Baskets of great abundance

CHOOSING A GIFT for colleagues, business associates and even members of the family is no easy task, which may be why so many of us are turning to our best-loved retailers to come up with an assortment of goodies guaranteed to please. 

As ever at this time of year, hotel bakeries and food markets are brimming with baskets stuffed to the gills with the very best of gourmet delights. We empty a few to examine what’s inside.

 

Tea for two

Popular purveyor of tea, Twinings of London, offers a Grand Gesture set and a Small Gesture set, both packed in sumptuous cases. 

The Grand set, priced at Bt3,500, contains a teapot and teacups plus strainer and timer and a choice of three teas. Set A has Gunpowder Green Tea, Vintage Darjeeling and Ceylon Orange Pekoe while Set B has Lady Grey, Irish Breakfast and Jasmine Green Tea.

The Small Set (Bt2,200) has a tin of Signature Earl Grey with tea strainer and tea timer. The products are available at Twinings Tea Boutique in CentralWorld and leading supermarkets as well as online at www.TwiningsMoment.com.

 

Global feasts

Gourmet Market and Home Fresh Mart at The Mall, Emporium, Paragon and Terminal 21 offers hampers on eight different themes, making it easy to find one (or more) to please,

The Award-Winning Gourmet for instance is packed with premium goodies from around the world. Rise & Shine is a breakfast hamper packed with quality tea, coffee, a French Press, pancake mix, marmalade, honey, maple syrup, cereal and more.

La Dolce Vita is designed for those who love cooking with fresh pasta, truffle oil, balsamic vinegar, anchovy-wrapped capers and carciofini. The hamper is also specially furnished with a pasta server, pasta measurer, wooden slotted spoon and a spatula.

Merry Gets Healthy offers healthful delicacies as crackers, granola bars, dried fruits and vegetables, raisins, apple cider and mineral water. 

The promotion runs through January 15. Call (02) 310 2181.

 

All that glitters

Gaysorn mall moves away from food and instead offers 10 customised gift sets for men and women. Starting at Bt50,000 and available through Dcember 25, you can choose between 100 luxurious fashion products and jewellery from such world-class brands as Ferragamo, Fratelli Rossetti, Hugo Boss, Emilio Pucci, Montblanc, Tumi, Rimowa, Leica, Judith Leibar and MaxMara. The Hour Glass, Ulysse Nardin and Hublot also present an exclusive selection of elegant timepieces. Find out more at (02) 656 1177.

 

Eat and chill

Drop into FlourWorx at the Grand Millennium Sukhumvit which is offering Premium Millennium and Gourmet Festive Hampers at Bt3,200 and Bt2,700. Make your order at (02) 204 4152.

The hotel’s Antidote Spa also has two luxurious spa hampers packed with therapeutic delights from Harnn. The Bt3,000 “Oriental Blossom Hamper” set features white jasmine-rice soap, natural body lotion and natural cleansing gel extracted from jasmine, with a spa voucher for a 90-minute Antidote Reviver Experience treatment. “Heavenly Bliss Hamper” (Bt5,000) meanwhile has revitalising shampoo, conditioner and skin lotion with two spa vouchers for the same treatment. Call (02) 204 4144. 

 

5. Sweet treats

Dusit Gourmet at the Dusit Thani Bangkok offers custom-made happiness with sweet delights from Bt120 and the hampers in three sizes priced from Bt3,000 to Bt8,500. Citibnck card holders can enjoy a complimentary Marzipan Christmas Stollen when purchasing a hamper for Bt3,000 or more. The hampers are available through January 15. Call (02) 200 9000 extension 2577.

 

6. Stollen takes the cake

The pastry chefs at the Shangri-La Hotel pack their Christmas Treasure Hamper for Bt1,700 with cookies, a giant chocolate bar, panettone, a gingerbread tile and chocolate coated nuts. The Christmas Classic Hamper (Bt4,880) also has a teddy bear, chocolate slates, pralines, TWG festive tea, a marzipan stollen and fruit cake. 

Traditional Christmas treats are available as single items and include fruit cakes, marzipan stollens, chocolate coated nuts, chocolate truffles, fudge, pralines and macaroons. The goodies are also on sale at the hotel and Siam Paragon through January 9.

Call (02) 236 7777 extension 6205-6, e-mail [email protected]. 

 

7. Penned for memory

The Mandarin Oriental hotel has a range of hampers, all named after famous authors who have stayed at the hotel. 

The Joseph Conrad, Noel Coward and Somerset Maugham cost from Bt2,250 to Bt8,5555 and include English fruit cake, orange tea cake, cherry & pistachio cake, caramel nougat and fig cake, lemon cake, traditional Yule Log, coffee Yule Log, pecan tart, Linzer Torte and traditional mincemeat pie, Stollen, Christmas pudding, panettone, ginger bread, crunch chocolate caviar, Christmas cookies. 

They’re available at the hotel and outlets at Siam Paragon, Central Chidlom and The Emporium. A hamper delivery service is available on request. 

Call (02) 659 9000 or e-mail: [email protected].

 

8. The bear truth

Last but certainly not least are four luxurious hampers from the Landmark Hotel stuffed with mouth-watering selection of festive gourmet treats, luxury champagne and even a cuddly Landmark teddy bear priced from Bt3,200 to Bt10,000. You can also mix and match your own goodies, choosing from a selection of mince pies, panattone, fruit cake, chocolates, home-made marmalade and much more. 

Find out more buy calling (02) 254 0404 extension 7777.