Following feedback from our customers, we’ve launched a new range of hampers to cater for recipients with special dietary requirements.

In response to customer requests for hampers and gifts which are suitable for diabetics, coeliacs, vegans and vegetarians, we’ve been hard at work to create a range of hampers and gifts which are not only suitable for these groups, but are tasty and attractive too, to dispel the myth that food for those with restricted diets is bland and unimaginative.

Our Product Development Manager, Samantha Sandison says, “Conditions like diabetes, coeliac disease and lifestyle choices such as vegan and vegetarianism have recently become much more widely recognised. As a result, our customers are actively looking for hampers and gifts which include suitable products. The food industry is now producing alternative foods which are of a much higher standard than we might have seen just a few years ago.

“That’s really important for us, as we’re always trying to include the best products that we can find in our hampers, so now that the gluten-free, diabetic and vegan products taste just good as the equivalents we can feel confident in creating our own ‘free from’ gifts which are just as good as the rest of our range of hampers and gifts.

You can see the new range of speciality diet hampers here: http://www.virginiahayward.com/product/speciality-diet-hampers/

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We’ve all spent time wondering just how long it takes Santa to do his rounds on Christmas Eve, but as at Virginia Hayward we’re always thinking about food, we started to wonder about the impact that it might have on Santa’s waistline and came up with this neat graphical representation of Santa’s calorie intake each year.

Maybe next Christmas you’ll leave him a diet coke and a stick of celery!

See our Santa infographic here: http://www.virginiahayward.com/santa-weight-gain

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Giving a gift for Mother’s Day should be the simplest thing in the world. Whilst we can’t promise that it is the simplest thing in the world, we certainly do all that we can to make sure that it seems that way. Beginning with our great range of Mother’s Day Hampers and Gifts, it couldn’t be easier to select something which you know that Mum will love; you can browse the range in its entirety, or sort the selection according to your preference. Simply enter the address, your gift message and we’ll do the rest, making sure that your gift and best wishes are delivered safely and on time.

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Scarcely have hints stopped being dropped about what your loved one wants for Christmas before well thumbed catalogues are left lying around, forced open on the jewellery pages, or casual mention is made of the opportunity to go out for dinner in February… That’s right, there’s no chance to miss Valentine’s Day, so to make the present buying part as easy as possible, we’ve come up with a whole host of delicious gifts which are guaranteed to be well received:

• Celebration Fizz – a solid white chocolate heart and a bottle of bubbles, presented in a bright red gift box. It’s not subtle, but who ever found that subtlety works on Valentine’s Day?!
  http://www.virginiahayward.com/item/celebration-fizz-694/
• Champagne and Chocolate Covered Strawberries – Champagne is always a winner and although these aren’t fresh strawberries, they’re expertly smothered in creamy white chocolate by our friends at Chocca Mocca, so I’d argue that they’re a fraction better than plain old fresh strawberries!
  http://www.virginiahayward.com/item/champagne-and-chocolate-covered-strawberries-693/
• Champagne and Teddy – A cute and cuddly Teddy wearing a heart shaped jumper, travelling with his own bottle of Champagne. What’s not to like?
  http://www.virginiahayward.com/item/champagne-and-teddy-690/

We’ll add your heartfelt message to the gift and make sure that it’s delivered on time, on Tuesday 14th of February.

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Encouraged by the success of sister site YourHamper.com, we’ve expanded our range of personalised hampers and gifts to include 4 new hampers and gifts, each of which can be individually personalised with your special message.

Simply enter your gift message as normal when prompted during the checkout and we’ll print that message directly onto the box lid for our white gift boxes or wooden hampers boxes, or we’ll create an individual leather tag for the hampers.

There’s a personalised gift to suit every budget, from the Personalised Wine Duo at £32.50, through to the Personalised Christmas Gift Box at £85. You can see the full range here: Personalised Christmas Hampers, or feel free to browse our range of Christmas hampers.

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We’re getting out of the office and taking our sister site, www.yourhamper.com on the road, exhibiting at the country’s largest food show. Drop in and see us at the NEC in Hall 6, stand J50 where you can meet the team, see how we put together our fantastic, unique gifts and take a tour of the website. If you’re very lucky indeed, we may treat you to some of the delicious products that we fill our hampers with!

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2011 has been a year of enthusiastic fundraising here at Virginia Hayward. As part of Macmillan’s centenary fundraising efforts, we were invited to be 1 of 100 businesses in Dorset who would attempt to raise £1,000 before the end of the year. We accepted the challenge with relish and this year has seen staff pulling out all the stops with Car Boot sales, a sponsored swim, a Quiz Night and much more.

Our most ambitious venture saw a group of 10 staff take to the hills for a 28 mile walk from the Atlantic to the English Channel across Cornwall, following the Saint’s Way from Padstow to Fowey, which raised £3,500 alone.

We were delighted to present a cheque for £7,009 to Chrissie Wathen-Neal, Fundraising Manager at Macmillan Cancer Support, who also took the time to come in and speak to us about the valuable role that Macmillan play in the care of people living with cancer.

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At Virginia Hayward, it’s rare that a day will go by with no mention of Christmas, so although the sun is probably shining and it’s still nice and warm outside, Christmas is only 120 or so days away. We’ve been working hard this summer to make our gifts for this Christmas better than ever, so I’m pleased to announce that we have now launched our range of Christmas Hampers and gifts for 2011. We have gift trays, smaller gifts and wine gifts available from £16.50, through to our largest luxury hamper at £550. In response to demand we’ve expanded our range of personalised hampers and gifts and are looking forward to printing individual gift messages directly onto box lids or hamper tags. You can see the full range of hampers here.

Our popular range of sweet hampers continue to sell well and will also be available for sale this Christmas. We’ve added ‘Best of British Sweets’, a charming Union Jack tin full of classic sweets. Also on the sweet theme, we’ve developed a new version of last year’s hugely popular Chocolate Box.

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Summer might be making a feeble effort so far this June; it’s another drizzly grey day in Dorset, but that hasn’t put a dampener on things at Virginia Hayward where we’re busy doing our best to bring a ray of sunshine with our bright, colourful and tasty summer gifts.

Come rain or shine, barbecue enthusiasts will be found charring their food in campsites, on the beaches or anywhere else that the urge takes them, so why not get them burning things in style with our tough little barbecue bucket.

Or if your recipient prefers to be less involved with their food, but still appreciates al fresco dining, then the Afternoon Tea Gift might be just the thing for them, filled with delicious treats. Enjoyed best on a summer afternoon!

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If you haven’t yet found the ideal gift for Father’s Day, then don’t panic! There’s still plenty of time for you to choose a fantastic gift from Virginia Hayward. Despite the best efforts of the weather over the weekend to persuade us otherwise, summer is now here, so why not treat Dad to a barbecue bucket full of nibbles and condiments to complement an impromptu barbecue at the beach, in the park or anywhere else that takes your fancy!

We have more traditional hampers to choose from too, so you’re sure to find a gift which will suit every taste and budget.

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