Lay My Hat

Hi
As a complete newbie would like some help with what people put in their welcome pack. I am in the lovely New Forest and am trying to put in locally sourced produce. I have even found some really good white wine that is from a vineyard just 2 miles away. But how far should I go? What are people's views on bread, eggs etc. I have small bottles for the bathroom and doing the normal tea, coffee sugar.

www.kingshydecottage.co.uk

A few threads in here if you put welcome and packs into the search bar. Here's one for starters. viewtopic.php?t=24602

Any food you supply must be abide with the EU directive. Whilst food in cans and bottles should meet the standard loose wrapped items like bread must do too.
https://www.food.gov.uk/enforcement/reg ... /labelling
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/food-labell ... -consumers
It is all down to you the supplier of the food.

I only leave a bottle of wine which seems to go down well. Just had a text from an arrival today who said "thanks for the welcome and the wine...a very nice touch"

I don't leave a welcome pack as such as my guests are all different nationalities, not to mention the veggies and gluten-free amongst them....- I only accommodate two persons and I can usually either discover if they're planning to shop en route, or if they're arriving very late I offer my own little breakfast pack supply for which they pay.
Never in 5 years have I had any negative feedback but I do think it will depends very much on your demographic.

I personally would lurve a tasty welcome hamper on arrival when travelling with my family of 5....I hate having to go out shopping straight away on arrival. In the past I've often scheduled an Ocado order on arrivel at a rental.

tavi wrote:I only leave a bottle of wine which seems to go down well. Just had a text from an arrival today who said "thanks for the welcome and the wine...a very nice touch"

I don't leave a welcome pack as such as my guests are all different nationalities, not to mention the veggies and gluten-free amongst them....- I only accommodate two persons and I can usually either discover if they're planning to shop en route, or if they're arriving very late I offer my own little breakfast pack supply for which they pay.
Never in 5 years have I had any negative feedback but I do think it will depends very much on your demographic.

I personally would lurve a tasty welcome hamper on arrival when travelling with my family of 5....I hate having to go out shopping straight away on arrival. In the past I've often scheduled an Ocado order on arrivel at a rental.

So do you leave red, white or rose wine?

You'll get as many different views as there are owners on this forum! It depends hugely on your target market and your profit margins.
Simple is good, provisions so that guests can have a cup of tea or coffee with fresh milk as soon as they arrive, maybe with some biscuits, bread and jam, cake or whatever. Bathroom toiletries etc are not part of a "Welcome Pack" but extra touches.
Local produce is a nice idea if available and relevant (eg fresh eggs from chickens within a mile or so), but get the balance and costs right. I wouldn't want a bottle of white wine from a UK vineyard on a number of counts, and I'd actually resent the fact that I'd paid for it - and I would've paid for it no matter how "free" it was, unless I was staying at the vineyard.
Final point - whatever you supply, make certain you tell guests with their final instructions so that they know what to expect. The bottle of milk so thoughtfully provided in the fridge could be the cause of a major row if one partner had insisted on a big detour to buy some, with the other disagreeing. Not a good start to the holiday!

casasantoestevo wrote:

tavi wrote:I only leave a bottle of wine which seems to go down well. Just had a text from an arrival today who said "thanks for the welcome and the wine...a very nice touch"

I don't leave a welcome pack as such as my guests are all different nationalities, not to mention the veggies and gluten-free amongst them....- I only accommodate two persons and I can usually either discover if they're planning to shop en route, or if they're arriving very late I offer my own little breakfast pack supply for which they pay.
Never in 5 years have I had any negative feedback but I do think it will depends very much on your demographic.

I personally would lurve a tasty welcome hamper on arrival when travelling with my family of 5....I hate having to go out shopping straight away on arrival. In the past I've often scheduled an Ocado order on arrivel at a rental.

So do you leave red, white or rose wine?

haha! very good question.... I often find myself trying to second guess from our email exchanges whether they're likely to be red, white, or rose people!

My welcome pack contains no more than "Guest Information", milk in the fridge, sealed box of purchased biscuits, handful of tea bags, a little coffee, a little sugar and a local paper.

Christmas and New guests get a bottle of wine. If I'm aware that a booking is something a little more special than a holiday such as a marriage, birthday, family/friend reunion or a special anniversary and so on i'll do a little extra, flowers out of the garden if possible in season etc.

There's no way I would start offering food and drink etc that wasn't branded and sealed up. Asking for trouble and unnecessary and incurs additional cost and hassle on what is already a very busy changeover day.

Much like akwe-xavante, I just leave milk, a little tea, coffee and sugar, and a packet of local biscuits. I usually leave a short welcome note and occassionally something extra, eg a bunch of daffs in the spring or 4 little Lindt bunnies at Easter. I am also a member of the Visit Cornwall fair booking scheme and as part of this I offer a bottle of wine or a cream tea (good pre-packaged scones, jam and cream) for direct bookings. I am not 'high end' but rather go for good quality at a good price so a large welcome pack would push my prices higher than I would like.

We tried the welcome pack thing a few years ago, and also offered a Devon cream tea on arrival. However it was more hassle than it was worth. Expectations vary significantly, and it can be the source of avoidable grief.

We now just stock the cupboard with essentials like tea, coffee, condiments, plus a few other bits & pieces, and a bottle of wine(always red - for those who need to know - left next to the welcome info book, so it cannot be missed).

This formula appears to work for our target market, though we are in town so local shops are not too far away. We would possibly re-think this if we were out of town.

BTW, I read somewhere that leaving a bottle of alcohol is a breach of licensing law(EU or otherwise ). Any learned friends out there know if this is a fact?

russellt wrote:
BTW, I read somewhere that leaving a bottle of alcohol is a breach of licensing law(EU or otherwise ). Any learned friends out there know if this is a fact?

I'm far from learned, but yes, it contravenes UK licensing laws. It's also completely ignored by the authorities. I don't know the state of progress but there was a move afoot to recognise the pointlessness of trying to apply the law and make exceptions for small amounts or "gifts" - with the introduction of a license specifically for the purpose. They don't miss a trick....

Hi everyone
Thank you all so much for all your replies. It certainly has given me food for thought and it does appear to vary. I just know whenever we have stayed somewhere it has always been a nice touch to have something when you arrive.
Perhaps I should just keep the wine for myself

Nimbus wrote: Perhaps I should just keep the wine for myself

You may need a licence for that!

russellt wrote:

Nimbus wrote: Perhaps I should just keep the wine for myself

You may need a licence for that!

Not if you dispose of the evidence before you're nicked

We once thought of leaving a couple of bottles of our housekeeper's husband's home made ale, not so much a license needed as a stretcher though!.....