Blog Forman and Field

While putting together our seasonal hampers this year for personal or corporate Christmas gifts, we have been thinking about the perfect gourmet gift baskets. In doing so we discovered that, although often considered a traditional British gift, the fine food hamper was actually introduced to these isles by the French.

Hamper beginnings

As with all great traditions, the food hamper has a long and illustrious history. The word hamper derives ultimately from the old French term ‘hanapier’, which meant a case for goblets. It is believed that it was during the time of William the Conqueror that the idea of using a wicker hamper to carry treats and fine foods first came to the UK.

The hamper was initially used as a way of transporting tempting morsels and delicious delicacies for personal consumption when travelling. It was the Victorians who finally changed hampers from a personal larder into a smorgasbord of luxury gift ideas for others to enjoy.

The railways made sending perishable foods over long distances possible, and the idea of sending a hamper as a gift to far-flung friends and family was born. Employers also began to present their staff with a basket of goodies at the end of the year to ensure a wonderful Christmas with plenty of festive food and drink to enjoy.

Vintage revival

We believe the Christmas hamper should retain a sense of this tradition. That’s why we have made sure ours contain those special artisanal treats from only the finest British food producers. In keeping with tradition, we have featured vintage Christmas foods in our seasonal hampers as they remain an essential part of Christmas celebrations. What could be more comforting in these uncertain times than the foods we have grown to love?

Personal shoppers

Our hampers will, perhaps literally, knock the socks off last year’s present, but they are also sure to impress clients and reward employees as corporate Christmas gifts that will be remembered long after the festive season is over.

Of course, we understand that business gifts require a personal touch, which is why you can create your own bespoke combination of luxury foods, British wine gifts and chocolate gifts to fill your hampers. If you contact our food advisors, they will help you create a unique hamper you can truly call your own, helping you to find other ideas to fill your bespoke hamper. In keeping with our vintage Christmas theme, your personal hamper shopper offers the sort of traditional customer service rarely found these days.

Christmas presents

Here are some of our festive favourites and other corporate gift ideas with a vintage Christmas twist to help you treat someone special this year.

Our Christmas Essentials hamper contains all you need for a gourmet Christmas. It kicks off with the finest London Cure smoked salmon and culminates in a figgy pudding bursting with flavour, quality ingredients and heritage.

In between, the lucky recipient will discover in their wicker basket succulent Alderton ham, the beautifully creamy texture and spicy tang of Colston Bassett Stilton, with some celery and pepper oaties, brandy butter, cranberry sauce and some artisanal chocolates to wrap the perfect package up.

Other ready-to-order delights waiting to be delivered to friends, family or clients near or far include the romantic Hamper for Two, the Cheese Course Hat Box, the Gourmand Gift Box and, for someone really special, the Ultimate Christmas Hamper, the contents of which read like a roll call of every Christmas treat imaginable.

Pamper that special someone with a hamper this year and let us help you get your vintage Christmas gifts all wrapped up and safely delivered.

How many times have your dinner parties at home ended with everyone having a wonderful time except you? Far from relaxing, you can sometimes feel like you actually never stop working the whole night. Or how often have you arranged a romantic night in to celebrate a special occasion only to find that you have spent more time beavering away in the kitchen than being with the one you love?

To pull off an effortless gourmet dinner party, you are going to need some help and we have a perfect selection of epicurean ready-prepared meals, sumptuous sides and starters, luxury cheeseboard favourites, decadent desserts and the finest British sparkling wine to help wow your guests.

Whether you are looking for an inspirational starter from our wide selection of gourmet dinner party food and drinks or for luxury complete menu deals covering an entire three-course meal for two or more – and a classy bottle of wine or speciality chocolates included free to boot – you can have your dinner party food delivered and save yourself the sweat. So now you can get out there and enjoy yourself!

To start, we suggest something simple but heavenly like our very own potted lobster served on toast with a salad garnish. Or, to really get the party started in a traditional way, how about buckwheat blinis topped with the finest smoked Scottish salmon, capers and crème fraîche. It would be unforgivable not to be offering something sparkling to help wash these down – may we suggest a bottle of Nyetimber Classic Cuvee? The complex flavours of honey, lemon and almonds have delighted wine connoisseurs all over the world.

