AD- All products featured in this gift guide have been kindly gifted by the brands for a feature in this gift guide. All opinions my own - some images have been sent to me in exchange for being featured here too.
It's Christmas Gift Guide time again! This year I decided to take the time to produce one for you as I actually do really enjoy putting them together for you!
I have a varied selection of gifts here, from Personalised Prosecco, a DIY Gingerbread House Kit to a beautiful handmade scarf and a quirky but unique opportunity to practice your photography skills!
I hope there's something in here which tickles your fancy and that you end up purchasing for someone special - or yourself, because we all know the best part of doing any Christmas shopping is the 'one for them, two for me' rule!
Olive Tree Adoption from Nudo Adopt
Something a bit different here for you, how would you like to adopt an olive tree in Italy and receive oil from your very own tree? Sounds exclusive right?!
Wrong! Nudo Adopt empower olive farmers running small-scale groves in Italy to continue using sustainable farming methods and share their premium, authentic extra virgin olive oil with people all around the world.
The Nudo olive tree adoption program is a collaboration of these groves in Liguria, Sicily and Marche. The farmers all use low impact farming methods, protecting the land from intensive practices which harm the soil and trees for future generations.
They produce award-winning extra virgin olive oil using methods on both tradition and modern technology.
Olive tree parents choose the grove they would like to support and they receive the extra virgin olive oil from their tree delivered straight to their door. They will also get regular updates about their olive tree, farmer and all about the world of extra virgin olive oil. They can even visit their grove and meet their olive tree and farmer!
The one I have here is from Feudo Marchesa - Francesca's 2017 oil is green with gold nuances. The scent suggests aromatic herbs such as wild fennel and dill along with ripe tomato. To taste it is medium and fruity with a slight bitter and spicy afternote.
Gift adoptions start at £39 and you can find out more on their website.
DIY Gingerbread House Kit- Biscuiteers
We all know and love the Gingerbread House, it's to Christmas what carrots are to The Snowman. Basically they're everywhere and it's hard to go shopping without finding one or two on the shelves.
There are so many to choose from, it can be hard to decide which one try, but may I suggest this beauty from Biscuiteers? Made to their own unique recipe, based upon a traditional twice baked English style biscuit, the texture is somewhere between the snap of a gingerbread and the crumble of a shortbread.
Their gingerbread bake uses a delicious mix of spices to give it a sweet and fragrant taste. Inside the kit you'll find pre-baked gingerbread pieces, royal icing, piping bags and an assortment of delicious decorations in beautiful frosty colours.
Biscuiteers are the queens of the biscuit world, they have designs for every occasion from birthdays to graduations, christenings, sporting events and even Best of British biscuits. So there really is something for everyone!
The hardest part about this DIY Kit is that not only are there instructions inside the kit itself, but Biscuiteers have a handy guide on how to make your own gingerbread house. So, you needn't worry about your sides not sticking together!
This would make a wonderful gift for the baking enthusiast or one to make with your little ones at home. Either way, it's bound to be something fun to do this festive season.
DIY Gingerbread House Kit retails for £35 and can be found online and in their London store.
Ollie and Fred Scarf
Ollie and Fred is a wonderful small business based in Manchester. Their aim is to add colour to everybody's life through vibrant, high-quality products that offer great value to their customers.
As a small business they value the personal touch and great customer service. Their scarves make fantastic gifts, so if you're buying for someone else, they'll deliver it to any UK mainland address free of charge and it will be beautifully gift wrapped, with a handwritten card with your own message.
I can attest to all of this being true, as my scarf arrived in the most beautiful box, wrapped up in purple tissue paper which I didn't want to unwrap! The scarf itself is super soft and non-irritating on the skin.
This particular scarf is the Sylvia and is rich and vibrant in colour with each of the distinctive colours having a specific meaning relating to the suffragette movement, green for hope, white for purity and purple for loyalty.
Made from a blend of silk and modal, the suffragette scarf is beautifully soft and delicate. Ollie and Fred donate 20% of profit from all sales of this particular scarf to The Pankhurst Trust.
If you've been here for a while, you'll know how much I love supporting small businesses and Ollie & Fred is no different.
What I love most, I mean apart from everything, is how the business is named after her parents, Ollie & Fred! This is legit the cutest reason for a business name I've ever come across.
Also, 20% of profits from the sale of each of the scarves go to support Manchester charities which is just so amazing, giving back whilst making beautiful scarves, purses and socks. I urge you to check out Ollie & Fred this festive season and support this small business.
The Sylvia Scarf is £25 and more scarves can be found on their website.
Sara Miller London Silk Eye Mask and Travel Bag Set
You may recognise this one from one of my recent posts 'Creating The Right Environment For Sleep' and I couldn't not feature it here because it is just so beautiful.
Made from 100% silk and designed to sit lightly on the face to ensure maximum contact whilst you sleep, the silk is super soft, preventing irritation and wrinkles from forming on the face.
The beautiful silk travel bag it comes with can be used in so many ways, mainly to keep your eye mask safe whilst travelling but also for your delicates.
