but this was perfect. The kernels were still light and puffy, but the coating was buttery caramel goodness. It was a bit light on the almonds and pecans, but they were delicious, too.
I passed off the dipping pretzels and dip, as well as the peanuts, to Big Guy. He gave a thumbs-up to the Raspberry Honey Mustard Pretzel Dip from Robert Rothschild Farm. I can’t stand mustard, but Big Guy said it was a good, but very strong mustard. I assume he liked the peanuts, too (we don’t keep peanuts in the house), but haven’t had an official verdict.
The basket itself came shrink-wrapped in plastic and then wrapped with raffia. A personal note was attached. Inside, the basket also had a decorative silk poinsettia and shredded paper that matched the raffia. The shrink-wrap takes away from the presentation a bit (making it look like you purchased it off a shelf), but I know it’s there to help with freshness.
I shopped around and the basket seemed comparable in price to similar baskets from other companies. If you’ve got a friend or relative who doesn’t have a lot of space and/or doesn’t need much, I think a gift basket is a nice touch, especially at the holidays. It’s always nice to have some special treats to put out if you have unexpected guests!
Disclosure: We received a gift basket for review purposes. There was no promise of a positive review and the opinions contained in this post are my own.
The right gift baskets can be really awesome. I got to try a gift basket from them once and it was amazing!