B.I.G, Ben's Independent Grocers, Valentine's Hampers, Publika, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Valentine's Hampers, B.I.G, Ben's Independent Grocers, Publika,

Mix Your Own Gourmet Gift Hampers at B.I.G

Gift Hampers, B.I.G, Ben’s Independent Grocer

Ever looked at those attractive gift hampers in shop windows
and thought that if you could just substitute a few items with something else
it would make a perfect present? Well, with B.I.G, Ben’s Independent Grocer,
there is no need to compromise. You can design your own gourmet gifts from
scratch – a chocolaty indulgence for the cacao lover, a basket of organic fresh
produce for the environmentalist, or a caffeine packed bundle for the coffee
addict. You have an entire grocery store of gastronomic goodies from which to
choose.

I never know what to get hubby for Valentine’s Day. He’s a
gadget freak and I have no (zero, nada, zilch) knowledge about the ins and outs
of any device that might be of interest to him. My eyes go blank and my head
starts to spin at the alien language of bytes and RAMs and ROMs. There’s no way
I’m even nearing that danger zone.

He also claims to be a fashion guru (this is the man that
used to run an aesthetic centre serving a number of Miss Venezuelas, but also
thinks it’s okay to wear black socks and shoes with shorts). I’m just not going
there either…

So what else is there? Food. Drinks. Yes! In recent years
he’s changed from a coffee buff to a tea freak. So a tea theme it is. B.I.G has
what seems like a warehouse full to select from, but this is a special gift, so
I’m zooming in on the deluxe items.

Keep Calm and Carry On Tea Kit (RM43.90) is a pretty pink (Valentine theme
right) tin containing black leaf tea bags and a packet of shortbread biscuits.
Looks good! He can use the tin to store one of his gadgets, or fashion
accessories when done. 😉

Keep Calm and Carry On Tea Kit

Provence d’Antan Tea (RM91) is my attempt to get hubby to
buy a bit more ethically. The tea is organically grown and the company has an
excellent program supporting their local community by training and hiring over
50 handicapped people. Yes, it would be better if the product was organic,
socially responsible and local, but
it seems it’s hard to find all three.

BIG, Ben's independent grocers, valentine's gift, hampers

Provence d’Antan Tea

Ideal for Malaysian weather, T2 Iced Triple Treat (RM92.90)
is a fetching pack of three fruity tisanes made for pouring over ice.
Strawberries and Cream, Southern Sunrise and, Spring flavours are accompanied
by a mesh infuser so he can get steeping instantly.

BIG, ben's independent grocers, publika, gift

T2 Iced Triple Treat

Hubby is also a bit of a sweet tooth. He loves to try any
new liquid, especially if it looks fancy and is saccharine in nature. Elixia,
The Gold Lemonade (RM48), is intriguing with edible gold flakes of 24 carats
floating inside the bottle. I’m not sure if he will be drinking this one or
straining the precious metal. Either way, it will be fun to watch his reaction.
It’s goes in the hamper too.

bens independent grocer, valentine's gift

Elixia, The Gold Lemonade

Stonewall Dark Chocolate Toffee Sauce (RM20.90) looks rich and
decadent. I imagine it slightly heated and poured over creamy vanilla ice cream
or plump red strawberries. Yum.

Stonewall Dark Chocolate Toffee Sauce

Lastly, a few bars of Marou Faiseurs de Chocolat (RM8.90 per
24g – okay, I had to sneak something in there for me!), make the mix. Varying
in percentage from 70 – 80%, I was drawn by the ingredients (or lack of a huge
number of them) on the packaging – no artificial colours, flavours,
preservatives, numbers or unrecognizable creations from the lab – just cocoa
butter and sugar. This one’s for me.