With Christmas now looming on the not so distant horizon, it is a good time to start thinking of gifts and there are a lot of online companies that sell food hampers all year round, but they would also make perfect presents for Christmas too. If, like me, you or the special person in your life, enjoy cooking then a foodie hamper would make an ideal gift.
Olives Et Al is based in Dorset and specialises in producing olives but also nuts, oils, and snacks, perfect for snacking and entertaining. However, asides from these single items, Olives Et Al also sell a wide range of gifts for every budget. The gifts are available in the following formats: hampers, hat boxes or gift bags and boxes. I was asked if I would like to review a gift, of my choice, and I decided to try a hat box gift and selected the In The Kitchen one.
The hat box is a wonderfully contemporay way to present the products and so different to the standard hampers which most food gifts are packaged in (not that there is anything wrong with a hamper as I have a few myself and LOVE them). But for a Christmas gift , it is nice to send something a little bit different to the norm. It is beautifully presented as you can see
The In The Kitchen box contains:
Chilli & Ginger Dressing and Marinade,
Mojo Pink Grapefruit Dressing & Marinade,
Red Chilli Harissa Sauce
Pesto Alla Genovese
Dukkah
Tapenade Marocaine
Sunshine Rosemary & Garlic Olives
Spanish Extra Virgin Olive Oil (500ml)
Priced at just £35 I think this is a very good value gift and the products are so nice, and their label colourful and attractive. All the products can be used to make an array of yummy meals, enabling the recipeint of the gift box to sample a taste of the Mediterranean.
I made a quick and tasty pasta dish within a few days of the parcel arriving using the Pesto Alla Genovese, which took 12 minutes which is ideal for when you want a quick meal and have left it a bit late in the day to start cooking.
Quick Pesto Pasta (serves 2)
*Enough pasta for 2 people (will depend how hungry you are as to how much you cook!)
*About 12 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
*About 6-8 mushrooms, sliced
*100g sliced ham, roughly chopped
*2 tbsp Olives Et Al Basil & Pine Nut Pesto
Cook the pasta as per the instructions on the packet
Saute the mushrooms and sliced cherry tomatoes in a little fry light/butter/oil
Once the pasta is cooked, drain well and add the cooked veg and the ham and the pesto and stir
Then serve – on its own or maybe with some crusty bread and a side salad
The pesto sauce was lovely, and even for me, who is currently following the Slimming World eating plan, just 1 level tbsp is only 3 syns so I was very pleased about that!
I was sent a gift hamper from OLives Et Al for the purpose of a reivew. At the moment you can recieve 10% off you first order once you have signed up. Plus don’t forget to check out thier recipes category, as this show cases the products that they sell in some delicious looking and sounding meal ideas.
Oh that looks absolutely amazing. Such a great hamper. I love everything Mediterranean, so flavoursome, healthy and most of all easy to use in recipes x