Real Ale And Cheese Hamper From Hampers.com Review
DISCLOSURE – THIS ITEM WAS GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW. ALL THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS ARE THE REVIEWER’S OWN.
Reviewed by Andrew Stafford and Rebecca Stafford
The Hamper arrived in a sturdy carboard box with good packing to ensure the items didn’t shift around and get damaged in transit. It was well presented in a woven bamboo basket packed with decorative straw and wrapped in a pretty tissue paper.
The Hamper comprises of a trio of Loose Cannon ales. The Ales are from their local Brewery in Abingdon on Thames. Loose Cannon brought back brewing in the historic town of Abingdon back in 2010 and since then have been growing their range of Ales. First in the trio is their original brew called Abingdon Bridge. On pouring ‘Abingdon Bridge’ it is a rich Amber colour with a nice malty aroma. Sitting somewhere between a British Pale Ale and Bitter it has a nice smooth feel to drink and in my opinion is better at room temperature rather than the suggested chilled. Second, we have Abingdon’s ‘Gunners Gold’. This medium strength golden Ale was crisp and slightly malty with a light peachy aroma, it was best served mildly chilled to appreciate the hoppiness and citrus under tones in its flavour. Lastly, we have Abingdon’s ‘Bombshell’, this blonde Ale felt lighter than the other two. It was clean and crisp to drink with a good balance of sweetness and bitter. It had again a citrus aroma and I found this the easiest of the three to drink.
The Ales were paired with a great arrange of ‘Beer Snacks’. Firstly, we had The Mouse House Cheese Companies Finest Vintage English Cheddar which came in a great looking little truckle. This Cheese was absolutely delicious. I love cheese and this one did not disappoint, it had the zingy crunch that you expect from a vintage cheddar, yet at the same time it was smooth and creamy on the pallet. The cheese was lovely to eat by itself but equally delightful paired with the Millers Elements Ale crackers that also came in the hamper. The box to the crackers although simple looked like they were good quality, on opening they came in a small tray which made it easy to access without spilling all over the table. The crackers have a good bite to them and were made with hops, roasted barley, malt and English Ale. They had a nice flavour that complemented the cheese well. Next, we had The Fine Cheese Co Pickled Onions. These came in a good-sized jar, the pickled Onions themselves were larger than average and were made specifically for paring with cheese. They were strong and tangy with a little added spice. They were maybe a little to spicy for me, but my husband loved them. Rather than a chutney that you would normally expect with a hamper this came with Tracklements British Beer mustard. This is a whole grain mustard that was sweet and tangy. And although I didn’t know what to expect it actually went really well with the cheese, crackers and Ale. I have since used some of the remained in a stew and it added such a nice flavour. Last in the ‘Beer Snacks’ was Cambrook Extraordinary nuts. You get 45gs of Sweet Chilli Peanuts and Cashews. These nuts were very moreish with a spicy tang that really rounded off this hamper well.
Over all I would give this hamper a 4 out of 5. It was well presented and thoughtfully put together with complementing items and flavours, however with a recommended retail price of £45 it is on the more expensive side. For those looking for a gift for an Ale lover this would make a really thoughtful gift and I’m sure it would be very gratefully received.
https://www.hampers.com/real-ale-and-cheese-hamper
Real Ale and Cheese Hamper from Hampers.com
RRP: £45
Rating: 4/5