Amarula is on the hunt for some great gift pack inspiration and have asked us greedy bloggers to come up with some good ideas. Their theme is “packaged Amarula”. How it should be delivered, to who, why, with what extras, etc. So I’ve been racking my brain and this is what I’ve come up with so far in response to their a,b & c queries:
a) INSPIRATION:
A thank you is usually my first motivation for giving a gift. Compulsory gifts like for weddings or birthdays kind of annoy me because I often feel obligated. And, in my books, giving should always be a joy not an obligation. I like gifts where you WANT to make the other person feel appreciated.
The first year I was in boarding school (I was 12)
my Mother had a cake and box of chocolates delivered to me on a Saturday morning. From there on every year I receive a cake and, funnily enough, it was always a surprise. When I started working flowers would arrive at my office for me. There really isn’t anything else that makes you feel more special than knowing that you’ve been remembered and appreciated when you least expect it.
b) WHO WOULD I GIVE A GIFT OF AMARULA TO AND WHY?
I’d give a gift of Amarula to my dear friend “Panda” who is the most generous, selfless person I know. She deserves gifts all year round because she’s always helping others. Plus, she’s an amazing pastry chef so I know if I did give her Amarula then she could turn it into an Amarula panacotta – which would make me very happy! 😉
c) HOW WOULD I DELIVER IT:
I’d love to deliver the Amarula with all the ingredients required to make an Amarula panacotta inspired by Panda. If the recipe was simple and delicious then lots of girls (and boys) all over South Africa could give it a go too! Panacotta = dessert = dinner party = night of fun!
Naturally, I would include 6 square glasses so that we could taste the goods (on the rocks) as we bake and then use the rest to set the dinner table. I love square glasses because they’re a weird shape which means one would really savour the Amarula experience and not just “down” the fruity goodness!
P.S Everytime I take a sip of someone’s drink I always say, “I just have to check they’re not trying to poison the King or Queen.” So a few glasses would be mandatory 😉
WHO WOULD RECEIVE THE PRIZE:
Panda, naturally. Because she’s the inspiration and a deserved gift receiver.
d) THE HAMPER
I had to Google whether it was even possible to make an Amarula Panacotta and when I did, an ENTIRE Amarula recipe book came up for free download! I don’t know if this is a sign that my idea is boring or a great sign because of the co-incidence! Either way, it’s a delicious plan and the very last recipe was Panacotta, YES! So if Amarula is endorsing this recipe then I know it should work.
Therefore, my hamper would include 2 branded glasses, a simple recipe, elephant face shaped ramekins plus the ingredients:
- 1½ litres cream
- 500 ml Amarula
- 12 leaves gelatine
- 2 vanilla bean pods
- 50 g castor sugar
When you turn the panacotta out they would look like the elephant faces on the bottles of Amarula. It would be a signature to confirm that you’re eating Amarula panacotta. I know they say you shouldn’t play with your food but come on, this is an Amarula competition! We have to get a little cheesy, or should I say, fruity?! Of course you could use regular ramekins at home or maybe a tusk shaped ramekin would be more elegant design than a face staring back at you? You pick 🙂
P.S I couldn’t find an elephant face nor tusk shaped panacotta pic on Google so at least it’s a first!!!
http://youtu.be/c-nSBPuRbsg
