‘They really feel like a special gift from all of us’
Creating unique homemade gifts from foraged ingredients is not only an inexpensive Christmas solution, it’s sentimental, too. Our friends and family love the care and attention that goes into making our foraged hampers. They also love that Xanthe and Athene join in, so it really feels like a special gift from all of us.
Many of the ingredients we use for our recipes can be found on any regular street – whether you live in a city centre, suburb or the middle of the countryside. People are brought up to be cautious of plants, particularly things like mushrooms and berries, where poisonous varieties can have disastrous effects. But the reality is many are harmless, and even have medicinal properties – you just need to do some research. By learning about a couple of plants near your home, or even growing herbs, such as mint or thyme, in a window box or garden, anyone can make their own festive hamper.
If you’re new to making your own foraged gifts, blackberry jam and infused gins are a good place to start. Sloe berries can be found in November, and sloe gin is a great gift that will lead to a very merry Christmas!