It’s worth £22.50 but you could win it for free!

Now the BBQ season is well and truly underway this gift set will come in handy throughout the summer. And even if you get rained off the spicy and herb blends and marinades work just as well when grilling, roasting or baking.

The 9 different mixes of organic blends are guaranteed to get your tastebuds tingling. They include:

• Organic One-derful Barbecue Rub
• American Barbecue seasoning
• Organic Cajun ragin barbecue seasoning
• Organic Jamaican jerk
• Organic Mediterranean barbcue seasoning rub
• Organic perfect salt seasoning
• Organic salmon rub
• Organic sweet sensation barbecue seasoning
• Organic perfect poultry barbecue rub

And you can win it for free by signing up to the Freebie Bag Offers Alert before Sunday 18th July. Don’t hang around – enter now!

Or if you fancy having a look at what other gifts for foodie lovers you can get, visit Steenbergs Organic Shop.

So they’re giving away a box of 8 tasty organic cookies away for free. They’ve teamed up with Freebie Bag to give you the chance to win it in time for next Sunday 20th June.

All you need to do is go to freebiebag.co.uk and enter your email address.

You’ll automatically get free entry to this fabulous prize draw as well as receiving their daily Free Offers Alerts that highlight the best freebies available online.

Sign up before Wednesday 16th June for a chance to be picked at random and have your prize posted out in time for Father’s Day on Sunday 20th June.

You’ll get a selection of rich chocolate, oat & raisin and choc chip & hazelnut cookies to enjoy, which come beautifully presented in a gift wrapped box complete with personalised card.

Enter the Freebie Bag Father’s Day Competition

Competition Rules

• The closing date is Wednesday 16th June 2010.
• All entries must reach us by 17:00 (5pm) on the closing date.
• One winner will be chosen at random
• The winner will receive one family selection box of organic cookies.
• The competition applicant may only enter once.
• The competition is open to UK residents only.
• No employees of Gift Chooser, Freebie Bag or Message Muffins may enter.
• The judges decision is final.
• Prizes may not be exchanged for cash or other goods.

You can win a jar for free simply by signing up at freebiebag.co.uk for their daily Free Offers Alerts.

The range of sweets on offer is immense and will surely be the most difficult part of the whole competition! Choose from flying saucers, mint humbugs, cola bottles, cola cubes, white mice, gobstoppers, black jacks (take a breath…) the list is endless….

Just sign up to Freebie Bag Free Offers Alerts before Sunday 13th June 2010 and you’ll have automatic entry into the draw. (Don’t worry, you can unsubscribe anytime you want).

Freebie Bag will choose one winner at random who’ll get to choose up to 4 varieties of sweets to fill their posh jar with and tell us who they’d like to receive them.

Competition Rules

• The closing date is Sunday 13th June 2010.
• All entries must reach us by 23:59 (11:59pm) on the closing date.
• One winner will be chosen at random
• The winner will receive one small jar with up to 4 varieties of sweets.
• The competition applicant may only enter once.
• The competition is open to UK residents only.
• No employees of Gift Chooser, Freebie Bag or Posh Pick & Mix may enter.
• The judges decision is final.
• Prizes may not be exchanged for cash or other goods.

The Sshcakes.co.uk company have created their own individual angel cakes covered with a lemon, vanilla or chocolate butter icing.

Decorated by hand and individually giftwrapped, each Wishh Cake comes with a card, candle and edible iced ‘Wishing Wand’ to make birthday wishes come true.

Win one by joining the Free Offers Alert list at Freebie Bag.

These delicious cakes are too good to be true and are a novel way to send someone a birthday greeting – it sure beats getting a birthday card!

Just sign up to Freebie Bag Free Offers Alerts before 6th June 2010 and you’ll have automatic entry into the draw. (Don’t worry, you can unsubscribe at anytime).

Freebie Bag will choose one winner at random who’ll get a Wishh Cake in a flavour of their choice; lemon, vanilla or chocolate.

