Harry & David

My first encounter with Harry and David occurred when my boss gave me a subscription to the Fruit of the Month Club for Christmas. I became hooked, looking forward to the monthly boxes carefully packed with unique, perfectly ripened fruit. This was a wonderful gift to help get through the New York City winter. As a former chef, I appreciated the variety and peak quality from the Fruit of the Month Club. This experience led to trying the Harry and David products as gifts for family, colleagues, and sometimes for me.

Harry and David’s trademark is the wide selection of perfectly ripened fruit, pastries, smoked fish, meats and mixed nuts, flowers and plants, and chocolates. Harry and David may be best known Royal Riviera Pears. This carefully cultivated, well packaged pear is reason Harry and David’s reputation is solid. The pears are plump, juicy and perfectly ripe, with a delicate floral flavor. The pears are offered in the Fruit of the Month Club and also featured in many other arrays like a Harry and David Tower, with cheeses and crackers, or just the pears.

Within the Fruit of the Month Club format, there’s variety to meet anyone’s needs. There are ‘light” sizes for single people or couples, there’s an organic option, a gourmet subscription with some interesting fruits, the classic choice, and there’s even a club that ships a couple pieces of a different variety for a medley in your box instead of all one type. There are different time spans for purchase – 3, 6, 9 or 12 month options.

Part of why Harry and David’s fruits arrive in such pristine condition is the packaging. The boxes have double wide walls, with each fruit pillowed in perfectly-sized cut-outs of foam. These sturdy boxes with foam inserts became handy packaging for my Christmas ornaments for a cross-country move.

A box of 9 Royal Riviera pears runs $29.95 , but price improves when you buy two boxes for 44.92. My light Fruit of the Month Club cost $179 for 6 months, and prices vary depending on size and type of club, and duration.

Pros:
High quality produce at your doorstep is convenient. The fruit is never damaged because of the care in packaging. The fruits are shipped from growing locations all over the world, so are always ripe and in peak season.

Online or In-Store:
Online

Organic Gift Basket by Harry and David:

I am so happy to have found this Organic Gift Basket that I bought as a gift for my friend from the Harry and David website. I wanted to convince my friend Elizabeth about the benefits of eating organic food, but was not able to find a way to do it. I had tried talking to her about it, but each time she refused to listen and said that she was not interested in eating organic food, as it is hard to grow and prepare. However, when she fell ill, I got an idea to convince her why eating organic food is important for her and how she can get over her fear of eating organic food.

I logged on to the Harry and David website, which I use frequently for ordering organic food myself and started searching for an item to give my friend as a get-well-soon gift. After a little searching, I chose the Organic Gift Basket as the right item to give as a gift to my friend. The reason for choosing this item was that it contained organic fruits and energy bars made from organic fruits, both of which are extremely important for living a healthy lifestyle. I was sure that once my friend is going to eat these fruits, she will understand why I wanted her to start eating organic food.

So, I placed an order for this gift basket and started waiting for the item to be shipped to my address. My order was delivered to me in a few hours and I was able to take it to my friend’s house on the same day. When I presented her with this gift, she got a little annoyed with me that I had brought organic food for her again. However, I told her that if she ate them, she would recover soon and will not have to remain in bed for long.

On hearing this, she agreed to eat a few fruits present in the basket. Once she had started eating an organic apple, she was not able to stop herself from eating another one. She just loved the taste and the freshness of the organic apple and wanted to eat more of it. She told me that she had never expected the organic fruits to taste this good.

She ate most of the organic fruits that were present in the basket in a single day and started eating the energy bars, tea and jam in her breakfast, lunch and dinner. Due to eating these organic food items, she became healthy in less than a week and was able to return to work very soon. She told me that she had become convinced about the benefits of eating organic foods and is going to eat only organic items from now on.

I bought this gift basket from the Harry and David website, which is a truly brilliant place to buy organic food items. I am a huge fan of this website and have purchased a number of items from here. The thing I like most about this website is the availability of fresh organic food. The customer service is excellent and the website is very easy to navigate too.

Pros: The Organic Gift Basket is a special food basket that contains the healthiest and freshest organic fruits, energy bars and fruit spread. It is a truly delicious treat for an organic foods lover who wants to eat healthy and fresh organic fruits that have been grown and harvested in the right manner. Moreover, this gift item is shipped for free, so you do not have to pay extra money for its shipping costs.

