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It’s the Season of Gifting!

December 23, 2021

Check out Christmas hampers by The Sugar Sifter by Bhavana Maliakkal

It is that time of the year again when Christmas cheer is in the air. Cakes, goodies and gifts are a part of the season but if you are not into baking, take heart, for these passionate home bakers are ready with exciting gift hampers that are hard to resist! Ritz catches up with some of the top home bakers from Kochi who are all geared up for Christmas with their beautiful hampers.

Text: Riya Sonny Datson

The Sugar Sifter By Bhavana Maliakkal

For Bhavana, baking has always been a passion right from her school days. After college, though she started working, she also began her entrepreneurial venture named The Sugar Sifter. Initially she could strike a fine balance between the two but as she started to get more orders, things became hectic and she had to make a choice between her full time job and chasing her passion; she chose the latter. But no regrets there she says, for she is one of the most sought after bakers in Kochi today and sugar crafted cakes are her forte! She has been doing hampers for the last six years and here is what she has in store for Christmas this year.

What are the special goodies in your hampers this season?

We have two hampers this year along with bundt cakes in four different flavours. The first hamper called the holiday treat box has plum cake, brownies and an assortment of cookies which are a staple in my hamper but the cookies come in a different assortment every year. The hamper also has Almond and Pistachio white chocolate biscotti, Hazelnut Mocha millionaire bars, nutty corner bars, cashew shortbread bars, box of patterned brownies, Santa lunch box cake and French macarons. This hamper is not customisable and comes with a ceramic souvenir or keepsake along with an acrylic tag that can be used as a Christmas ornament later. The second hamper called The Winter Bloom hamper comes with a winter bloom arrangement and can be customised with the choice of lunchbox cake or patterned brownie box or the rich fruit cake. I have collaborated with a company called Glasshouse Co for this hamper as winter blooms are not very common here and I wanted to offer a unique gift hamper this year.

Can the hampers be customised or are readymade boxes available to choose from?

No ready made hampers are available and all hampers have to be pre-booked. Delivery will be between December 22nd to 24th.

What do you think is a ‘must have’ in your gift box this year?

Plum cakes! As this is the only time of the year when you have these cakes!

The most sought after product in your gift box?

Lunch box cakes have been in demand for a while now but I personally prefer the Millionaire shortbread bars.

The Theme you have chosen this year?

This year I stayed away from the regular red and green hues and chose to go with White as my theme. My first hamper is packaged in a white acrylic box with a white and black ribbon and a small bunch of Christmas foliage. The second hamper that has the winter bloom comes in a white box with a touch of black and gold.

The one thing you enjoy most about the season would be:

I absolutely enjoy the whole process of planning, sourcing and curating these hampers and I do hampers only for Christmas. When I see the final product all packaged and ready to be delivered, it gives me a lot of satisfaction.

A new trend that you noticed this year when it comes to gifting?

DIY gingerbread house kits are something new I came across this year. The package has gingerbread cookies, icing and sprinkles. Customers can decorate their own gingerbread house using these kits.

What do you think makes your gift boxes different from the rest of your peers?

While most hampers focus on the product or the taste, I feel while the taste is important, packaging makes a lot of difference. I personally am someone who looks at the packaging of every gift and so I pay a lot of attention to my product and the packaging. I have even used imported packaging material in the hamper.