Despite the current economic climate, consumers are still tending to opt for brand names, something those sending hampers may wish to note.

This is the claim made by Stephen Cheliotis of The Centre for Brand Analysis (TCBA), who explained that although rising inflation is squeezing many household budgets, "people are still generally wanting to buy brands".

Chief executive and director of the organisation, he pointed out that although economic conditions may force people to change some of their choices, "from an emotional perspective brands like Heinz have a lot of goodwill with consumers that is hard to erode, even in difficult economic times".

According to Mr Cheliotis, this emotional potency, as well as innovations such as being more local or organic than other brands, can help companies to maintain or grow sales even in the current climate.

The downturn is having an effect on consumer behaviour though, with editor of Sainsbury's Magazine Helena Lang and TV presenter Lorraine Kelly recently pointed to a search for value in terms of food leading to more people choosing to cook from scratch, something that may be of interest to those selecting hampers.