DTL Christmas Hamper

[stace]

I am going out today to see if i can find some bottles for doing this!

I really dont know where to start

Any Ideas???

stace

[chickenchaser]

I found this company on Johns' site for glass jars www.jbconline.co.uk.

I might start preserving next year.

[p.penn]

I was given a fantastic hamper last year with, amongst other things, homemade truffles and peppermint creams and cranberry and white choc flapjacks!

YUM!

[Babycakes]

I have various bottles and kilner-style jars from :- recycling lemonade bottles (the old-fashioned type with a similar stopper to a kilner jar mechanism, iyswim) which meant I had to drink lots of lovely old-fashioned pink lemonade..poor me!! Jars mostly from car boot sale, never paid more than £1 each, one or two for a similar price in charity shops - am lucky that there are quite a few good charity shops in my general area. Couple of bottles from ikea, £1.50 each, very like the lemonade bottles. All sterilised with milton tablets or liquid before use.

[chickenchaser]

That's a good idea Babycakes, I'll start scouring the charity shops. I won't have anything to preserve until next year so hopefully I'll have loads by then

[bluebell]

This is where I order my glass bottles and jars from:

http://www.bottlesandjars.co.uk/

I do go mad on making jams, chutneys and pickles

[nossys]

I did Cranberry gin last year

Pricked the cranberrys, added the gin and a couple of slices of orange peel.

Shook them gently every week. Left it till Christmas, it tasted a bit like the orange Cointreau liquor. It goes a lovely redish colour.

Very potant.

[nossys]

Sorry forgot you need to put sugar in as well.

[kate egg]

Sounds yummy - what sort of quantities?

[Badger_Lady]

I love making chocolates!

Truffles are easy and popular... liqueurs are much more tricky with a high failure rate - oh dear, all those poor little broken cherry liqueurs that have to be eaten Do you think this one will break if I poke it?

I've got myself a really nice mould from eBay, which is about 3 inches high and shaped like a Rose. My plan is to make rose "lollies" with white truffle mix at the top, and a little red food colouring to make it pink. Wrapped up in sellophane, and bunched together with a ribbon.

[Babycakes]

MMmmm, sounds lovely!! I woinder how many will fail quality control and never leave the kitchen......I dont think any would get past me and Grace LoL

[nossys]

Just been searching for the quantites for the cranberry gin as i have lost the recipie found this sounds interesting:


Christmas pudding vodka
INGREDIENTS:
1-litre bottle vodka
1 tbsp dark muscovado sugar
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 cinnamon sticks
1 star anise
50g raisins
50g almonds, roughly chopped
peel from one large orange, scrubbed
peel from one large lemon, scrubbed
8 cloves

PREPARATION:

1. Combine all the ingredients in a suitably large bottle or containers. Ensure all containers are sterilised by running through a dishwasher cycle or washing thoroughly then warming in a low oven.

2. Shake or turn the containers once a week for about two months.


3. About two weeks before drinking, strain through a fine sieve and/or coffee filter paper.


4. Once the two weeks are up, decant to pretty bottles and either offer them as Christmas gifts or keep them all to yourself.

I might have a go at this one as well this year.

[jo68]

hi


oooooooo that souds nice


jo x

[Badger_Lady]

I've just mixed my Christmas Vodka! I've done three 500ml bottles - two with Smirnoff red label, and one with Blavod (black vodka). I happened to have it in my pantry

I substituted some of the raisins for dried cranberries, firstly because I had some needed using but secondly because it seemed appropriate... I also only had one cinnamon stick so I topped it off with a bit of ground cinnamon...

The mix smells devine, I just can't wait to decant them now! I've asked all my lodgers and colleagues to look out for pretty glass bottles and save them for me

ALSO - Poundland have at the moment got some nice little Stainless Steel cocktail shakers in (proper ones with an ice compartment). Goes very well as a gift package with the vodka, at only £1 a throw

THANKS FOR POSTING THE RECIPE, NOSSYS!!!

[bluebell]

Sorry, if I am going a bit off topic, haven't read this thread for a while. In answer to Jen, I went a bit mad and bought about £100 worth of glass jars, bottles and lids (that way I got free postage) I cannot remember how many jars I got in total well over 150. If you e-mail them they will send you a price list back. Afraid I don't have mine anymore. No kitchen at present to go mad.

Back on topic - I had some cheap bottles of vodka from a well know supermarket, well every little helps, and I made bottles of limoncello as gifts. Still got some in the back of a cupboard I keep meaning to drink.