COMPILATION:Gift Guide for the Hostess with the Mostest

By Cheri Leavy

We travel a lot in the summer to visit friends and family and I am always looking for a good hostess gift.  Here are some ideas to show appreciation for hospitality.

1. Low Country Luxe, known today as the “southern fragrance house,” is a welcomed gift and can commemorate your favorite locales in the south such as Charleston, Savannah and New Orleans.  Picture the smell of Charleston as a masterful blend featuring white magnolia, camellia, azaleas, lilac, lavendar, violet, bois de rose and pine with cucumber.

2. Phickles Pickles is a gourmet pickle company located in Athens, Georgia that uses the freshest, closest produce available and takes pride in every hand-packed jar.  Pickled Okra, Asparagus, Snap Beans, Carrots, Jalapenos, Green Tomatoes and occasionally Cucumbers and Sweet Peppers and Peaches.  Perfect to package with all the “fixins” needed to make a bloody mary.

3. Monogrammed Linen Cocktail Napkins are a beautiful, traditional gift. A classic white linen cocktail napkins embroidered with a single initial in your choice of thread color makes a lovely personalized gift.

4. Premium specialty coffee is an awesome gift.  Get it from your local roaster.  Charleston Coffee Roasters customizes their blends and roasting methods to bring out the richest aroma and optimal flavor of each coffee. They hand roast in small batches for a rich, smooth taste that is never bitter.

5. An olive tree from Georgia Olive Farms to produce table olives or purely for ornamental purposes is a neat gift.  Or a bottle of the Chef’s Blend of Georgia Extra-Virgin Olive Oil and other USA EVOO.  It is outstanding with depth and freshness.

6. Byrd Cookie Company’s Southern Scenes Quad Pack with Forsyth Park Fountain (Key Lime), Factors Walk (Benne Wafers), Tybee Island Lighthouse (Key Lime) and Lowcountry Cheddar tins are a welcomed gift. Byrd Cookie Company has been a Savannah tradition since 1924 and their sweet and savory cookies are outstanding.

Mail order munchies for your long-distance family and friends:

1.  www.veryvera.com – Surprise them with a sweet box of deliciousness – layer cakes, pound cakes and truffles to die for.

2.  www.byrdcookiecompany.com - Try the signature cookie jar with a pound of cookies. The reusable, oversized glass jar that will be used in the kitchen for years to come.

3.  www.pearsonfarm.com – The pecan extravaganza is 6 lbs. of pecans bursting with just the right amount of sweet and salty:  cinnamon roasted, southern praline, maple crumbles, toasted and salted, savory seasoning & natural halves.

4.  www.honeybaked.com  –   Send this holiday staple -  coated in tasty brown sugar -  to have in the fridge over the holidays.

5.  www.slantshackjerky.com – For the meat lover on your list, how about the “jerky of the month” club?

6.  www.sweetgrassdairy.com – Choose the “Perfect Pairing” which consists of Thomasville Tomme (a raw cow’s milk cheese) and the Green Hill (Camembert-style cheese with a sweet, buttery flavor) plus a jar of peach preserves and sesame crackers.  It’s a party in a box!

7.  www.simsfoods.com – Spice things up with this condiment gift box of Wickles Pickles, Hoagie Relish and Wickles Relish.

8.  www.oliveandsinclair.com -  Unique flavor combinations of artisan chocolate that is handcrafted from bean to bar.  Send the gift pack to the chocoholic on your list for a decadent indulgence.

9.  www.cobbiessauce.com 

More than 60 years ago Mary Cobb “Cobbie” Hulse concocted her first batch of sauce to embellish chicken, pork, beef, fish and shrimp.  After Billy Hulse sustained a spinal cord injury and was treated Shepherd Center hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, he began making the sauce, which has been featured on the Today Show, and shares the proceeds with “the hospital that continues to give my family and me hope for the future”. 

10.  www.mvsbest.com

The premium quality and crunch of these fine, large, hand prepared peanuts from Virginia is hard to beat and they make a great gift.   Choose from unsalted, sea salt, Cajun, jalapeno, toffee or milk chocolate to create your own custom gift pack.