Whether you celebrate Valentine's Day or not, it's always nice to get a little gift every now and then. Flowers and chocolates are the norm to receive on the day of love but recently gifting options have varied.
Hampers and experience days are now among the typical gifts, especially for sites like Moonpig. Traditionally a card retailer, Moonpig have branched out their gifting choices and for Valentine's Day they've got it all.
I got to try some of their most popular options for shoppers celebrating Valentine's Day this year. I was keen to find out whether some of their higher-end presents where worth the price tag, as well as looking at how quickly delivery times were, especially for those who have left organising the day to the last minute.
READ MORE: I tried Direct2Florist's Valentine's Day flowers and was blown away by the bunch I received
I tested out their Luxury Rosé Prosecco Gift Box and their bouquet called The Celebration, which is now only available to buy in bundle sets here and here.
The luxury hamper, which is priced at £60, arrived within two days which I thought wasn't too bad, so if you're ordering this at the weekend you will probably get it in time for Valentine's Day.
It arrived in a large pink box which had a clean finish with a gold stamp. I'm actually going to keep the box for storage as it has a lovely look to it and is quite roomy inside. Opening up the box was a delight as there were two layers of tantalising treats, all with a pink and gold colour palette.
On the first layer the box presented you with Elizabeth Shaw dark chocolate and raspberry biscuits, Thornton & France white chocolate raspberry swirl bar, Strawberry Bonbons, Hamlet ruby chocolate truffles, Sweet FA peanut butter organic and vegan cookies, and Cartwright & Butler butter fudge bar.
Underneath I found a bottle of Bottega Poeti Rosé Prosecco, Joe & Seph’s prosecco popcorn pyramid and Radfords popcorn peanut brittle. Instead of the Deans strawberry pavlova shortbread round which was mentioned on the original description here, I received the Sweet FA biscuits listed above, which I was a bit disappointed about as there was already a lot of peanut flavours in the hamper.
What I loved about the box of treats though was the fact that nothing was 'too sickly'. I don't enjoy too many treats that are crammed with rich chocolate, so these slightly sweeter treats that lean into the fruitier side were absolutely up my street.
One thing is for sure though, if you don't enjoy peanut or popcorn then you won't enjoy a lot of this hamper. I found the popcorn elements to the hamper a little too much, and would have liked a bit more variety especially when you consider the price. In saying that though all the treats were tasty, and you could tell they were of a high quality.
The prosecco was my favourite, not just because it was a drink (oh dear), but because the flavour was a rose. It meant the prosecco wasn't too dry and the fruity tones complimented some of the richer treats inside the hamper, like the Cartwright & Butler butter fudge bar and the Hamlet Ruby Chocolate Truffles (these were so moreish and really indulgent).
From all of the treats inside the hamper, the Elizabeth Shaw biscuits were my favourite. I absolutely loved the texture of the chewy yet crisp biscuits. They felt very light which made you go back for more and more, and the dark chocolate along with the raspberry flavour was a match made in heaven.
I wasn't a fan of the Radfords popcorn peanut brittle, I felt as though my teeth might snap it was so hard. My partner enjoyed this though but agreed it was a bit too difficult to bite into.
If you're looking for a last minute hamper for Valentine's Day and want to spend a little more for a luxurious feel, then this hamper is a strong contender, especially if that special someone likes plenty of popcorn, and raspberry and peanut flavours.
The hamper is £60 and to me that's quite a stretch for what you get.
If you were to buy the prosecco separately it is £11.29, the Hamlet Ruby chocolates are £4.95, the Radfords Popcorn Peanut Brittle is £4.99 for an 100g box, the Deans Strawberry Pavlova Shortbread Rounds 150g are £3.99, the Elizabeth Shaw Dark Chocolate & Raspberry Biscuits 140g are £2.99, the Strawberry Bonbons are £3.25, the Joe & Seph’s Prosecco Popcorn Pyramid 30g is £5 and the Thornton & France White Chocolate Raspberry Swirl Bar 80g cannot be bought separately.
All in all this totals at £36.46, so essentially you're paying the rest on the box. In saying that though some of the items can't be bought separately and you may not have time to buy all the individual items and make your own hamper on a last minute basis.
So when you factor in the cost of making a hamper too it would probably come nearer to the £60 mark anyway. If you don't want to spend £60 on a gift for Valentine's Day you don't have to, as Moonpig also do a range of others here which start from £20.
Meanwhile, I also received a beautiful bouquet of flowers from Moonpig, called The Celebration, which arrived promptly. The bouquet certainly brightened my day when they arrived at my door.
I particular like this set as they are not your traditional roses or deep red colours that you would normally associate with Valentine's Day. The Celebration actually contains a mix of Roses, Alstroemeria's, Phlox, Lisianthus, Limonium's and Pistache's.
The bouquet length is around 48cm so I had to cut the stems slightly to fit in my vase at home. Moonpig say they should last around seven days and I've had them out for three days now and they still look bright, bouncy and smell fresh.
Moonpig also give you two food sachets to feed the flowers, one for day three and I found after I used this it gave the flowers an extra boost and lift. It's a shame this bouquet is now only available to buy as a gift set, which makes the price more expensive, here and here. However Moonpig also do a range of bouquets here and promise that they can be delivered in time for Valentine's Day.
Overall, Moonpig is a great place to shop for last minute gifts, the products I tried above are on the pricier side but do promise luxury. That said you can probably get cheaper elsewhere but at this point in time, you may have to face paying a slightly higher price if you've left your gifting last-minute, and there are cheaper alternatives on the Moonpig site here.
READ MORE:
I lost £55 by boiling the kettle wrong way and it’s ‘ridiculously easy’ to do
I tried Tesco's £12 dine in meal deal and I may not bother going out on Valentine's Day
Fan who secured tickets to ‘multiple’ Beyonce shows shares little-known Ticketmaster tip
Recap: Fans race to get Lewis Capaldi pre-sale tickets as queue reaches 10,386 for Wythenshawe gig