Competition Rules

• The closing date is Sunday 6th June 2010.
• All entries must reach us by 23:59 (11:59pm) on the closing date.
• One winner will be chosen at random
• The winner will receive one Wishh Cake.
• The competition applicant may only enter once.
• The competition is open to UK residents only.
• No employees of Gift Chooser, Freebie Bag or Shh Cakes may enter.
• The judges decision is final.
• Prizes may not be exchanged for cash or other goods.

Message Muffins is an online gift shop selling the best kind of gifts – edible ones! They’ve got a Pick and Mix Feast Hamper to give away just by signing up to the Freebie Bag Free Offers Alert. (Don’t worry, you can unsubscribe at anytime)

The hamper is worth £16.99 and comes with a sweet muffin, a succulent cookie and a jar of your favourite sweets.

You’ve got until Friday 21st May to enter the draw. Freebie Bag will choose a winner at random, who will receive this scrummy hamper of sweet delights.

Competition Rules

* The closing date is Friday 21st May 2010.
* All entries must reach us by 23:59 (11:59pm) on the closing date.
* One winner will be chosen at random.
* The winner will receive a Message Muffins Pick and Mix Feast Hamper.
* The competition applicant may only enter once.
* The competition is open to UK residents only.
* No employees of Gift Chooser, Freebie Bag or Message Muffins may enter.
* The judges decision is final.
* Prizes may not be exchanged for cash or other goods.

The Good Spa Guide offers some of the best Spa Deals for Mother’s Day to make sure she is well and truly pampered.

Travelbite rounds up some of their favourite luxury hotel breaks and short cottage breaks for a Mother’s Day holiday treat.

Strapped for cash? Treat your mum to some gourmet delights with these yummy Mother’s Day recipes.

Complete the Times Online Poll and tell us what you do on Mothering Sunday.

The Guardian shows us how traditional Valentine’s gifts like wine and champagne can be eco-friendly and ethical.

Meanwhile, the Independent gives us what they think are the ten best Valentine’s gifts.

Tech blog Gaj-IT picks their top Valentine Gifts for the Gadget Lover.

In days where we often entertain at home, or at least drink more at home than we ever used to (it’s often cheaper than visiting the pub!) a wine rack seems to be something that everyone needs.

It’s always handy having a bottle of the grape juice to hand in case of unexpected visitors or a bottle of bubbly for those surprise celebrations.

However, combine that fact with the size of houses, flats and rooms nowadays as they become smaller and smaller, then finding gifts that can fit into a home is just as important as finding a gift someone likes. After all if there is no room for it, it’ll get relegated to the loft or become someone else’s present next year!

This stylish wine rack is just the ticket I reckon. It’s sleek, shiny, functional and is designed to be fixed to the wall – a brilliant space saving gift! It can hold 8 bottles of wine – more than enough for an evenings entertaining.

Not only will this idea make a brilliant christmas present but it’s a great gift idea for a wedding present or someone just moving into their new home.

Buy this nifty device as a christmas gift for someone this year for just £24.95. And if you have a bit more budget why not stretch to a nice bottle of wine to go with it!

Get the Flow Wine Rack from PrezzyBox for £24.95.

A prize for all you sweet toothed gift hunters – win a scrummy box of muffins or cookies from the delectable Message Muffin Company.

It’s dead easy to take part. Just email us the answer to an easy question about the tasty treats and which goody box you would like. Then simply sit back and wait to win!

Enter the Muffins and Cookies Competition today before it ends.

Yummy competition for those with a sweet tooth courtesy of MessageMuffins.com

Message Muffins have a mission in the world – to make life scrummier for everyone. And to spread the word and get everyone trying out these delicious delicacies, they are offering you a chance to win a box of tempting treats.

We are looking for people on the search for an unusual gift idea; those that are hard to buy for, families and even workplaces to have a go at winning one of the 4 gift boxes up for grabs.

All you have to do to enter is email the answer to an easy peasy question:

Step 1 – Answer this simple question

How many muffins does the Family Gift Box contain?
(hint – you may be able to find the answer right here!)

