Hillshire Farm Holiday Sausage & Cheese Assortment Gift Set, 20.1 Oz., 6 Count

i thought the gift pack would be only since it's from hillshire farm. the sausages were pretty good, as was the mustard. but the cheese was not, and there were so few crackers for a lot of sausage and cheese. it seems a bit disproportionate.

I really enjoyed the sausage in this pack. The crackers tasted good too, but there were not too many. I love lemon curd so for me that was a great addition and the flavor was top notch on that. The cheese was ok. I enjoyed it, but it could have been better. I think that for the price this is a good gift or a great idea to take to a party. We used it for a pre game snack and added some extra crackers and fresh veggies.

The Hillshire Farm company has been around since the mid 1930s and is now owned by Sara Lee (A.K.A. Hillshire Brands). It's primary products are a variety of smoked sausages, kielbasa, sandwich meats, etc. I've purchased (and enjoyed) many of them in the supermarket over the years. What appears to be relatively new (at least to me) is a holiday pack of sausage, cheese, mustard, and crackers. I'm more used to seeing this type of product from Hickory Farms, Swiss Colony, or similar companies. This particular package contains two summer sausages, two bars of cheese, a package of crackers and a small jar of mustard. A nice assortment for casual snacking or cocktails. The size is a disappointment, however. The sausages are smaller than those normally found in the super market (about half the diameter of the average pepperoni) and the cheeses are downright miserly. Although they appear to be a normal "brick" through the front package window, once removed they are less than half an inch thick. A bit more like a thin slab rather than a brick. Another concern about the cheeses... I'd be the last to say I have a gourmet pallet, but these raise a flag (perhaps not red one, but at least yellow). First, the brand name is "Premiere Brand" (never heard of it, couldn't find it anywhere online). Second, when you read the rest of the label it states: "Cheddar Flavor pasteurized process cheese food" and "Swiss Flavor pasteurized process cheese food". I have to say, that's a bit tacky as well. Interestingly, when you read the ingredient list, Cheddar cheese is number one (for both flavors). Also rather odd, is the name of the crackers - they're entitled "Stoned Wheat Crackers". "Stone-Ground" I understand, but I'm not exactly sure what "Stoned Crackers" means - are they actually stone-ground, or is this a clever labeling to make you think they are? Another annoyance was the fact that the little jar of "Stone Ground Mustard" was not capped securely and made a sticky mess in the bottom of the package. Bottom line - I have little doubt they will all taste just fine when served to family or guests (even if they disappear rather quickly). However, I'd question sending a package to a friend or relative. The labeling is a real turn-off (it smacks of "generic substitute") and, once opened, the size is meager. Too bad, too - their normal-sized sausages are really good.

If you love summer sausages and cheeses, it is truly hard to go wrong with ANY Hillshire Farms products. This set is no exception, with two different cheese bricks and two small sausages. In addition to the cheeses, there is a small package of stone ground wheat crackers and a small jar of cracked mustard. The mustard goes really well with the sausage! This set would make a great hostess gift. I can also see this being perfect for gift exchanges where you don't really know the person well - everyone eats! This would make a great gift for an office co-worker or neighbor as well. It is hard to find someone who doesn't like a box of Hillshire Farms foods. If you want this for yourself, I don't blame you a bit! Grab a knife, a small plate, and have a great snack in front of the fireplace while watching a movie!

The packaging is very nice; it looks like some of the more expensive gift packs you can order online. The sausage tastes good, but I had to pan-fry it to remove some of the grease. It comes with 8 ounces of "cheese". It is more like cheese food. It's a mix of cheese and milk, like the "easy-melt" cheeses. The cheese tastes okay, but it was a little bland. When I have bought gift-packs in the past, they contained bricks of real hard cheeses, and I was expecting more of the same. Included were a pack of 3 crackers, and a small jar of horseradish mustard. There weren't enough crackers for the meat and cheese, but I didn't choose the package because of the crackers anyway. The horseradish mustard was excellent. I think Hillshire Farm is a good company, and they do make good sausages. They should just stick to what they know, because I just don't think this Holiday package is worth getting.