A Welcome Hamper - the best way to welcome your guests

A genuine Northern Ireland welcome afforded by a hand-picked selection of locally sourced foods is sure to impress your guests and deliver a memorable food experience.  Consider providing a hamper of foods that is just enough to give your visitors a light meal or first morning breakfast.  This is a Unique Selling Point, so remember to tell your visitors - on your website, through social media and other promotional channels.            

When putting together a welcome hamper, keep the following tips in mind:

• Get inspired by the ‘locals’ – Eating the local food gives visitors the sense that they are truly in a different culture. Local food tells a story of Northern Ireland’s culture, heritage, people and landscape, which is positive, unique and genuine.  Try to fill your hamper with foods your guests will only get in Northern Ireland, so local or homemade produce such as fresh breads - soda, wheaten, or potato, locally churned butter, artisan cheeses, jams, chutneys, artisan apple juice or craft beers/ciders.  The produce in your hamper might be their first taste of Northern Ireland, let’s impress them!
• Celebrate the story of the producer and awake the giant spirit in your visitors– Use local produce and tell your visitor about it; who grew it, reared it or baked it! With our wealth of natural food resources and our strong agricultural traditions set amongst breath-taking landscapes, there’s bound to be a story behind the ingredients.  You might wish to leave a welcome note for your guests highlighting the local producers you have used, for example:

“We have arranged a small welcome hamper bursting with hand-picked local delicacies from a selection of local producers.

• Suki Tea – Suki Tea is a Belfast Boutique Loose Leaf Tea Blender which was established in 2005 and has become a strong contender in the UK’s Loose Leaf tea market.
• Root and Branch Coffee – Root and Branch Coffee was established in 2016 in a humble Belfast back street. They have since progressed on to opening two new cafes and developed an Irish Kitchen, celebrating the best of seasonal local produce.
• Clandeboye Estate Yoghurt – NI’s only locally made cow’s milk yoghurt made with milk from Lady Dufferin’s award-winning pedigree Holstein and Jersey herd.
• Tamnagh Foods Granola – Tamnagh Foods was established in June 2010 and has been awarded both Gold and Silver at the Irish Food Awards in 2014.
• Erin Grove Preserves – Preserves, Chutneys and Marmalades made the traditional way in Fermanagh, just fruit and sugar!
• Abernethy Butter – Creamy, slightly salty Abernethy Butter is made by hand using traditional methods in the Dromara Hills, NI’s only company making butter in this way.
• Traditional Soda and Potato bread – sourced from our local bakery
• Clements Free Range eggs – Clements Free Range eggs come a family run farm which was established in 1974.

We hope it will be appreciated.”

• Awakening your guests taste buds - Celebrate Our Food Traditions and Traditional Recipes – Be proud of our food culture and traditional foods, research indicates visitors prefer fresh, seasonal locally sourced produce on menus and are interested in where the food on their plate comes from. Northern Ireland’s bakery tradition is a pure delight for most visitors. In contrast to the rest of the British Isles, where local bakeries have all but disappeared, most towns and villages in Northern Ireland still have bustling businesses, which are often in their second or third generation.  Traditional butcher shops are also numerous in Northern Ireland, and many of our butchers work closely with local farmers, if not their own family farms, buying whole carcasses and dry-aging the meat themselves. For guests who wish to try their skills at cooking or baking some traditional Northern Irish recipes, consider printing some recipe cards and leave them with the welcome hamper. 
• Consider costs - Its good practice to try and factor in the price of a welcome hamper when working out your rental rates. To go that extra mile and provide that little bit of luxury, items such as chilled craft beers, locally produced ciders, or even a selection of locally produced cheese, crackers and chutney from your local delicatessen would make their stay that little bit more memorable. If your guest isn’t charged any extra for it, they will see it as being an added bonus and complimentary. However, if you’d prefer, you could charge a fee for the welcome hamper.  In this case, do make it clear in your advert/website and specify the cost up front.  Also, bear in mind if you wish to include alcoholic beverages, you will need a liquor license to charge for your hamper, if it’s a complimentary extra then you won’t.
• Tailor made hampers – You may want to tailor make your welcome hampers to suit the time of day your guests are arriving. Night time guests might appreciate something they can make quickly for supper ie. Local fresh bread to toast with a nice cup of suki tea/hot chocolate or even a bottle of something chilled for their arrival. Evening arrivals may also appreciate their first morning breakfast already organised for them ie. The contents of a full Ulster Fry with some fresh local apple juice. While lunchtime arrivals may prefer some cured meats from your local deli with fresh baked bread from the local baker.

• Dog Friendly – We all know how dog owners love their dogs so if you are going to market your accommodation as dog friendly it would be a good idea to provide treats for your canine guests – as we all know a dog is part of the family!

• Tee Time- If your accommodation is popular with Golfers, consider implementing a hamper of goodies suitable for the caddy! A Bushmills Whiskey miniature with a bag of Tayto crisps could be the perfect afternoon pairing!

• Be inspired by your guests – You may want to vary what you put in your hamper depending on the type of guests you accommodate and time of the year they are visiting. Collating the details of your guests when booking would help you plan and prepare for their arrival.

To ensure your guests have a no hassle relaxing stay, and to help and support your local traders it would be useful to make a list of your local shops ie. Bakery, butchers, deli, greengrocers and a local convenience store along with their addresses and telephone numbers.

Other top tips that may make your accommodation stand out include:

• A handwritten postcard welcoming your guest and wishing them an enjoyable stay.
• To help aid a good night’s sleep provide earplugs and eye masks where there is urban noise.
• From your correspondence with guests, you may know they are celebrating something special. You could leave a card, flowers or a bottle of wine.
• Face masks and antibacterial hand gel (within the current climate)

We believe a local food hamper will enhance the perceived value and quality of the visitor’s experience.  An enthusiastic visitor who appreciates the effort you’ve put into a welcome hamper will spread the news and drive repeat business.