This Competition has now ended but you will find more on our GiftChooser Competitions page.

Message Muffins gift to you

These competition treats are enough to make your mouth water – I should know as I had the pleasure of experiencing one.

The Corporate Muffin Gift Box

Worth £32.99, this box contains a variety of 12 moist muffins.

They will be delivered directly to the winners place of work for the whole office to enjoy.

The Corporate Cookie Gift Box

Worth £29.99, this gift box contains a variety of 16 delicious cookies.

They will be delivered to the winners place of work for the entire office to enjoy.

The Family Gift Box

This gift box is worth £18.99 and is filled with 6 different muffins so the whole family gets to enjoy one or two…

The Childrens Christmas Feast Cookie Box

Worth £18.99, this gift box contains a range of our favourite Iced Christmas Gingerbread Cookies – a real treat for the kids.

Enter today to be in with a chance to win!

About Message Muffins

This edible greeting service provides little packages of muffins, cookies & sweeties for loved ones, couples, family and friends. A delightfully unusual way to say Merry Christmas, Congratulations or Happy Birthday.

Each order is beautifully hand packed with loving care and comes with a handwritten card bearing your personal message. What a way to treat someone! Visit www.messagemuffins.com to see their range of goodies.

Step 2 – Sign up for our FREE newsletter

(Don’t worry, you can unsubscribe at anytime)

Competition Rules

• The closing date is Sunday 23rd November 2008.
• All entries must reach us by 23:59 (11:59pm) on the closing date.
• Four winners will be chosen at random from the correct entries.
• The winners will receive a a giftbox of Message Muffins or Message Cookies.
• The competition applicant may only enter once.
• The competition is open to UK residents only.
• All entrants email addresses will be added to the Gift Chooser and Message Muffins newsletter list. If you do not wish for it to be added, please tell us in your email.
• No employees of Gift Chooser or Message Muffins may enter.
• The judges decision is final.
• Prizes may not be exchanged for cash or other goods.

Did you know that this week is Chocolate Week? It runs from 13th to 19th October 2008. Now what better excuse is there to get you eating those delectable truffles, ganaches and choccie bars.

So I thought it was worth doing another hunt for some yummy chocolate gifts just in case you are buying presents for family and friends this week.

Know someone who loves cooking and chocolate? Then this could be the best present they ever receive!

A chocolate gift box to open and discover what goodies are in store.

• 300g 72% Cooks’ Chocolate – to melt and create chocolate treats
• 125g Fairtrade Cocoa Powder – to roll your homemade truffles in (or maybe yourself?)
• Black Cotton Green and Black’s apron – to mop up the dribble
• Green and Black’s Chocolate Recipe Book – Their best selling recipe book has the most tempting collection of recipes to experiment with and enjoy tasting

What a delicious present for someone you love!

Buy this fabulous set from Green and Black’s for £25.

No it’s not a demand. It’s my latest gift website find. It may appear to many that I have a slight obsession with chocolate but really what is there not to like about them?

After my recent gushings over Montezumas I have now discovered an online shop selling some delicious Belgian chocolates which will make great christmas gifts.

They even have a selection of chocolates in boxes that would make ideal Wedding Favours. Want to find out more?

Chocolate Now gives you complete control over what chocolates you order, how many and even how they are gift wrapped. Not only do they have plenty of choice but you can also buy chocolate Christmas Hampers or even chocolate Wedding Favours either ready made or in DIY sets so you can assemble your own (which works out cheaper)

My mouth started watering as soon as I read the selection of 40 chocolates I could choose from; Banana creme fraiche, dark ganache with Lavender, Green Apple, chocolate mousse, coconut truffle and ginger cream to name just a few of the scrumptious looking and exotic sounding chocolates.

The thing about buying gifts for people is you want it to be easy and for there to be plenty of choice which is just what you get at Chocolate Now.

