Gourmet Articles

My husband and I exchange gifts with several of our neighbors each year for the holidays. It seems that each year it gets more difficult to think of a gift. This year we decided to give them wine and cheese gift baskets. We did not like the pre-made cheese gift baskets that are available in the kiosks in the mall so we decided to create the baskets ourselves.

The pre-made cheese gift baskets included processed cheese spreads. We were concerned about how long some of the baskets had been sitting around. We thought that if we made our own baskets the cheese would be of higher quality and we could choose varieties that we knew our friends liked.

We went to an import store and found wicker baskets to place the cheese in. The store had inexpensive cheese cutters so we purchased one to place in each of the cheese gift baskets. We then went to a local deli. This deli wraps the meat and cheeses in paper. We did not want this for the gift basket. We decided to go to the supermarket and purchase large rounds of four cheeses. We were making four cheese gift baskets so we would quarter each round and wrap the wedges in clear plastic wrap. We also purchased boxes of specialty crackers to place in the baskets. We went to a paper supply store and bought shredded paper to use in the bottom of the baskets as filler. We also bought curling ribbon to decorate the handles of the baskets.

Simply arrange the goodies attractively in the basket. Use the filler liberally in order to make the basket look full in addition to providing cushion for the bottle of wine. You can wrap the entire basket with colored cellophane wrap if desired, but it is not necessary. Tie some curling ribbon on it and it's ready to go. If you need to store this prior to giving the gift, be aware that it may be necessary to keep it refrigerated. This is the reason that the pre-made wine and cheese gift baskets use the cheese spreads.

Wine and cheese gift baskets make a lovely gift for anybody. The recipients can use them when entertaining during the holiday season or save them for their own use. You can either pick up of the ready made baskets or get creative and assemble your own. If you make your own you can pre-wrap the cheese and just assemble them right before you give the gift. This makes storage easier. Whether you buy one of the pre-made wine and cheese baskets or assemble your own, it will be a gift that is loved by the recipient.