Cons: As such, there are no drawbacks of buying this food basket. It contains fresh and tasty organic food which has been grown and packed according to the guidelines set by the USDA National Organic Program. However, I believe that for the price they charge, a few more organic items should be added to this gift basket. Hope it does not sound much complaining!

Amount Paid: $ 89.95

Purchase Date: April 20, 2013

Online or In-Store: Online

Final Notes: The Organic Gift Basket is a treat for any organic food lover. It is full of the most fresh and incredibly healthy organic fruits, energy bars, black tea and fruit spread, which are all very tasty.

Recommended: Yes

Overall Rating: 5 stars

Tower of Sweet Treats:

I first heard about Harry & David from a mail order catalog that was sent to my house during the holiday season. In the catalog I saw that the company sells fruit baskets and towers, as well as sweet candies and salty snacks. I was a little cautious of ordering something from Harry & David as a gift because I wasn't sure about how the package would arrive. Also, I was concerned about the fragility and freshness of fruits, such as the pears, that are included in many of their gift packages.

Then I received a Tower of Sweet Treats in the mail from Harry & David as a Thanksgiving Day gift from a family member who lives six states away. Inside the shipment I got five staggering sizes of boxes that contained sweet treats and salty snacks. Each of the boxes were made from a heavy duty printed cardboard, all in different designs. The boxes were fitted with fully removable lids. In my package I received Moose Munch popcorn, chocolate truffles, cookies, chocolate dipped pretzels and hard candies. The entire gift was packed in the tower shape with the lovely bow, just as it appears on the website.

After opening my own gift from Harry & David, I realized it would be the perfect Christmas gift for my best friend who lives in another state. I ordered the Tower of Sweet Treats over the Internet and paid for the gift package online. It was delivered to my friend without any issue. She loved it and said all of the treats including popcorn and cookies were delicious. She also noted that the package arrived in the tower shape with the signature green Harry and David ribbon tied in a fancy bow, which is what I expected based on my own delivery.

Pros: I was surprised when I opened the shipment that contained the Tower of Sweet Treats. I was particularly impressed with the presentation of the gift. My favorite box was the Moose Munch popcorn, which was in the largest size box, while my toddler preferred the cookies.

Cons: The contents of each box were smaller than I would have liked. Me and my toddler finished the contents of the box in a single day. I would have preferred to have had more content and less packing material, as well, as this gift package was not very eco-friendly.

Other Info: While the packaging was excessive, for someone receiving a gift, it was appropriate. I think anyone who loves decadent treats and surprises would love to receive the Tower of Sweet Treats from Harry & David.

Amount Paid: $29.99

Purchase Date: December 2012

Online or In-Store: Online

Recommended: Yes

Overall Rating: 4 stars

Signature Tower of Treats:

Harry and David came to the the rescue when sending a get well card didn’t seem enough for a special uncle recovering from surgery. His clean bill of health was something to cheer about. But because he lives in Nebraska, and I’m in Oregon, stopping by for a visit wasn’t an option. Without hesitation, I decided to send something he could use, rather than something to look at, which would sit collecting dust on a shelf. Purchasing a gift package from Harry and David was an easy decision, since I’ve received and sent their products before.

The quality and large selection of products make Harry and David a natural choice for all kinds of occasions. The presentation of the food and the packaging look like Christmas presents all year-round, and are appropriate for any occasion. The tower of boxes, tied and topped with a festive bow, are a signature of the company.

The presentation adds a special touch to the crisp, tasty fruit, especially the pears. Treats like chocolate cherries and mixed nuts are a delicious complement to the box. The Milk Chocolate Moose Munch Popcorn is so tasty that it tends to disappear soon after opening the package.

The thank you card from my uncle was a surprise, since he can be hard to please. But Harry and David hit the right spot for someone who enjoys munching on different kinds of food. My uncle said he loved the variety of items, and enjoyed unwrapping the boxes to see what surprises were inside.

The Royal Riviera pears, grown in Oregon, are fresh all year-round, making them a standard in most gift packages. The wrapping around the fruit adds a special touch, crowning these delicious pears as food royalty.

My uncle’s reaction to the Signature Tower of Treats has me planning another trip to the store; but this time, I’ll choose a package for myself. After I finish the addictive Moose popcorn, I already have plans how to use the tower boxes.