Try a bit of everything with the Chocolate Now Self Select option which lets you handpick what treats are delivered. For the easy option select the Chocolate Now Pre-packed option or how about sending the Chocolate Now E-Choc service which is the equivalent of a gift voucher so the recipient can choose exactly what they want.

To make the gift extra special there’s a choice of over 30 types of stunning, luxury gift wrapping – a life saver if you are a bit clumsy with the old wrapping paper and sellotape.

Buy your chocolate gifts at Chocolate Now

I can whole heartedly recommend Montezuma’s chocolate shop after years of experience. They sell some of the most delicious chocolate treats going. In fact these aren’t just chocolates, these are delectable treats from the chocolate god himself.

I love receiving these chocolates – they make great gifts for any occasion, even a simple ’Thank You’.

There have been many a christmas and birthday where I have unwrapped presents to find some Montezuma gold hidden within. From chunky bars and buttons to truffles and the affectionately named ’dainty dollops’ – whose name still tickles me to this day.

I have always enjoyed trying the unusual. It began with a love of icecream and I would hunt out flavours to delight such as coconut, honeycomb and Baileys. Then when I found Montezuma’s shop one day I realised I could indulge in the same hobby with chocolate. I have since tried many of their delicious flavours but I can’t keep up as they are always creating new seasonal combinations.

My absolute favourite has to be the white chocolate with chilli and ginger Chunky Bar and the geranium Dainty Dollops as a very close runner up. Scrummy!

If you are having trouble deciding then why not go for the HayFever Gift Box which contains a glorious selection of milk chocolate goodies for someone to eat to their hearts content.

This gift box holds the following treats: Smooth Milk Bar, The Dark Side Milk Chocolate Bar, Peppermint & Vanilla Emperor Bar, Venezuela Milking Maid Bag and Milk Chocolate Giant Buttons.

Montezuma’s Chocolates are just the ticket if you are looking for something a bit different but oh-so-good. Trust me – buy Chocolates from Montezuma’s.

My latest find is another great gift idea for those gentlemen who love a traditional tipple of the golden nectar. A fabulous traditional bottle of whisky transformed into a bespoke gift idea for your dad on Father’s Day.

Fact of the Day: Whisky will only mature when it is casked. This means the actual age of a whisky is the difference between the time of distillation to bottling the finished product.

Find the most fabulous collection of whisky online at Master of Malt. From the well-known Scottish and Irish brands such as Bushmills and Campbeltown, but not forgetting those smaller distilleries like Edradour.

If your dad is anything like mine, he’ll love a bottle of single malt and the best reason to get this as a Fathers’ Day gift? It can be personalised by you:

Personalised Whisky for Father’s Day

• Choose a design and have your own label added to your chosen bottle
• The option to have the bottle displayed in a wooden presentation box
• Add giftwrapping and a handwritten message card

These also make a great birthday or anniversary present as you can select a bottle that was distilled from as far back as 1946!

Prices are very reasonable and there’s a range which will suit whatever your pocket can spare.

Buy today from Master of Malt and get next day delivery – how’s that for service.

It’s coming around to that time of year again where we look at celebrating our dads. Yes, Father’s Day always falls on the 3rd sunday of every June, so in 2008 we celebrate Father’s Day on 15th June.

Some people find buying for their dad’s easy enough as many are easily pleased, but you may be one of the unfortunates that has a fussy dad or maybe you just aren’t good at choosing gifts – after all there is such an amazing choice available, where do you start?

For the next few weeks I will be trawling the net for some goodies that would make ideal Father’s Day Gifts, so you can discover some hidden gems.

Here is my Top 3 Father’s Day presents for Week 1 of our Father’s Day countdown.

My Cuppa Mug

Tea is classed as the nations favourite drink, and the UK is known around the world as having a big tea drinking culture.

And a cup of tea is scientifically proven to solve any problem, but it’s important to make sure you get it just right.

To make your cuppa perfect, this mug is just the thing as it has a colour swatch printed onto the inside of it – just like a Dulux colour card!