For mains you may wish to choose to delight with delicately cooked new season grouse, accompanied by velvety mash flecked with black truffle. We can also deliver boneless quail with pistachio and foie gras stuffing, a gourmet fish pie or a truly impressive three bird roast, with layers of goose, chicken and pheasant lined with pork and orange stuffing.

Chocoholics will be melting in your hand should you serve up either the velvety smooth Chocolate & Salted Caramel Parfait or the divine Mazarin aux Noix Gateau to finish with. Turophiles – that’s cheese lovers to you and me – among your guests will be chomping at the bit to cut open our speciality cheese selection to round off their meal.

Of course, there is some work that a dinner party guest must face: choosing a dinner party gift to bring to the table. Traditionally, chocolates are favoured, and you can have artisanal chocolates from top UK chocolatiers delivered from our online store. However, those looking for more inspired gift ideas could do worse than order our dainty Petits Fours to really show their appreciation.

Tempting truffles, refreshing pâtes de fruits, creamy fudge, macaroons and many other mouth-watering morsels make the ideal accompaniment to an after dinner coffee.

And so to bed with hardly a hair ruffled. It’s alright: your secret is safe with us.

We’ve all heard our Mothers say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. With this in mind, for this year’s Fathers Day we’ve put together some delicious food hamper baskets that will delight even the most discerning dad out there. If you’re looking for unusual Fathers Day present ideas, here’s a few to feast your eyes on – and for dad to feast himself on come June 17^th.

Luxury Salmon Carving Set

There is nothing dads like more than carving the food at the family table. This unforgettable Fathers Day gift combines a whole side of the London Cure Smoked Salmon with all the necessary accoutrements to serve it: a Sepelle hardwood board, pin boning pliers, and the same engraved Granton smoked salmon knife with rosewood handle that has been used by the head of the Forman family for four generations now.

Father’s Feast Hamper

Of all the unique Fathers Day gifts we have, this is the Big Daddy of them all. This is everything that dad’s love in one delightful pamper hamper. Your dad can start with Smoked Wild Salmon Pate and the finest Peter’s Yard Crispbreads before indulging himself in a truly delectable Pork Pie. Later you can enjoy watching him snack on some incredibly moreish Pork Crackling or treating himself to some Tipsy Garden Fruitcake with a slice of Lincolnshire Poacher Cheese. To round his feast day off, he may go for a Meantime London Lager, the delights of a Kernel Export Porter Beer, or be swung by the charms of a realistic-looking luxury chocolate golf ball. A feast fit for a king, specially prepared for your father.

A Breakfast in Bed Hamper

We have luxury food hampers for special picnics, naughty-but-nice afternoon teas, or cheese boards made in heaven. However you wish to treat your dad this year, there are luxury food hampers that will provide you with plenty of Fathers Day gift ideas.

Perhaps, though, the gift of a lie-in with some nibbles and treats to decadently dip into is what most dads secretly crave – but rarely get. So here is a Breakfast in Bed hamper that will give him what he really wants. This feast of epicurean delights will get his day started with a mouth-watering treat of smoked salmon, Peter’s Yard Crispbreads and some deliciously fruity jam, which can all be washed down with some of the finest British English sparkling wine and Paddy & Scott’s coffee, roasted and ground in deepest Suffolk for a full, intense flavour.

Pamper Papa

Whether you wish to pamper papa with a hamper supper, luxury chocolate, fine malt whiskey or breakfast in bed this Fathers Day, you can order all our hampers online and place a true smile of delight on his face. As we all know, the way to dad’s heart is through his stomach!

At Forman & Field we love a good party – and what better reason to celebrate than the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee?

Millions of people across the UK are expected to take part in street parties throughout the extended bank holiday, with Sunday 3 June predicted to be the most popular party day.

To mark 60 years of the Queen’s reign, we’ve created the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Hamper. This veritable royal feast brings together a hand-picked selection of epicurean delights, such as Palace Earl Grey Tea, Royal Fillet of London Cure Smoked Salmon, a sensational sparkling wine from Sussex and a homemade Victoria Sandwich cake. Victoria sponge originally became popular during Queen Victoria’s reign, and has since become an important part of the UK’s culinary culture.

Forman & Field are widely acknowledged as the country’s leading supplier of fine food for private events. We recently catered for the Ascot polo tournament and Her Majesty said our gluten-free Luxury Chocolate Brownies were the best she’d ever had!

