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SCMP Reporter

CHRISTMAS hampers this year will add as much as ever to the waistline, but might be gentler on the budget than in previous years.

 More than 30 hampers are available from leading hotels and delicatessens, at prices matching - or beating - last year's.

 'The economic situation is not conducive to high prices,' Grand Stanford Harbour View executive chef Jean-Yves Moreau said.

 Last year, the hotel charged from $1,298 to $3,480 for its hampers. This year, nothing costs more than $1,000.

 Many other hotels, including the Grand Hyatt, the Kowloon Shangri-La and the Peninsula, have kept prices at 1997 levels.

 Cutting prices on the hampers meant leaving out some of the more expensive champagnes and wines, Mr Moreau said.

 'We had very expensive wines and cognac last year. The biggest part of the price is always the wine,' he said.

 Other hotels have followed suit, with Spanish Cava and Beaujolais wines now more common than the Veuve Clicquot and Chateau Lafite-Rothschild.

 All expect most demand to be for lower-priced rather than deluxe hampers this year, and to meet that demand many offer smaller, cheaper hampers.

 'We'll sell more of the cheaper versions this year,' said Christophe Sadones, food-and-beverage manager at the Grand Hyatt.

 The hotel had put emphasis on finding products that would last beyond the Christmas season, he said, including specially hand-painted jars for the chocolate truffles and confiture .

 '[The hampers] have been designed differently. Everything can be kept,' he said.

 The cheapest hamper Family Money found was Island Shangri-La's $280 version for children, containing gingerbread and chocolate Santas, almond candies, a Christmas tree filled with candies, cookies, walnuts in honey, and a teddy bear.

 The Mandarin Oriental also produces a children's hamper, at $528, packed with candies and chocolate.

 For adults, the Grand Stanford has a Santa Claus Hamper at $588 filled with plenty of edible treats and a bottle of Chardonnay.

 Marks & Spencer's Treasure Chest Hamper, at $880, includes among its goodies three bottles of wine, Christmas cake and Christmas pudding.

 Hampers for less than $1,000 also are available from Kowloon Shangri-La, the Island Shangri-La, the Peninsula, the Grand Hyatt and the Ritz-Carlton.

 Prices range up to $5,888 for the Ritz-Carlton Deluxe Gourmet Hamper.

 Not a hamper to be carried about lightly, it includes a bottle of cognac, champagne, caviar, smoked salmon and a wealth of chocolates, puddings, shortbread, tea and other treats.

 Some hotels are producing specialty hampers, including an airmail hamper from the Grand Stanford, a champagne and caviar hamper from Mandarin Oriental and the Marks & Spencer Celebration Hamper, containing a bottle of champagne and 11 bottles of red and white wine from around the world.

 Most of this year's hampers will appeal to those with a sweet tooth but might leave expatriates yearning for the more perishable trappings of a Western-style Christmas - such as turkey and cured ham, port and foie gras , and Stilton cheese and crackers - a little unsatisfied.

 Asian-style hampers also are rare, although the Grand Hyatt said it was preparing to introduce one next Christmas that might include such local delicacies as abalone, Macanese ham and Chinese petit fours. Part of the problem was a lack of knowledge about how to store such foods as pates, cheeses and sliced meats.

 The Grand Stanford, which included many such treats in previous years, said many recipients of the hampers had treated them like groceries and left them in the office unrefrigerated. 'We've gone away from perishables because of that and decided to move more into dry things,' Mr Moreau said.

 For the health-conscious or the vegetarian, the hotels offer little choice.

 However, specialist health-food shop Health Gate has a number of new treats in stock, including bear-shaped cherry bars ($12 a bag), ginger almonds, maple pecans, organic pretzels and plenty of pre-prepared meals for Christmas dinner.

Spanish Cava and Beaujolais wines now more common than Veuve Clicquot and Chateau Lafite-Rothschild Helen Johnstone 



Hampers go short on champers as hotels adjust to leaner times