Gourmet Gift of the Day Blog

My sister’s birthday is coming soon – she will be 31 on August 1st.  Since last year was a bit of a milestone birthday and I wasn’t able to celebrate with her, I sent a special gift instead.  I started by searching for a delicious cookie bouquet, but stumbled upon the chocolate covered strawberries available at Gourmet Cookie Bouquets.  Since strawberries are my sister’s favorite fruit, I knew it was fate so I ordered them to be shipped to my sister’s office via FedEx Overnight Air.  The plump, juicy strawberries were dipped in gourmet Belgian Chocolate, then fancifully decorated with birthday edibles and edible pastel confetti.  One dozen of these decadent fruits arrived packaged in a golden gift tray and were shipped with a cold pack to ensure that they arrived in perfect condition.  I paid $50 for the strawberries, which my sister said were the largest and most flavorful berries she had ever eaten, and I was pleased to see that the price has not changed in the past year.  Overnight shipping is $34.95, which can seem a bit expensive but the cost is worth it for a very special occasion!

I was skeptical when ordering these Australian Glazed Apricots, because I have ordered candied fruit in the past and it has always tasted too sweet.  However, I’m happy to report that these apricots are some of the best candied fruits I have found!  The fruit is sweet but not over-sugary, and each apricot was large and delicious (over an ounce apiece).  The treats were also very filling, so the 24 ounce gift tin lasted longer then I expected.  The silver gift tin was decorated with a bright red bow, and is currently on sale at Superior Nut Store for $32.95.

As a treat for all the mothers in our office, my boss ordered this gourmet basket in honor of Mother’s Day.  The large and beautiful basket was filled to overflowing with fresh fruit,  savory meats and cheeses and sweet treats like chocolate and toffee.  Everyone in our office found something they loved – whether it was the fresh pineapple, pepper and onion relish, deluxe mixed nuts or bing cherry chocolates – and we made sure there were no leftovers!  This basket is a great gift idea for an office of up to 15 employees, and is a great way to send something for everyone to enjoy.  The Corporate Celebration Fruit Basket sells for $200 and is shipped via 2nd Day or Overnight Air to ensure freshness.

Since I’m so sick of this cold weather, and because I’ve been suffering with a stuffy nose and congestion, I decided that a dose of Vitamin C was in order.  Rather than pick through the ho-hum fruit at the grocery store I opted for some grove-fresh citrus shipped directly to my door.  That way I am guaranteed the freshest oranges and grapefruit, and I don’t have to go out in the below zero windchill to get it!

I’m looking forward to this Fresh Citrus Selection from All About Gifts & Baskets, available for $35 plus shipping.  I will share the oranges with the rest of my family, but the grapefruit will be all for me – since it’s a favorite breakfast item.

One of my niece’s favorite treats are fresh strawberries – she could eat them by the bushel!  She is also a huge chocoholic (it runs in the family), so I thought these enormous chocolate dipped strawberries would be a perfect treat for her birthday!  She holds a special place in my heart so I wanted to find something memorable and enjoyable for her special day.  I am sending her a dozen fresh giant strawberries, dipped in chocolate (white, milk, and dark), then decorated with coconut, chopped nuts and more chocolate.  One dozen of these chocolate-covered wonders is available for $50, and must be shipped overnight ($34.95) to ensure freshness.  All About Gifts & Baskets also recommends that the strawberries be refrigerated immediately upon receipt, so don’t send them to an address where they may end up sitting outside for a while.

If you can’t excape with your sweetheart to France this Valentine’s Day, give her a gift that will transport her to the French countryside while still in the comforts of home!  The gift box contains a variety of fresh pears that are perfected paired with two varieties of award-winning Blue Cheeses.  The flavors blend together perfectly to create a romantic appetizer around the fireplace or a tasty late-night snack.  Available from The Fruit Company for $64.95.

Last year my husband and I had the chance to escape to a Bed & Breakfast for a romantic week-end.  The colonial home was beautiful, the scenery was breathtaking, and the food was top notch.  My favorite treat of the week-end was a large basket filled with fresh fruits that was set in the foyer for guests to enjoy.  I loved it so much that I had to ask the owners where it came from.  They were happy to tell me the story of how a guest turned them on to a website that offers fresh fruit baskets at very reasonable prices, and they have become regular customers.  The website specializes in fruit, but also offers teas, ciders and cheeses – both organic and non-organic.  The basket we sampled was this Fresh Fruit Frenzy Organic Gift Basket, which sells for $59.95 plus shipping.  The natural bamboo basket is filled with 5 organic oranges, 5 organic pears and 4 organic apples.

My husband and I are both from big families who love to get together around the holidays.  To ensure that there is enough food for everyone, we love the Grand Banquet basket offered by Holiday Gifts & Gift Baskets.  Containing food items from breakfast through dessert, this basket contains goodies for everyone – even those who are watching their weight over the holidays!

When I ordered this basket last year, my mom and sister were surprised at how fresh the fruit was.  I have ordered from Holiday Gifts & Gift Baskets a number of times, and have never had a bad experience with them!  Their frequent buyer club program comes in handy around the holidays as well -  I have been saving up my points throughout the year and plan on spending them one (or two) of these baskets for the long Thanksgiving week-end.  The giant market-sized basket costs $123, and contains:

• 6 Comice Pears
• 2 Bosc Pears
• 2 Fuji Apples
• 1 Granny Smith Apple
• 4 ounces Brie Cheese
• 8 ounces Premium Dry Jack Cheese
• Gourmet Olive Oil Crackers
• 9.5 ounces of Strawberry/Rhubarb Jam
• 6 ounces of Colossal Pistachios
• 6 ounces of Chocolate Covered Cherries
• 6 ounces Almond Biscotti
• 6 ounces English Toffee
• 2 ounces of Baklava

Fruit is a great summertime gift because it is both healthy and refreshing. This fruit basket from All About Gifts & Baskets contains fresh-picked organic fruits with a tropical flair. Priced at $67 plush shipping, this fruit basket arrived in a timely manner and was well packaged. Due to the perishable nature of the gift, we selected air shipping to ensure that the fruit was still fresh upon arrival.

The tropical organic fruit basket contained an exotic collection with a fresh Pineapple, two Mangoes, a Papaya, three Cabana Limes, two Lemons, three Kiwis, four Royal Navel Oranges, and a Ruby Red Grapefruit. All of the fruit was nestled on a bed shred in a handled thick rattan basket that we consider reusable and the gift was pleasing to look at. The fruit was fresh and we all enjoyed the variety and taste. The only real problem was that the ‘gift card’ was actually typed on the packaging slip on the outside of the box which made it difficult to find.