Pros: The quality and variety of gifts are hard to beat. One bite of the fruit will make you savor its freshness and taste. Other treats are equally delicious. The packaging is sturdy, fun to open, and reusable. The pricing is surprisingly affordable, making the tower a perfect gift.

Cons: I’ve yet to find fault with any aspect of a Harry and David product.

Amount Paid: $39.95

Purchase Date: March 31, 2013

Online or In-Store: Store

Recommended: Yes

Overall Rating: 5 Stars

Review Title: Pineapple Macadamia Nut Cake by Harry & David

Title: Pineapple Macadamia Nut Cake

Review Body: The item is the Pineapple macadamia Nut Cake that I bought a few days back as a birthday present for my friend from the Harry & David website. The birthday of my best friend was coming and I was at a loss about what to give him on this occasion. I wanted to buy something special for him that he could remember for the rest of his life. However, I was having difficulty in finding anything that could fulfill this requirement. After much deliberation and thinking, I finally made the choice of buying a cake for him as a gift which he and I had eaten a long time back, the Pineapple Macadamia Nut Cake from Harry & David.

There were lots of cherished memories of ours associated with this cake, so I felt it appropriate to give him this cake as a present as he would remember the fun we had when we first ate it during the early days of our friendship. Having decided that this was the cake that I wanted to buy as a gift for my friend, I quickly logged on to the Harry & David website and placed an order for this cake. The whole process took no more than a couple of minutes and then I started waiting for the item to be shipped to me, so that I can take it to my friend’s house to celebrate his birthday.

The cake was delivered to my home pretty soon and I was able to present it to my friend as his birthday cake on the same day. Since my friend lives alone, it was only the two of us who celebrated his birthday at his place. He was extremely pleased to see me and this cake and we both relived the nostalgia by enjoying the cake together. The aroma of the cake was just the same as it was when we had eaten it for the first time. We remembered how it was the odor that had pulled us towards it and had prompted us to buy it all those years ago. The sweetness and the freshness of the cake was the same too and we enjoyed it just as much as we had done earlier.

Both of us had a great time eating it and remembering all the stuff that we had done on that day when we first met. I would like to recommend this cake to everyone who is looking for a nice present to give away to a special person on Christmas or his/her birthday.

Pros: The Pineapple Macadamia Nut Cake is a very tasty and extremely fresh fruitcake that can make any day a lot sweeter. Every aspect of this cake from the ingredients used in it, to the baking and the texture of the cake, all speak volumes of the quality of this cake. The presentation is also a very big plus-point of this cake.

Cons: This item does not have any real problems associated with it. I found the cake to be very delicious and exactly what I had expected it to be. It was not very expensive and was shipped on time too. So, I am very happy that I bought it as a birthday present for a friend of mine.

Website Experience: The Harry & David website from where I bought this cake is a very well designed website. It has a very great outlook with drop down menus placed neatly on the top portion of the website. These menus make it easier for the people coming to the website in finding the products or items they are searching for. I, for one, had no trouble in finding the cake I was looking for on the website.

One aspect that really pleased me about the website was the way it handles the online security threats. The customers are led to a secure page for entering in any of their private information. This way, their information remains safe and there is no way for any unscrupulous person to get his hands on it.

Amount Paid: $ 19.95

Purchase Date: March 20, 2013

Online or In-Store: Online

Final Notes: The Pineapple Macadamia Nut Cake is a very delicious and tasty treat that can prove to be an ideal component of any Christmas or birthday gift set. The freshness and excellent taste of this cake is what makes it so special.

Recommended: Yes

Overall Rating: 5 stars

Review Title: Table Rock Turkey and Ham By Harry & David

Title: Table Rock Turkey and Ham

Review Body: When I was stressing out about a dinner party I was putting on, my friend told me to check on Harry and David. I was blown away! I chose the Table Rock Turkey and Ham and I absolutely loved it! It was so incredibly easy. The meal arrived and all I had to do was heat it up then it was good to go. My order came with a two pound spiral sliced ham and a two pound spiral sliced turkey breast. I really liked how they included both ham and turkey and did not make me choose between the two. The size was perfect for the small gathering I was having. The meat was flavorful and juicy; everyone had great things to say about it.

