How to make the perfect Surrey hamper

Words by Jane Garrett

Original present ideas can be a real challenge when people seem to have everything already. So if you want to avoid the unwanted gadgets and useless trinkets, why not think about creating your own Christmas hamper? It really does make a lovely present, and if you concentrate on locally produced food and drink, it will be even more special.
The nicest way to make your hamper truly individual is to buy everything yourself, including the basket. Classic Christmas hampers contain wines, cordial and beers; chutneys and preserves; and biscuits, puddings and cakes – basically food with a reasonable shelf life. It’s no good including an organic cabbage that will have wilted long before it is needed in the kitchen.

Surrey producers make a rich range of these kinds of foods, from chocolate to mustard. The question is where can you find them easily?

Farmers’ markets...

Farmers’ Markets are an obvious place to start in your hunt for niche Surrey foods, which are not always made in sufficient enough quantities to be stocked in shops. These are held right across the county so there is bound to be one near where you live.

Farm Shops are perfect for hamper browsing too. You may need to ask where food comes from in order to keep your purchases Surrey based, but this is exactly what consumers should be doing all the time. People should make shops aware that they are interested in the source of the produce on sale and that there is a market for local food with low food miles. It will also mean your Surrey hamper will have real rarity value and you will certainly be able to find plenty of items to fill it.

The hamper itself can be as much a part of the present as the contents. Commercial hampers tend to come in foreign imported baskets, which are cheaper and may not last long, but you can buy beautiful handmade baskets from a professional weaver that will give huge pleasure and last for years. In Cranleigh, Cat Beaumont runs ‘The Enchanted Wood English Willow Basket-ware’ and her range would make beautiful gifts in their own right. She will make up baskets to your own specifications too.

Spoilt for choice…

In terms of the contents, wines, cordials, fruit juices and beers are all made in Surrey so this is a fertile area for your hamper. Among the many options are Godstone Apple Juice; Denbies wine from Dorking; Lurgashall Country Wines and Thornton Elderflower from Leatherhead; Hog’s Back beer from Tongham made with Puttenham Fuggles hops; and Surrey Hills beer from the North Downs above Shere. They are all readily available from farm shops and, between them, they could quite easily fill an entire basket and make a wonderful present just as they are. 

When you’re choosing the food, it’s definitely worth hunting out local suppliers at farmers’ markets. There, you’ll find traders such as Anila Vagheta from Walton, whose prize-winning range of cook-in sauces and chutneys could be a godsend when trying to use up odds and ends of turkey after Christmas. Anila’s great grand-parents were originally from Gujarat and the family recipes were handed down the generations.

The only cheese produced in Surrey is Norbury Blue, which is made in the Mole Valley beneath Box Hill at Mickleham by farmer’s daughter Michaela Edge. This is the only perishable produce recommended for your Surrey hamper. It will keep happily for quite a while, so put it in the fridge until you need to wrap up the hamper and deliver it.

The final flourish…

In Ranmore, Cartlodge Cakes make a special mincemeat cake at Christmas-time, and as items that look really home-made always go down a treat, it’s worth checking out WI Country Markets where the biscuits and cakes are all made in local domestic kitchens. You can sometimes find local honeycomb for sale as well as the jams and preserves. 

Another local supplier to look out for is Gordon’s Mustards at Cranleigh who also produce Brandy Butter and Cranberry Sauce. These are widely available in Farm Shops and delicatessens.

The final touch to your hamper could be handmade chocolates by ChocolateJohn, an ex IT man from Dorking, who has turned a passion into a living, or the exotic prize-winning organic chocolate from the Chocolate Alchemist, which has a shop in Guildford.

Other good general sources include the Kingfisher Farm Shop in Abinger, The Jolly Farmer at Buckland and the Priory Farm Shop at Nutfield, all of which have a superb range of local produce.

Now all that remains is to wish you a very merry Christmas – and happy hamper hunting!

• For more information on ‘The Enchanted Wood English Willow Basketware’, call 01483 548020 or visit their website at www.catbeaumont.co.uk

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The bespoke option...

If you don’t have time to produce your own hamper, you could always let someone else do the legwork and go for the bespoke option. 

For more details, call 01306 888811, email Catering@SurreyGourmet.com; or visit www.surreyproduce.co.uk

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