Cumbrian businesses like to support other Cumbrian businesses.

Made in Cumbria Christmas hampers allow you to do exactly that.

The organisation, which is owned and run by Cumbria Chamber of Commerce, exists specifically to assist food, drink and craft producers.

Membership is open only to those whose products are ‘wholly’ or ‘substantially’ manufactured and finished in Cumbria.

It runs workshops and offers advice to members and provides a year-round sales outlet through the Made in Cumbria shop in Branthwaite Brow, Kendal.

At this time of year, orders are flooding in for Christmas hampers, which make distinctive personal or corporate gifts.

The contents can be tailor-made to meet the buyer’s needs, including assembling hampers to a specific price point.

Rob Johnston, chief executive of Cumbria Chamber of Commerce, said: “We know that Cumbrian businesses like to support other Cumbrian businesses.

"Buying these hampers as gifts for clients is one way to do that.

“It’s a way of saying to clients, ‘We’re a Cumbrian business, we’re proud of that, and we’d like to share with you what makes our county so special’.

“Cumbria is renowned for the excellence of its food and drink producers, many of them small artisan businesses with an ethos of quality.

“One of the difficulties they can face is persuading retailers to stock their products, which is where Made in Cumbria helps by offering them an alternative route to market.

“We can help in other ways too. Our Supply Chain Gateway, for example, helps them overcome barriers to procurement with larger retailers.

“One of our partners for the Supply Chain Gateway is the supermarket Booths – we’re running an event with Booths for potential suppliers in January.

“We can also provide grants towards consultancy services through our Subsidy Scheme.

"These are popular with food and drink businesses looking to enhance their websites, perhaps by adding an e-commerce facility.”

To learn more about Made in Cumbria’s bespoke hampers, call Michelle Wiggins on 0845 226 0040 or email her here .

To find out about membership of Made in Cumbria click here .