Looking for inspiration on what to buy the family which has everything... well, how about a hamper?

There are plenty to chose from - full of tasty treats for the festive season.

The simple way is to buy a ready-packed one – you can even get it delivered to the recipient’s home in most cases. But for a more personal touch, make one up yourself using favourite products or picking a theme.

For those who like it hot, you could include spices and sauces, chilli chocolate and a curry cookbook.

Or pick a country – perhaps one they have visited on holiday – and use that as a theme.

And you don’t have to use a traditional wicker hamper to pack it all in. Use a wok for Asian products or a pasta pan for Italian goodies.

Young (hard-up) adults will often be grateful for a practical present too.

One of my children was delighted to receive a going-back-to-university hamper from an aunty one Christmas. Not least because it included a bottle of vodka along with store-cupboard staples like rice, pasta, tinned tomatoes and tuna.

Making it yourself can also have the added advantage of being cheaper than the pre-packed hamper, so you can pack even more goodies in for the same price.

Few will be able to afford Harrods’ £20,000 Decadence Hamper or even Aldi supermarket’s version which substituted similar products but still came in at £500 but it shows what savings can be made.

We took Waitrose’s Temptation Hamper at £75 and matched similar products from Aldi, which has a branch in Botley Road, Oxford. The items aren’t exactly the same and the Aldi name doesn’t carry the same cachet as Waitrose but the saving was quite substantial.

Admittedly there was no wicker hamper but a roll of gold wrapping paper (five metres, £1.69, included in hamper total price) spruced up a cardboard box to pack the products in. Total price – £23.28.