Very easy goats cheese and sundried tomato toastie

Butter two pieces of bread. Crumble goats cheese onto a non-buttered side, add pieces of sundried tomato. Sandwich together with buttered sides facing outward. Fry on medium heat pan until cheese is melted. Very yummy with wild rocket.

Lune Valley Hampers was established seven years ago by Anne and Sally Burrow, a mother and daughter partnership, with a passion for local food and farming.

To find a unique formula for our niche business we took inspiration from the River Lune, from the source of the river in the fells of Cumbria, to its final destination in the vales of Lancashire. We aim for all of our hamper products to be made in, or at the very least, inspired by the counties of Cumbria and Lancashire.

“We had great fun at first finding products, we visited Farmer’s Markets and the regional food festivals, chatting with producers, building relationships and mostly importantly tasting the food!” says Anne.

At first Lune Valley Hampers concentrated on the online sale of goods, wanting to bring our regions’ specialist foods to a wider audience but we soon found a market for corporate hampers with some of our larger regional companies. We have supplied a Premier Football Club, numerous boutique hotels in the Lake District and an international drinks company, all based in the North West.

Our online sales have grown year on year, we have local customers and also what we call Ex-Pats; people who were born in the region but have moved to pastures new within the UK. Many family members buy a hamper for the Ex-Pats and lots of the personal messages include ‘here’s a taste from home!’

Lune Valley Hampers stock some of our regions famous brands such as Cartmel Village Sticky Toffee Pudding and Butler’s Blackstick Blue Cheese but you will also find smaller unique producers such as Wild and Fruitful Preserves from Wigton and Lancashire Sauce from Entwistle's of Ramsbottom.

Many of our suppliers have grown with us, we’ve become friends and they are very loyal to us. Last year many worked through the night to fulfil some of our large orders, whilst remaining true to who they are and keeping their unique identity and products. Each year we learn more of what our customers want, sample lots of new products and offer only the best to you. We are always looking the next, exciting, big or small producer or product!

Lune Valley Hampers’ future is exciting too, we’re expanding our premises by extending and renovating a barn at the farm, increasing storage, distribution and allowing us an established office. We are looking to expand from the predominantly Christmas seasonal business into the all year round gift market.

“We are looking forward to the expansion of the business, not only gaining new online customers but being more interactive with them, building a recipe page sharing our producers ideas and a few of our own, starting a blog and increasing our presence through social media and publications”, says Sally.  Please visit www.lunevalleyhampers.com

http://www.localfoodadvisor.com/Seasonal-Xmas-Hampers.html

Christmas Hampers

In the minds of some consumers and holiday shoppers, gifts such as M&S Christmas Hampers may seem a little bit commercial and artificial. After all, the idea of picking out a pre-made basket of gifts online or in a department store does appear to be a bit less personal than going out and finding specific gifts for your friends and family. However, in reality there is such a large selection of Christmas hampers available for the holiday season that you actually have just as many choices to make picking out these pre-made baskets as any other gift.

Given the wide range of different types of Christmas hampers available, you should be able to find a gift that suits just about anyone whom you will want to give a present to this coming holiday season. For example, some Christmas hampers revolve largely around alcoholic beverages, and include a range of nice beers or wines, or even, in some cases, spirits. Other baskets may be more centred on different foods, such as crackers and cheeses, or sweet treats like cookies or toffees. Whatever your needs be, and whatever the preferences of the people for whom you are buying a gift, you are bound to find something appropriate and appealing.

Another appealing aspect of many Christmas hampers available these days is that there is an effort being made by many providers to utilize local recipes and ingredients. This not only benefits local economies in areas in which Christmas hampers are made and sold, but also produces a more specialized and, in many people’s opinions, a more appealing selection of foods or drinks. In fact, you can even check with the store and inquire about the ingredients in your Christmas hamper, so as to find out if they are local, fresh, organic, etc. Ultimately, all of your preferences can and should be met.

The fact is, while a lot of people look at these sorts of gifts as simple items offered in stores, there is often much more to them. Think of them instead as offerings of fine foods and drinks, much like you might find at your favourite local market, or at a highly rated restaurant. With the kind of quality you can find in many Christmas hampers these days, they actually make fantastic gifts for just about anybody. This is definitely something to keep in mind when you do your holiday shopping this coming season.

The Cooks Christmas Hamper, Lune Valley Hampers: £32

This great themed hamper makes a lovely gift for the budding chef, or indeed any Christmas kitchen. It packs in flavours far greater than its size or price and does a worthy job celebrating local Cumbrian and Lancashire produce. Contents include goose fat for perfect roast potatoes, Lune Valley honey for roast parsnips, redcurrant and port jelly for braising red cabbage and dried, fresh herbs and come gift wrapped in a wicker tray.