I was skeptical about having the meat just delivered. My worries vanished away once I received the meat and easily prepared it. I was able to focus on other aspects once I got that taken care of. I am grateful that my friend introduced me to Harry and David and I will definitely be using it again.

When checking out, I noticed that I can schedule delivery for a later date as well, although I did not use this feature, but it was great. That will definitely come in handy in the future. I really enjoyed being able to have both meats. I myself am a turkey girl, but my husband likes ham so it was so nice not having to choose.

The website also did a great job explaining what was to be expected with the purchase. They also brief about the serving size which is helpful, so that one can plan accordingly. They also provided details on shipping and they expressed how I can schedule delivery for a future arrival date. If I was ordering this as a gift, they allowed the option to include a personalized greeting card to go along with the order.

Once it arrived and I saw for myself how easy it was to prepare and serve I knew they had not been exaggerating. This is definitely something that I will use again and recommend to others as well. The website was so easy to use and I had no problems during or after my purchase. The meat was so flavorful and moist, and it left everyone wanting more. The quality of the food was exceptional.

Pros: It is so easy to prepare. I thought for sure there was going to be more steps to the preparation, but there honestly is not. The meal comes ready to heat and once you've heated it, all that is left to do is serve it. It is as easy as 123.

Cons: There is nothing that I can particularly pinpoint as being a con. The only serious thing would be that if my party had been larger than this product would not have worked. The serving size is a little small, but if you are only having a small dinner party than it works perfectly.

Website Experience: My experience on the website was fantastic. I could navigate easily through the webpage. Everything is so organized and easy to understand, I had no problem finding my way. The pictures they used were also very helpful. They provided an idea of not only what to expect from the food, but also how to set it up. I actually replicated the way the meats were set up in the picture at my dinner party. There was also product question and answer available. The questions that had been asked and answered were actually ones that I was wondering about as well so that was very helpful.

Amount Paid: $59.95

Purchase Date: March 5, 2013

Online or In-Store: Online

Final Notes: I am so happy with the results of my purchase. It actually exceeded my expectations. I had heard nothing, but great things from other people who had previously used Harry and David, but I was still worried.

Recommended: Yes

Overall Rating: 5 Stars

The Rogue Valley Gift Basket from Harry and David is a distinguished gift that will fit just about any occasion and the quality of the products can not be topped. It includes Harry and David's Royal Riveria pears and Rouge Valley cheese in a beautiful pear shaped trivet that unfolds into a lovely basket, making it a versatile as well as a beautiful complement to any décor and will be a reminder of the thoughtful gift long after the delectable treats have been eaten. When you want to say thank you in a special way, when you want to show someone how special they are, or if you simply want to treat yourself to something extraordinary and delightful, visit Harry and David on-line for the best ideas in gift giving.

Check out the Roxy Ann Gift Basket Classic offered by Harry and David at HarryAndDavid.com. The beautifully crafted basket consists of four Royal Riviera pears, four apples, 5 ounces of white extra-sharp cheddar cheese, 4 ounces of mixed nuts, 4 ounces of three seed crackers, and 10 ounces of classic recipe pepper and onion relish. It serves about six to eight people. The gift package offers a perfect blend of healthy foods, and is ideal for personal use as well as gift giving. It will give you or the recipient a true taste of the Pacific Northwest. You will love the presentation and the quality of the product. If you are planning to give this one as a gift, you can choose a personalized greeting card to accompany this gift.

My dad loves chocolates. The diabetes diagnosis was devastating for him. He had to avoid sweets and delicacies that he loved the most. He always seemed sad at family dinners and get-togethers. I felt bad for him. I was walking through the local Harry and David store at the mall. I saw a great selection of sugar-free chocolates and desserts. I tasted a few. They tasted almost like the regular ones. I got a couple sets for my dad. He loved them. I saw him enjoy his meals after a long time. I can never forget the expressions on his face that day. I have to thank Harry and David for all the amazing memories. It was priceless.

Harry and David have the best selection of cookies and cookie jars during the holiday season. They make the perfect gifts. I buy them for my coworkers all the time, and they simply love them. I get so many compliments for them. I also love that many of them keep my cookie jars proudly on their counter tops. The Harry and David quality speaks for itself. I do not think they need my review. I am just writing this to thank them for an amazing and stress-free experience every holiday season.