And if your dad isn’t a tea lover, how about the My Cuppa coffee mug? It’s the same idea, just with different shades of brown!

These cups were created by the clever mugs (pun intended) at Suck UK who also did the Sun Jar.

Buy one for £7.95 from Firebox.com and make sure your dad gets the best cuppa ever on Father’s Day.

Brewzer Home Brew Kit

All dads love beer or lager. And they will love you forever if they receive this home brew kit from you this year. It means they will be able to make their favourite tipple at home and enjoy a few pints of the amber nectar without handing any money over to the pub landlord.

It only takes 3 weeks to make and the best thing of all is that it is re-usable!

Buy a Brewzer beer kit for £24.99 from Hawkin’s Bazaar – your dad will certainly have something to celebrate on Father’s Day.

Portable BBQ

If your dad loves gadgets, BBQ’s and camping then this is the perfect gift all rolled into one!

Dad’s love to cook on the barbie – it’s always so much more fun than cooking in the kitchen. This fold up portable BBQ kit can be taken on camping trips, picnics on the beach, the park or even the back garden.

A neat little carry case hides a secret, open it up to reveal a fully functional barbie – ideal for cooking perfect burgers and bangers.

Buy a portable BBQ set for £19.99 from I Want One Of Those and your dad will be as happy as larry the lamb (burger).

Don’t forget to buy your cards too at an online website such Moonpig.com

The choices we make each day just get harder and harder, because we end up being offered so many varieties to choose from.

It’s no different with Easter Eggs, this year we seem to be inundated with so many types to choose from. What happened to the days where it was either milk or dark?

No matter, more choice is better than no choice at all, and we really seem to be spoilt for choice with the treats that are lined up in stores for us this Easter time. From white, milk and dark chocolate, to Fairtrade, organic, lactose-free. Chocolate flavoured with coconut, berries, fruit and nut, early grey, bergamot and cognac and not to mention all the hand-made, luxurious and downright expensive ones!

Better get your skates on, as Easter falls earlier than usual – mark it on your calendar, Sunday March 23rd 2008.

Cheap and Cheerful Eggs

The high street shops have a colourful range of all our usual chocolate treats. Old favourites such as creme eggs, buttons and milky bar are still going strong. You can purchase these foil wrapped eggs in a variety of sizes from shops such as Cadburys, Thorntons, Marks and Spencer and any supermarket chain e.g. Sainsbury’s. Thorntons even do a personalised icing service where you can get your message iced onto one of their eggs and are still one of the few companies to produce a diabetic easter egg. Expect to may anything from £1 to £10.

Posher Easter Eggs

Slightly more upmarket and you get the chocolate Easter Eggs that may cost a little more, but that is usually because they are better quality, or are not mass produced. Getting your Easter Egg from an independent shop will mean you get something a bit more unique that your bog standard flake egg. It may have nicer packaging, a better quality of chocolate may have been used, or it may be organic, fairtrade or suitable for vegans. Online shops such as UK Organics, Ethical Superstore, Chococo and Hotel Chocolat. Expect to pay anything from £5 to £20.

Luxury Chocolate Eggs

You are one lucky person if you receive anything from this range. Perfect for those with a taste for ’real chocolate’, and not the synthetic chocolate many people have grown accustomed to. This is proper chocolate, the way it was supposed to be made with 70% cocoa, elegant packaging and maybe even a mixture of flavours. How about buying something from the chocolate emporium, Prestat, chocolate purveyors to the Queen who do a delicious white chocolate and banoffee egg, Charbonnel et Walker and Melt Chocolates.

Prices will range from £15 and upwards. Some limited edition solid eggs are being sold in excess of £500!

Have a nosy at our The 20 Best Easter Eggs article

Discount Codes for Thorntons

At Web Savings World you can find Thorntons promotional codes

Chocolate Easter Eggs are now the most popular way to celebrate Easter. There is such a huge variety of different chocolate it can make it hard to choose which ones to go for.

