The two bottles a kitchen actually runs out of

Ecoleus Arbequina organic extra virgin olive oil, Acetaia Castelli balsamic vinegar of Modena IGP, and a small bottle of D’Olia rosemary-infused Sardinian oil for finishing. Good oil and good vinegar improve more meals than any other two things you can give someone.

Why a small gift

Not every gift needs to be a hamper. This one is priced so that you can send several without thinking too hard about it – the team who covered for you, the neighbour who took the parcels in, the four people you owe a thank you and keep not getting round to. It is the same food we put in the large hampers, in the amount one household will actually get through.

Who makes it

Acetaia Castelli have been ageing in Modena under IGP for four generations. We import these ourselves rather than buying through a wholesaler, which is the only reason a gift at this price can hold food at this level. You can read how the protected designations work at the European Commission.

Packing and delivery

We pack this in a small matte-black gift box with a printed ivory-cream sleeve, by hand in Worcestershire on the day it leaves us. It fits through most letterboxes on its side and needs no explaining when it arrives. We deliver across mainland UK and can send it straight to the recipient with a handwritten card and no prices anywhere in the parcel. If you are sending several to different addresses, send us the list and we will handle it rather than making you place separate orders. See the rest of the small gifts on our thank you gifts page.

How to serve it

Keep the balsamic for finishing, off the heat, rather than cooking it away. The good olive oil is for raw dressing rather than the pan.