A Christmas Hamper from Interflora

Ask any Brit about Interflora and you'll be hard pressed to find one who doesn't know they're a flower delivery company, that you can order online or by phone and that a bunch of flowers is a wonderful way to say 'thank you', 'sorry', 'I love you', 'good luck', 'commiserations', 'congratulations', 'get well soon'...

Infact, I've used them many times myself, most recently to send my lovely mum a big thanks for all her help with my Covent Garden Stall.

And, I'd probably have guessed, had I not known already, that I could add extras such as balloons, teddybears and chocolates to my flower order.

What I hadn't realised, until approached to try one, was that Interflora also offer a great range of hampers, including christmas hampers. I really like hampers. Oh heck, let's be honest - I love hampers. And I get quite alarmingly excited about the ones that come in proper wicker boxes. (Ask Pete, I really do get bouncy screechy excited).

And because I'm a bit batty about hampers, I love giving them to other people! Most often I assemble my own - buying nice boxes or baskets and filling them with both shop-bought and home-made goodies. Occasionally I gift someone with a shop-bought hamper. I'd like to do it more often but I have found it difficult to balance my insistence on a list of contents I like (and think my loved one will like), my desire for a nice container and my inherent stinginess that won't allow me to pay more than the contents would add up to, if I bought them all myself.

The official photo

So I was pretty impressed that the Christmas Festivities Hamper that I was sent to review comes in at only £70! It's probably best if you don't try too hard to visualise my excitement when the huge parcel arrived - it was probably a little excessive. A proper wicker hamper packed to the brim with the kind of lovely goodies that appeal to the real person (no obscure relishes or tins of posh pâté that turn out to taste just how I imagine cat food tastes). BIG GRIN!

Of course, you might say, it's easy to be excited about a hamper when you've been sent it for free! And that's certainly true. But having dived in to some of the contents already, I can say with hand on heart, that I'm genuinely impressed with the range and standard of the items included given the very reasonable price. Not all of us can afford (or want) to spend the prices that similarly sized hampers from top end stores usually cost. This is a great alternative, especially when it comes with reliable delivery from a company so many of us already know and use.

My photo - not as good at artful arranging!

If you're feeling especially flash, you can always add some christmas flowers to the order. But for those gents out there wanting to earn brownie points with their Mrs, I strongly suggest you pay a visit to a fellow blogger's site to read her very helpful and humourous exposé on the office flowers competition! Essential reading!