Gift Baskets

Today is my cousin's nikah insh'Allah and alhtough we usually give money to the bride and groom, I thought it would be nice to make something for my mum to take along. Baskets of Indian sweets or mithai are a tradition in South Asia but costs about £30 here, so I thought I'd have a go myself.

I picked up two baskets from the £-shop which only had one enormous size only and filled it with tissue-paper to make a nice base and also because it works out very expensive to try and fill a basket that big.

I then arranged a tray of baklawa and two packs of Sohan halwa to fill up space.

Some of the mithai can be quite soft and/or syrapy so I placed the peices in cake cases before arranging them in the basket.

I filled a second basket with fruit (I tried to use firmer fruit so that it lasted longer - I also added grapes on top after I took this picture).

I placed some stars (the type you stick on presents) in the basket and got my sisters to help me wrap the whole thing in cellophane and tie a bow with ribbon that matched the tissue paper (yelling at each other the whole time - "Duh!! why are you putting the cellotape there?"). I finished off with a label to personalise. I hope they like them.