Gourmet gifts: ready-packaged and with contents meant to be used

Gourmet gifts are food and drink items that already come in suitable packaging – as a gift box, gift set, or sampler pack. What's inside is meant to be eaten, drunk, and cooked with, rather than gathering dust on a shelf. In this category, we have collected all the sets from our range, from a small "thank you" in the form of chocolate to a tasting box with 24 miniature bottles.

Gift box, gift set, sampler set: what's inside?

A gift box wraps one or more products in a presentation box, such as gin from Cologne or four tins of sardines from Portugal. A gift set combines different varieties from one producer, for example, balsamic vinegar, vinaigrette, and two oils or four dipping vinegars. A sampler set or tasting box contains small quantities of 10 to 60 ml per variety, so you can compare before deciding on a full-sized bottle. The spirits sets from the Feinbrennerei Sasse and the Deutsche Spirituosen Manufaktur include a tasting card, booklet, or journal with descriptions of the individual varieties.

Most sets in this category come in their own packaging – carton, box, or wooden crate – so you hardly need to wrap anything at all. For a small gesture, a chocolate greeting bar or a pack of cocoa confectionery is enough.

Gifts for the kitchen

Our top seller is the ketchup variety mix from Ketchup zum heiligen Stein in Lich near Giessen: one 75 g jar each of mild, spicy, and hot in a gift box, handmade with tomato paste from Northern Italy. Also very popular is the vinegar & oil gourmet set from Lang Weinessig in the Southern Palatinate, featuring Balsamico Südpfalz, vinaigrette, walnut oil, and mountain pepper oil in four 50 ml bottles. Lang also provides the dipping vinegar gift set and a vinaigrette set with four varieties.

Anyone wanting to try out different vinegars and oils will find the organic vinegar tasting set from ezzich in Middle Franconia, which contains six naturally fermented vinegars in a wooden crate. The Ölmühle Solling from Boffzen packs five organic spice oils, kernel and nut oils, or vinegars (20 ml each) into a sampler pack.

For fans of tinned fish, the sardine gift box from NURI in Matosinhos near Porto is available with four varieties ranging from mild to spicy. José Gourmet fills four illustrated tins each with sardines and mackerel or fish pâté. Things get sweet with the greeting bars from Berger Confiserie, such as the organic whole milk chocolate "Thank You" and the cocoa confectionery from Goufrais in a shimmering gold box.

Gifts with gin, vermouth, rum, corn brandy, and liqueur

We only sell alcoholic gift sets containing spirits and liqueurs to people aged 18 and over; the vermouth sampler set is for ages 16 and up. Gin de Cologne packages its London Dry Gin and the Rosé with berries (both 42% vol) in presentation boxes featuring a Cologne motif, available individually or as a double gift box. From Helmut Wermut in Hamburg comes the 3-piece mini sampler box with white, rosé, and red (50 ml each, 17–18% vol), as well as a rum sampler set.

For a tasting evening with friends, the DSM tasting box from the Deutsche Spirituosen Manufaktur in Berlin is ideal, containing 24 miniature bottles of 10 ml each, ranging from spirits and gin to liqueur (20 to 47% vol). The Feinbrennerei Sasse from Schöppingen in the Münsterland offers three barrel-aged grain brandies in the "Lagerkorn" tasting box, plus two liqueur sets with a booklet. The "Good Times" gift box comes from STILVOL.

Alcohol-free gifts

There is a large selection for those who do not drink alcohol: The Ölmühle Solling packs five organic vinegars (20 ml each) in the "Saure Renner" vinegar sampler pack, Lang Weinessig offers gift sets of vinaigrettes and dipping vinegars, and the José Gourmet 4-piece gift set brings four Portuguese tinned fish products in one box. These go perfectly with ketchup, cocoa confectionery, and chocolate – gifts for guests of all ages.

Which gift for whom?

• For barbecue fans: Ketchup sets in three heat levels or with truffle and smoke flavors, plus dipping vinegars.
• For salad and cooking enthusiasts: Vinegar and oil sampler packs, the tasting set in a wooden crate, or the vinaigrette set.
• For Portugal lovers: Sardines and fish pâté in illustrated tins, served with fresh white bread and lemon.
• For gin and spirits fans: Gin de Cologne in a gift box or a tasting box for comparison.
• As a small thank you: A greeting bar saying "Thank You" or "Happy Birthday," or Goufrais confectionery to have with coffee.

Tips for giving gifts

Vinegar, oil, ketchup, and tinned fish have a long shelf life, making them ideal if you are buying gifts early. Store chocolate and confectionery in a cool, dry place until the celebration. You can also combine several small sets to create a larger gift yourself, for example, a sardine box with a vinegar tasting set. You can find individual favorite products in our categories Vinegar & Oil, Tinned Fish, Gin, and Chocolate.

Ordering gifts online

Whether it's a birthday, a dinner invitation, or a thank you for the neighbors: at Leni & Hans, you can order gourmet gifts online, and your package will be with you in 1–3 days.