It's always difficult to know what to buy someone for a present and it's easy to get sucked into the routine of buying the same old tired gifts that you seem to get for most occasions. It is entirely understandable that you might want to try something a little different in the hope that your present will be a much more personal one. Don't think for one moment that you will need to have a particular talent or a certain creative spark to make something your friends will appreciate as all it takes is the ability to find your way around the kitchen. You don't need to look any further than your kitchen cupboards in order to find all the ingredients that will help you to come up with a creative and tasty present your friends can enjoy.

A good starting point couple be to concoct a delicious beverage that your grateful recipient can enjoy hot or cold. It isn't difficult to make a toffee coffee mix and it will be just as tasty cold as it is hot. Alternatively you may wish to make a cafe Vienna or cafe mocha mix that will help to ease away the stress of the daily routine. Other original suggestions could be to make a Bavarian mint mix, a Russian tea mix or some sort of cappuccino mix.

We all love the smell of freshly baked bread and they make an ideal afternoon snack as well as a perfect breakfast item. Perhaps you might like to bake your friend a tasty - perhaps some gingerbread or some banana bread. Both are extremely tasty and will be a delicious alternative to the usual bland loaves of bread you get from the shops.

It should go without saying that everyone enjoys sweets and candies. With this in mind you may wish to put together a hamper of sweets. There are several varieties of sweets which you could include in your hamper vintage sweets from your childhood or perhaps some American sweets and candies could be a novel alternative. Fudge recipes are also a nice idea, as are chocolate recipes so perhaps you could include some baked items too. Candies and cakes are enjoyed by people of all ages so are a good all-purpose gift for everyone.

If you aren't intimidated by the prospect of doing a little baking then you may wish to make your own brownies or cookies as they are a firm favourite with everyone, both young and old. Perhaps you have an old family recipe that has always been very popular. Alternatively there are no shortage of food websites which will have a range of recipes for you to copy and follow. A good idea would be to find out your friend's favourite type of cookie and baking your own version of it, making sure of course to add some chocolate chips! Brownies and muffins are also perfect gifts and all can be presented in a colourful jar.

So you see it isn't that difficult to think of a special present which your friends can enjoy. The best way to someone's heart is through their stomach so with a selection of tasty treats you are sure to stand out!