Do you choose from creamy white chocolate, smooth milk or divine dark. The choice doesn’t stop there though. Now you can get handmade chocolate, fairtrade chocolate eggs, not to mention organic, lactose-free and vegan. In fact chocolate eggs to cater for any food intolerance or preference.

This year packaging is getting classier too. Traditional hand-painted wooden eggs, batik boxes, golden boxes, corrugated egg boxes and even limited editions from top class retailers. Just something a bit different from the tacky gold and red foil of yesteryear – 2008 has gone a bit ’haute couture’ for Easter eggs.

So will you choose from the mass produced high street shop style egg or will you opt for a better quality egg from the higher end of the market? The Times has compiled a list of their Top 20 Chocolate Easter Eggs for 2008. Which ones will you choose?

1. Fairtrade and Divine for 4.99 – Divine Milk Chocolate Easter Egg

2. Sweet but scrummy – Tesco White Chocolate Crème Brulee Easter Egg for 4.99

3. Large egg with nuts and raisins added – Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Fruit and Nut Belgian Milk Chocolate Egg for 6.99

4. Chocolate egg with a touch of Vodka – Rococo White Chocolate Easter Egg for £8.95

5. Perfect for vegans and lactose free but not taste free – Moo Free Chocolates Organic Vegan & Dairy Free Dark Easter Egg for £8.99

6. Winning combo of milk chocolate and bergamot – The Chocolate Empire Handmade Organic Earl Grey Easter Egg for £10

7. Organic chocolate in egg form – Green and Blacks Milk Egg with Miniature Chocolate Bars for £10.99

8. Delicious and nutty milk chocolate egg – Chocolate Alchemist Milk Chocolate Nut Jewelled Egg for £14.50

9. Rich and Dark for those that like chocolate strong – James Chocolates Single Origin Ecuador Dark Chocolate Egg for £15

10. Organic and with a ginger kick and perfectly packaged – Booja Booja Large Ginger Wine Truffle Egg fro £18.99

11. Organic chocolate egg, beautifully packaged – L’Artisan du Chocolat Eco Chick Egg for £18.99

12. Dark and dangerous and flecked with gold & silver leaf – Oeuf Orfevre, Dark Chocolate Easter Egg for £18.99

13. Delicious milk chocolate egg with truffles – Prestat Marc De Champagne Easter Egg for £22

14. Three dark and delicious eggs from different origins – Fortnum & Mason Three Excellent Eggs for £22.50

15. The Queen’s favourite with rose and violet creams – Charbonnel et Walker Rose and Violet Plain Chocolate Egg for £25

16. For true chocolate connoiseurs – William Curley Amedei Chocolate Egg filled with House Dark Truffles from £25-£50

17. Close to a kilo of chocolate – The Eggsibitionist Extra Large Chocolate Easter Egg for £46

18. A real designer egg – Giorgio Armani Dolci Easter Egg From €60

19. A Haute Couture chocolatier and a price to match – Paul A Young Bespoke Easter Egg for £95

20. The stuff of dreams, limited edition solid egg – Maison du Chocolat Oeuf Tresor for £550

Read the article 20 Best Chocolate Easter Eggs at Times Online

Hetal writes:

Have a look at this site for great indian curry hampers. I bought the curry meal maker hamper for my husband. …….. he loved it!!

Thanks for the gift idea Hetal.

For curry lovers everywhere, this website will get your tastebuds tingling. They cater for veggies and meat lovers.

A family run company based in the UK, who not only create hamper sets but also sell cookery books and traditional indian utensils such as the Masala Dabba to hold all your spices, chutney and pickle trays and balti dishes.

The website is easy to use and very clear and it fully explains what goes into your gift hamper. You can go with the standard choice or choose additional extras to make the gift set unique.

The prices are really reasonable too, but the only downside is they do not specify the postage charge until you get to the end of the checkout system, and it varies depending on what you order. Despite this it still looks like a fab place to buy a gift from.

So whether you like to cook curries, eat curry or want to learn how to go Korma crazy, you will find just what you need at the Indian Hamper Company.