BEHIND THE CRAFT
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East India Madder Red

It started with the ‘Piece Trade’ - the Company’s trade in a variety of textiles from India – calicoes, ginghams, muslins, chintzes to name only a few. Factories in Surat made cloth of a quality good enough to be traded back home.

Chintzes became important furnishing fabrics, as they retained their strong colours, and became in vogue for rooms with an Indian theme, the English being fascinated by tales of the exotic, and this was a small, ownable piece.

They especially liked a vibrant red dye, known as “East India Madder.” From the root of the madder plant, cloth dyed with madder dates back 1000s of years - it has been found in the tomb of Tutankhamun and the ruins of Pompei.

Today The East India Company madder red colour is still integral to our brand and our luxury gift boxes match the original colour.

FGHG20273

The Taster Explorer Gourmet Food Hamper, Luxury Gift Box

Our favourite flavours and ingredients from around the world, packed with pioneering heritage, inspired by century-old cargoes of tea, coffee, sugar, chocolate, salt and spices aboard our ships - a luxury hamper gift to remember.

The East India Company - Lifestyle

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£110.00
Heritage in a Hamper' for a gift to remember.

In this packed large madder red gift box, we've popped in two of our best teas - a Royal Breakfast Gift Caddy and a carton of Staunton Earl Grey pyramid tea bags. Enjoy over breakfast with a Fine Cut Seville Orange Marmalade.

Classic Tiger of Mysore coffee beans are complemented by our buttery Caramel and Sea Salt Biscuits.

Whole strawberries enrobed in white chocolate and our Glorious Selection of Luxury Chocolates, add some extra indulgence.

Finally, spiced condiments Strawberry & Pepper Jam and Chilli Jelly chutney, firm favourites of the officers of The East India Company during their time in India.
A gift is all the more appreciated by the recipient if it feels personal - we truly live in the age of personalisation.

We want you to know that your gift is the most important gift to us. Every single one of our gift boxes is meticulously prepared by our team at our London Flagship store, led by Manoj.

If you would a special gift message, just add it in the space at the Checkout, we will include it in the parcel.

If your Gift Box is almost perfect... except for a specific item - contact us, we'll happily change it for something of equal or close to the value.
If the delivery is required at a certain time, contact us, we will do our best to organise with our delivery partners.

If you are in London, come and see us, and create something unique to you from whole range, with our Bespoke service, or use our online Hamper builder.

In a nutshell, if you have a special request that will make your gift to a friend, colleague or loved one even more special, please contact our team to help [see contact us in the Footer].
Please see the component carousel, and click on the product to see ingredients, allergens and nutritional information.

Stories

The Story of Hampers

There is an undeniable frisson of excitement when opening a hamper, exploring the depths, and unearthing exciting foods that wouldn’t normally be on the shopping list.

Hamper gifting not surprisingly, has a long tradition.

The word ‘hamper’ is derived from a French word ‘hanapier’, meaning something that holds a cup or cups - ‘hanap’ itself being an old Germanic word for a drinking vessel.

It is believed that William the Conqueror brought the tradition to England from France in the 11th Century, wicker hampers full of food and clothing being given to the poor. Centuries later, it was wealthy Victorians who popularised the gifting of hampers, either for friends or for members of their household staff, particularly at Christmas.
The Victorians built railways, so hamper gifting grew across the country as speed of delivery meant foodstuffs arrived in perfect condition – the Amazon Prime of the day.

Simultaneously in America, gift baskets [a hamper is a laundry basket in the US] were delivered from East to West. Later, boxes of home comforts were sent by loving families to the front line and hospitals in WW1, making life just a little less unbearable.

Today, hampers take many forms, whether wicker, wooden or card, and might contain artisan or exotic foods, fine wines and small household items. It is a thoughtful gift, the giver mindful of what the lucky recipient likes, but always with a little something extra to surprise.

Our spirit delivers no ordinary products

  • FAQ

    Are you able to send hampers overseas?
    Yes, we can deliver to most countries, please see our Delivery page. However, we are NOT able to deliver any alcoholic items internationally at this time. We apologise for this, but it is out of our control.

    If I chose a hamper and want to replace an item with another, is it possible?
    Yes it is possible, we understand the need to personalise a gift and make it perfect for the recipient. But first - have a look to see if there is another curated hamper that fully meets your needs. If not, add the hamper to basket and when you reach the Checkout, please put a clear note in the Special Instructions box with your requirements. Please do ensure that the requested replacement is of equal value or less, otherwise we will be unable to complete the order without contacting you to arrange for further payment. Finally, we do offer a fully bespoke hamper service, where you can create your own hamper from scratch, choosing a small, medium or large red box or wicker basket, and then the components. Click here to see more.

  • Delivery & Returns

    UK Standard Delivery: £3.95
    UK Next Day Delivery (mainland UK only): £9.95 (Order before 12pm)
    International Delivery is available, please see our delivery page for details. For more information and Terms & Conditions, please see our Delivery page.

  • Reviews

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