Chocolate Craft Club
An emphasis on reusable products, eco-friendly packaging and all things healthy is what Chocolate Craft Factory is offering in their Diwali hampers this year. If you are trying to reduce plastic in your day-to-day life, you will be delighted to see the options available. Select from the popular chocolate cracker box, prettily packed in metal tin, and metal jar holders containing an assortment of millet cookies and dry fruits set in wooden trays. The hampers are high on design: the wooden trays have been also turned into a four-wheeled cart carrying glass jars of goodies. “This season, granola cones have become a preferred choice over chocolates because they are seen as being healthier,” says N B Devi, proprietor of Chocolate Craft Club. She adds, “These are a combination of dry fruits, oats, nuts and berries and also come in a sugar-free variety for diabetics.” The club also offers a ‘Gift a Plant’ option with about 10 varieties of plants like jade, snake plant and tulsi in pretty planters. “Flavoured seeds are another very popular choice this season. We give five assorted seeds options like pumpkin, cucumber, watermelon which are caramelised with organic raw sugar or palm jagerry,” adds Devi.
(To contact them, 9100190303/ 8500594931).
The Confection Connexion
With just a few days to go for Diwali, Vineesha Hemrajani is rolling up her sleeves to whip up an array of edible goodies. From budget-friendly to luxury hampers, she has a range of options on offer. While her home-based enterprise is less than a year old, her experience as a baker is evident in the chocolate fudge brownies, cookies and muffins she is creating for this hamper. There are also mixed fruit and nut chocolate barks, as well as tea loafs in different flavours tucked into these hampers, which come in attractive bamboo baskets or jute potlis. Vineesha only caters for people looking for eggless baked goods. “I will be taking the orders till October 22, since I don’t do in bulk and customise the hampers according to the customer’s preferences,” she says. Check out her Instagram handle @Theconfectionconnexion for a sneak peek into the bamboo baskets loaded with her baked goodies and a Diwali deepam, the brownies and chocolate coated nuts tucked into a jute potli or the chocolate granola and fudge brownies wrapped in a shimmering net.
(To place orders, 8897879600)
Preetilicious
Preeti Kaushik has introduced home-made sherbat, squashes and syrups for the festive season. The sherbats come in more than 25 flavours including classics like lemon, orange and rose to more unusal flavours such as raw mango, masala and butter scotch. These go best when served with chilled soda or soaked into ice gola. While baking remains her first love, Preeti says, these are a rage among the Diwali hampers this year. “I do not use any preservatives in the making of the sherbats. So the shelf life is about two to three months. I am already working to meet an order of 20 bottles now as these take some time to be made,” says Preeti, who calls her venture Preetilicious. For those who prefer to avoid plastic, she packs the colourful sherbats in glass bottles.
(For orders, 9490075606)
A Dark Love
Bhavika Nahata’s gift box for Diwali consists of a granola jar, nutella cake jar, butterscotch caramel jar, five brownies, a bunch of gooey cookies and fudge, all tucked into a wooden box and wrapped with a ribbon. A passionate baker, Bhavika offers quite a few options so clients can customise hampers. This includes triple chocolate pound cake, flavoured almonds in jar, cream and cookie inclusion bars as well as brookies (brownies and cookies combined). One of her fast selling hampers is a cute little velvet box with two inclusion bars (chocolate bar with different flavours like cream and cookies, milk chocolate with hazlenut, dark chocolate and cranberry, paan and gulkand) and almond and pistachio biscotti. In case you are looking for more pocket-friendly options, Bhavika has a box of her three best-selling nutella and triple chocolate brownies as well. This one costs ₹ 200 as against the others that are priced above ₹ 400.
(For orders, 8099950926)
Baked Moments
Mehek Idnani’s Diwali hamper is a mix of chocolate, chikkis, dry fruits and homemade dry fruit desserts. Check out her many option on her Facebook page Baked Moments. One of her specialities is baklava which is a rich, sweet dessert pastry made of many layers of dry fruit filling. Her hamper consists of dry fruit brittle and an indulgent motichoor rabdi parfait which is a fusion dessert jar with layers of motichoor and rabdi. The peanut and jaggery brittle is a nourishing dessert that can be customised in the Diwali hampers.
(For orders, 8978889800)
