How we Choose the Contents of our Hampers
We have a wide selection of cheese gift hampers available [...]
We have a wide selection of cheese gift hampers available on our website, and are always adding new limited edition hampers as well as new mainstays. This gives you more options, and you can be pickier about how much you want to spend, and what you want to tuck into once it arrives.
To make our hampers as high quality as possible, we spend a lot of time deciding what goes into them.
So to celebrate the new range of summer hampers we just added, let’s talk about the process and what makes our cheese and cheese accompaniments so special.
It’s easy to split our hamper contents into two categories.
The Cheese we Include in our Hampers
First is the cheese, the main event no matter which hamper you decide to buy. Artisan cheese is what we do best, and we only use the freshest ingredients and traditional methods that unlock maximum flavour.
With so many incredible flavours, it’s hard to pick our favourite cheeses. So we always make sure that white cheese, blue cheese, and some of our bolder flavours are included as options (more about that in a moment!).
How we Choose Accompaniments for our Hampers
Then there’s the accompaniments. This is arguably tougher to get right, as we have to include things that compliment any cheese selection.
The accompaniments we include are:
In the vast majority of our cheese hampers, you’ll receive chutneys and crackers. This is because they add flavour to the experience, and give you more ways to enjoy your cheese. While it is fantastic on its own, you get the real taste sensations by combining savoury with sweet and smoothness with crunch.
Our chutneys and jams are from Fruit of the Forage, who only use locally sourced ingredients. We like them so much we even started creating our own chutneys, using the same methodology, not that long ago!
Charcuterie is included in our larger hampers, so anyone creating a diverse cheeseboard can include something for everyone. Our traditional salami and chilli chorizo are both very popular, so they’re worth considering if you have the option!
Last but certainly not least is our alcohol selection. We spend so much time considering which to include, that it deserves its own section!
How we Choose what Alcohol to Include in our Hampers
Alcohol is often an afterthought for artisan cheese makers, just something to add to a hamper to justify a higher price.
Not the case at Hartington Creamery. We choose our alcohol very carefully, and in some cases build the entire hamper around it. It isn’t just the usual wine and cheese combination either, we include:
- Red Wine
- Vintage Port
- Real Ales
- IPAs
- Fruity Cocktails (exclusive to our new summer hampers!)
After years of research, we realised that many customers were picking a hamper based on the alcohol that was included. Wine lovers chose the hampers that included wine, people who didn’t like wine looked for an alternative, and we were proud to offer something for everyone, including non-alcoholic cheese accompaniments.
Nowadays we build our hampers based on the alcohol included. Our Father’s Day hampers, for example, were more beer-focused, while our classic cheeseboard-ready hampers include port or wine options.
There really is something for everyone.
How You Choose what to Include in our Hampers
We spend a lot of time thinking about what our cheese hampers should include, but the final decision is always yours. That’s because our hampers are customisable, so you can control the contents without removing anything for good.
When you click on one of our hampers, you’ll see a list of contents as drop down menus. One more click and you’ll see all the options available. If the hamper contains wedges of cheese, as most do, you’ll have tonnes to choose from, including classics like Stilton and Cheddar as well blue cheese and some of our more experimental flavours like chocolate and chilli cheese.
This is the same for the accompaniments. If you prefer jam to chutney, you’ll find it here, with different fruit and veg contents so you can pick something that complements your cheese the best.
If alcohol is included, you’ll see a few choices here too. We only offer red wine, but you can still pick between Merlot and Shiraz. More options are available if you go down the ale route, with bitters and IPAs also available. The only one is fixed is our vintage port but take our word for it; you won’t need another!
These customisable cheese hampers mean that you can buy them again and again without it ever get samey. You can pick different cheese to suit your mood, and the best accompaniments to go with it.
The Best Approach to Creating Cheese Gift Hampers
The amount of time we spend on our hampers is reflected in the quality. No matter which you decide to order, it’ll be crafted with love and will contain only the best cheese and accompaniments.
Every hamper uses sustainable packaging, one of the many ways we reduce our carbon footprint.
We also ship our hampers fast, so the cheese is as fresh as possible. Check out our cheese storage guide if you want to make it last, and can somehow resist tucking in straight away.
In the meantime, if you have any questions about us or the contents of our hampers, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. We look forward to hearing from you!