A hamper is a great way to turn small affordable gifts into something extraordinary. Who doesn’t love opening lots of individually wrapped, personally selected items? You can buy hampers prefilled with all sorts of themed goodies, but it’s even better if you have the time to choose everything yourself.
You could go with a general hamper and fill it with small gifts you know your friends will love. It can easily be adapted to the gold theme by using gold wrapping and adding a couple of gold-themed items. This is a particularly good way of having a gift that works for both people; choose a few gifts with each in mind and then some as joint presents.
Another way to do it is to pick a specific theme that will interest them both. Here are some suggestions for hamper themes:
Gardening – This could include some potted plants, engraved tools, knee protectors, gloves, seeds, and bulbs.
Pampering and self-care – A couples pamper set with toiletries, towels, dressing gowns and of course, a bottle of fizz.
Cooking or baking – You could print and laminate a selection of recipes and fill the hamper with all the necessary ingredients. Add a couple of aprons and some oven mitts.
Film and TV – An amazon gift card to buy or rent movies, some gourmet popcorn, a bottle of champagne, a cosy blanket and a couple of scented candles.
Homemade food items – A mixture of items you can make yourself, like chocolates, sweets, cupcakes, cookies, homebrew, jam and sloe gin.
Cocktails or mocktails – A cocktail recipe book, a cocktail shaker and a range of spirits, mixers and fresh items like lemons, limes and herbs.
Wine, whisky or beer – This could include a mixture of bottles with some stylish glasses and a gift card or membership for an alcohol subscription service.
Coffee or tea – A selection of posh teas or coffees with a pair of large mugs, a sugar bowl, a teapot and several packets of cookies or other sweet snacks.
Hamper Packaging Ideas
A key part of making a hamper as a golden anniversary gift is how you present it. Here are a few packaging suggestions you might like to try.
Wicker Baskets
Wicker baskets add a touch of class to your hamper:
- These large wicker storage baskets have lots of space, have no lid and are fabric lined.
- An extra-large shopping basket is an excellent way to stack up lots of gifts as well as being easy to carry to the party.
- If you’ve packed your hamper with lots of large, heavy items, a wicker log basket is a great choice. They’re sturdy and have lots of space.
- Wicker laundry baskets are also spacious and will look great, piled up with lots of gifts wrapped in gold tissue paper.
Picnic Hampers
Picnic hampers are the classic choice for a hamper, but they’re not as common as they used to be. However, there are still some great ones out there that will be ideal for holding your golden anniversary gifts:
- This 17inch willow hamper is a great option. It comes without additional picnic equipment, so you can pack it with the gifts straight away.
- This one is simple yet stylish and comes in three sizes. It’s one of the most affordable we’ve found, so it’s ideal if you want to keep the overall cost down.
Gift Boxes
Gift boxes are usually more affordable than wicker hampers and can look just as good:
- This extra-large gift box is completely gold and has closed with a magnetic fastener.
- If you want something simple yet effective, why not try this plain wooden storage box. It will look great as it is, but if you prefer, you could also use a stencil to paint the couple’s names in gold.
- Or a large white gift box with an attractive gold ribbon.
Best Readymade Hampers
Although it can be great fun to make your own hamper, sometimes it’s just more convenient to get one that’s ready to go. These are some of the best readymade hampers we’ve found:
The cosy night in treat box – Cartwright and Butler
The cosy night in treat box is the perfect hamper for the couple who prefer staying in to going out. It comes with several hot drinks, including a classic afternoon tea and drinking chocolate. There are also various biscuits and sweet treats, including milk chocolate chunk biscuits, chocolate wafer crispies, chocolate wafer rounds, butter fudge, cranberry crumbles, and lemon & tangerine slice sweets. Buy yours here.
Luxury afternoon tea hamper – Bear in Mind
This luxury food hamper is packed with afternoon tea delights, each hand-selected by the Bear in Mind team. Inside, you’ll find tea, coffee, biscuits and more; it’s the perfect anniversary gift for the couple who are partial to the finer things in life. Buy yours here.
Luxury cream tea hamper – Clearwater Hampers
A cream tea is one of the best ways to celebrate special occasions and this is the ultimate cream tea gift hamper. It’s perfect for a couple and comes with a fantastic selection of treats, including giant fruit scones, luxury clotted cream, strawberry preserve, lemon favoured biscuits, luxury chocolates, whisky Dundee cake, clotted cream fudge and English afternoon tea. Buy yours here.
Gourmet food feast hamper – Clearwater Hampers
A fantastic selection of gourmet food and drink to truly spoil the golden couple on their special day. It’s packed with treats, including two bottles of wine, Belgian luxury chocolates, luxury caramel and chocolate popcorn, hand cooked crisps, salted caramel fudge, hand-baked lemon biscuits and much more! Buy yours here.
Retro sweets hamper – The A-Z Sweetshop
If you’re looking for a golden anniversary gift for a couple with a sweet tooth, then this retro sweet hamper is just what you’re looking for. It contains 38 old fashioned favourites, including space dust to white mice, anglo bubbly to sherbet fountains. Buy yours here.
Traditional tea & coffee time treats hamper – Hay Hampers
This tea and coffee hamper comes with Ceylon black tea, Italian ground coffee, chocolate coated finger biscuits, amaretto and Mrs Darlington strawberry jam. It’s perfect for sharing and will provide enough treats for a day or two of luxury. Buy yours here.
