I love personal gifts – not the gift packs that are piling up now in supermarkets, chemists and department stores. Most of the things, you wouldn’t use and if so, it would only be one or two things from the pack. The baskets or pots might look nice but that’s about it. I love it when my friends thought about me and what I would like – and maybe even make it. For example, my friend Sabrina bought tea towels last year and made a doll out of them. Eventually, I took it apart and used the towels but it looked amazing. My friend Derval knows how much I love dressing my table for dinner and goes to shops like Meadows & Byrne to get some nice items I can use.
But you don’t need to be an artist to make your own gifts. Why not create a hamper with all the things your friends like to eat – I do it for years, and friends are even asking me for it (hopefully not just out of politeness). In this new series of blogposts, I am giving you recipes on edible gifts – these are tried recipes that I have tested on my long suffering friends.
Coconut Ice was a favourite of my mum who loved coconut. I have no idea why it is called coconut ice as it isn’t frozen but it looks stunning and is dead easy to make. For a package, I would suggest a clear cellophane bag with matching ribbon (the coconut ice is traditionally white & pink).
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| Coconut Ice |
- 1 can condensed milk (397g)
- 350g icing sugar, sifted
- 260g Coconut
- Pink food colouring
