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Mother’s Day 2016: 12 best hampers

From tasty treats to gear for gardeners, give your mum a special box of goodies this 6 March

Tuesday 23 February 2016 16:02 GMT

This year, retailers have pulled out all the stops to ensure there’s a hamper to make every kind of mum feel suitably spoiled. Whether she’s a foodie or a gardener, a cheese or a wine lover, our round-up will find you something your mother will love.

1. Bettys Mother’s Day Gift Basket: £55, Bettys

Rare is the mum who doesn’t enjoy a cuppa, particularly when there’s cake, biscuits or chocolate to go with it. This hamper includes all three – fruit cake, Champagne truffles and shortbread – from this famously good tea rooms and craft bakery in Harrogate, which come with quality tea and coffee.

2. St Eval Candle Company Woodland Hamper: £37, Not OnThe High Street

Hampers don’t have to contain consumables, as this one testifies. One of many offered by this company that specialises in handmade candles with a long burn time, this one contains four pretty blue and white pots with a woodland theme, along with extra tea lights – all with a gorgeous scent (there are four to choose from).

3. Forman & Field Breakfast in Bed: £44.95, Forman and Field

This means your mum can enjoy her hamper without even having to get out of bed. Including melt-in-the-mouth smoked salmon and crispbreads (which go a treat with scrambled eggs if you’re there to make some), there’s also a lovely bottle of bubbly, coffee and conserve.

4. Harrods The Pamper Hamper: £150, Harrods

Nights in don’t get better than this, with gorgeous, high quality scented candles in earthenware holders, from the luxury French brand Ladurée, best known for its Parisian tea rooms. You also get Harrods own chocolate selections, chocolate bars and fine champagne. And in case you’re worried about there being nothing to show for it afterwards, there’s a Ladurée Address Book too.

5. Olives et Al Night In: £25, Olives Et Al

If your mum is an olive lover, this will make her happy. She’ll get a range of delicious, award-winning olives and tasty snacks – along with some cocktail sticks to save hands from getting greasy and a keepsake ramekin.

6. Marks & Spencer Rosé Wine and Rose Hamper: £32, Marks and Spencer

Can’t work out whether your mum will prefer flowers or a hamper? No need to make the decision, or indeed fork out for both, with this hamper that contains an attractive pink magnolia rose plant, bottle of rosé wine and tube of yummy chocolates.

7. Fortnum & Mason Very Important Parent Hamper: £125, Fortum & Mason

This posh Piccadilly based brand has come up with two Mother’s Day-themed offerings for this year, our favourite of which is this one, which contains top-notch bubbly that you can personalise with a message for your mum, along with chocolates and bath treats for a true dose of pampering. The whole lot comes in one of Fortnum’s hampers that she can keep.

8. Garden Gear Vegetable Gardeners Gift Hamper: £62.50, Not On The High Street

Here’s another non-edible hamper, this one is a winner for gardening enthusiasts who appreciate good quality tools and accessories. Containing everything she’ll need for growing veg – including a large wooden seed tray, seeds themselves, dibber, trowel, harvesting knife, storage sack, pots, twine, labels and more - it comes beautifully gift wrapped in garden-themed ribbon.

9. Godminster Cheeselover’s Gift Box: £47, Goldminster

If your mum is partial to a spot of cheese, you can’t go wrong with this comprehensive offering of delicious English cheeses. The star of the show is the vintage organic cheddar, although the smoked version is also good, while the organic brie with black pepper (or you can choose the plain one) is a reminder of just how good British bries can be. There’s some award-winning, chunky rosemary water biscuits thrown in and a bottle of red wine chosen by renowned wine merchant Yapps to wash it down with.

10. Hotel Chocolat Home Baking Hamper: £65, Hotel Chocolat

Hotel Chocolat do the more predictable (and also lovely) ready-to-eat chocolate hampers, but we’re particularly taken with this innovative starter-pack and cookbook combo that has cocoa-inspired recipes such as warm, pulled pork pie and rich choc au vin, along with the basics you need to get started. Yum.

11. Carluccio’s Mother’s Day Selection Hamper: £30, Carluccio's

Most mums’ eyes light up at the thought of top-notch Italian fodder and this comprehensive hamper includes a range of goodies that will make it easy for her to enjoy them at home. Includes a jar of rich tomato, chilli and basil sauce to pair with the light egg pasta – a dish that the Sicilian white wine goes a treat with and which she can follow with crunchy apricot biscotti and one of the luxurious Gianduitti hazelnut chocolates.

12. Selfridges Pamper Gift Box: £95, Selfridges

All too often, the contents of hampers lurk at the back of cupboards, unused. We doubt that will be the case here. The elegant Henri Giraud Espirit Rosé NV Champagne is some of the best fizz we’ve tasted, while the British artisan salted caramel chocolates are among the best chocolates around. And candles don’t get better than Neom's organics range.

Verdict

The most decadent and comprehensive hamper in our round-up – and consequently the one with the biggest wow factor – is Harrods’ The Pamper Hamper. For a hamper with a more modest price tag, we think Carluccio’s Mother’s Day Selection Hamper makes a fantastic gift.