This year’s Jubilee celebrations are expected to be a highlight of the UK’s festive calendar, with the government pushing for a nationwide blow out. Last month, the Local Government Association announced that it had received more than 3,500 road closure applications for street parties. It also said many local authorities were offering cash grants, waiving road closures fees and handing out party packs.

Royal street party planners say that preparation is the most essential aspect of a successful party. This means organising tables, chairs, bunting and volunteers. Most importantly it means organising the food. We’re dab hands at luxurious party food; whether it’s London Cure Smoked Salmon or luxury chocolate nibbles, we have all the best street party ideas and we are more than happy to advise on any aspect of Jubilee food.

Advisers from the Women’s Institute recommend cold finger food for street parties, which can be left out for people to enjoy throughout the day. Some of our favourite finger foods include Mrs King’s pork pies, Michael Nadell’s macaroons in red, white and blue, our prime steak Cornish pasties or some of our delectable savoury tartlets.

For an interesting twist on street party food try our Union Jack cupcakes in jars. Presented in a Union Jack box, these patriotic little treats will delight children and adults alike. If any remain uneaten, the jar’s tight seal means they can be kept for the next party.  For the traditionalists, try our jubilee teacake in rule Britannia packaging.

For drinks, such a quintessentially British summer party certainly needs tea – but not just any tea. Try our Palace Earl Grey Tea for a refreshing midday brew. For those in need of a caffeine hit we supply Paddy & Scott’s coffee, which is roasted in the beautiful village of Earl Soham in Suffolk.

For a more intimate celebration, consider our complete Jubilee menus, including 3 courses, wine and a box of Paul Wayne Gregory tea infused chocolates.

However you celebrate, be sure to raise a glass to our Monarch. Some of our most suitable alcoholic beverages include Nyetimber Classic Cuvee, which frequently beats Champagnes in blind tastings. Alternatively, toast with Chapel Down Brut sparkling wine or rosé.

With Forman & Field you can get a variety of top-notch foods for your Diamond Jubilee street party –

enjoy the day with food fit for the Queen.

Like everyone else we know, we love cupcakes. They’re a treat for the eyes as well as the tummy – and, above all, they’re really cute.

We’re always on the lookout for new foodie treats to offer our customers and with our new cupcakes in jars we think we can start a movement of jar people. If cupcakes are like sweet little babies, cupcakes in jars are like sweet little babies in prams with the rain cover on to keep them safe and snug.

The beauty of a cake in a jar lies in its presentation, long life, novelty value and portability. A modern twist on the age-old tradition of preserving food in jars, our delightful individual jar cakes can be used as wedding favours, Easter gifts, corporate gifts, birthday treats or as a present for any occasion, no matter how near or far away your loved one may be.

Cakes when stored in jars can stay fresh for as long as six months – although it’s rare indeed that these tempting morsels are left on the shelf for that long! Perfectly preserved, the cakes stay fantastically fresh and marvellously moist, and their protective glass shell means they travel extremely well so are ideal for picnic hampers or as gift ideas for posting to families and friends who live further afield.

If you don’t fancy seeking out a moist cupcake recipe yourself, you can buy handmade gifts of prettily presented cupcakes in jars from Forman & Field. The cupcake recipes on offer include the decadent Chocolate Nutter, the intensely zesty Lemon Passion, the dignified elegance of Simply Vanilla and the classic Victoria Sponge.

If it’s an Easter gift you’re looking for, then forget the chocolate this year and try something different – Easter cupcakes in jars that are cuter than a bunny in a tutu and ballet shoes. If you’re hosting a street party for the UK Diamond Jubilee celebrations, how about trying out our patriotic cupcake ideas? Emblazoned with red, white and blue Union Jacks, these individual cupcakes will liven up any flagging celebration.

The possibilities of cakes in jars are endless and limited only by your imagination. If you fancy having a go, why not try baking some moist cupcakes and icing them with loving messages? Individual cupcake wedding cakes allow guests to take a little reminder home with them of your special day – and the cake travels so much better than when wrapped in a serviette!

Cake jar gifts don’t even have to be baked. A ‘cookie mix in a jar’ allows the recipient to enjoy not only the taste of your favourite recipe, but also the aromas of freshly baked cookie dough in their own home.

A cake in a jar helps you to preserve the moment and give a gift that stays as fresh as the moment it emerged from the heat of the oven. With no additives and recyclable packaging, what could make a more modern, or cuter, food gift?