Christmas hampers started in the 1930s for the middle class and consisted of a wicker basket full of yummy things is.
Hamper essentials were Stilton cheese, ginger wine and Champagne. A famous London store has catalogued the contents of a hamper from the 1930s to now.
Selfridges was one of the first stores to sell luxury food hampers and is said to be an indicator of what is deemed to be luxury food and drink.
Hampers in the thirties would also include turtle soup, which would be served at royal banquets, figs or dates from outpost of the Empire and crystallised fruit.
A top of the range hamper would contain Perrier Jouet champagne, a bottle of port and Black and White whiskey.
The amount paid for hampers would vary from 30 shillings (£1.50) to seven guineas (£7.35) which would be the equivalent of £60 and £300 at today’s prices.
The range of hampers during the Second World War was a reduced version and was called ‘provision parcel.’ The cost was 30 shillings and it consisted of tins and bottles. The alcohol was replaced with orange squash and sandwich spread.
The 1950s hamper changed to a ‘super hamper’ and was a mix of new and traditional such as German sausages and Dutch cheeses.
By the 1960s, the contents were more exotic with pineapple slices in syrup, dessert dates, and tins of Swiss pate truffle.
The 1970s included Turkish Delight, with liqueur chocolates and iced gems.
Hampers in the 1980s reflected peoples desire to experiment with cooking such as Christmas pudding using Suffolk ale and brand names.
Modern day hampers have a wide choice and contain things like Taittinger champagne, luxury chocolates, handmade crisps and dusted almonds.
|