The gorgeous flamingo design really pops, and you can't help but smile when wearing the eye mask! It comes with an equally gorgeous travel bag which is idea for using whilst travelling. Use it to keep the eye mask separate from your clothes or place your delicates inside to help them keep their shape.
This would make a lovely gift wrapped in a beautiful box which just adds to the luxuriousness of this whole set.
The eye mask is available from Sara Miller London for £40 and you can check out more of her beautiful range on the website.
Jeffrey's Tonics
Jeffery's Tonic are a small, independent company based in Chester who make tonic waters and tonic syrups. Run by Mike and Maureen it all started with a book about Gin - all the best ideas start this way, no?
It told them that tonic waters and syrups weren't very popular in the UK so Mike set about creating tonic himself and although early versions weren't great, as with most things, the more he tried the better they became.
Eventually the company grew, and they now make the tonics in the NoWFood Centre at the University of Chester.
These tonic syrups come in a beautiful gift box which would make the perfect gift for the gin lover in your life! They can all be added to cocktails or simply on their own for those times when you're just saying no.
The four flavours in this gift set are: Lime, Galangal and Orange, Yarrow, Rosehip and Elderflower, Not So Plain and the Original Recipe.
So, if you know anyone who loves their Gin and may be looking for something a little different, give Jeffrey's Tonics a go!
This gift set retails for £14 and more information can be found on their website.
Summerton Whiskey Club
Now we have one for the Whisky connoisseur in your life, the Summerton Whisky Club. Their mission is to bring unique, rare and unusual whiskeys from around the world straight to your door through their subscription service.
The best part of this service is that you can put your subscription on hold, cancel it or downgrade at any time, hassle free!
Delivery months for Summerton are February, April, June, August, October and December, so if you join in January, you'll receive your first bottle in February and the next in April.
The cut-off for joining to receive the next bottle is the 4th of each delivery month.
There are strict criteria set by founder Daniel Humphrey which include:
- The Whiskey must be aged to perfection
- Not the kind of bottles you'd find on the supermarket shelf
- Pass the Summerton Whisky Club taste test
- They only ever supply full bottles, no miniatures, drams or samplers allowed!
The Summerton Whisky Club is the idea way to add to your drinks cabinet and be introduced to distilleries and makers whom you might not otherwise come across.
Gift Subscriptions:
Half year - 3 bottles over 6 months - £150
Full year - 6 bottles over 12 months - £300
Summerton Whisky Club Membership - £50 on 5th of every month
Membership will see a bottle delivered to your door on or just after 21st of every other month, starting with their next available delivery month.
You can find out more about this unique subscription service on their website.
Personalised Prosecco
Next up we have a bottle of Personalised Prosecco. Personally, I love anything that's personalised, for me it just adds an extra level of uniqueness to any item. I've previously featured a bottle of personalised rose wine in my Small Business Series so you may say I'm becoming something of a collector!
This bottle comes courtesy of Personalised Bottle Labels who are a wonderfully independent family business which started in 2007, starting initially through eBay selling personalised chocolate and teddy bears.
The website was set up in 2012 and they decided to stop selling on eBay - year on year since their business has increased 100%!
In 2016 they were granted their alcohol license and their range has increased to include the option to purchase alcohol with the label.
You can buy the label by itself, stuck on a bottle or as part of their many gifts. This would make a great gift for that person who is difficult to buy for or to make a Christmas extra special.
You can choose from Champagne, Wine (red, white & rose), Prosecco, Beer, Cider or Spirit (Rum, Gin, Port, Whiskey, Port or Brandy), making your Christmas shopping that much easier!
As you can tell, I really love this gift idea, just to be able to have that much control over what's on the label can really add that personal touch to any gift.
Prices range from £8.99 - £17.99 and more information can be found on their website.
Cookery School at Little Portland Street, London
Now something for the culinary wiz in your family, a cookery class from The Cookery School at Little Portland Street, London. I am actually going to attend their All-Day Vegan Class in January and I'm really excited to learn how to cook some new delicious vegan dishes.
They offer a range of day and evening cooking classes to suit all ages and abilities each of which aim to teach people the skills they need to make delicious dishes that can be prepared quickly or in advance to be enjoyed with family and friends.
Their classes are informal and relaxed, but well structured, featuring a mix of demonstration and hands-on cooking. At the end of most classes, you will sit down together around the Cookery School table to enjoy the food that has been cooked.
They can adapt many of their classes to suit special dietary requirements, so you don't need to worry if you're gluten/dairy free, vegetarian or vegan, like me! There are gift vouchers available, starting from £50 up to £880, as well as tote bags, aprons and even a handbook! Check out their website for more details.
Photography Experience Days with Paul David Smith Photography
Now here's something a little different from the norm - a photography experience day with a professional photographer. Based in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, Paul has been in the industry since 2008.
He now spends his time teaching other people the art of photography as well as offering the chance to capture beautiful images in stunning locations.
Paul has courses to suit everyone, from beginners right through to those more experienced looking to add shots to their portfolio.
The experience days vary from Urban Exploration Shoot, Mermaid Queen, Warrior and Floating on a bed of dreams shoot.
Photographers of all abilities are welcome as David calmly and professionally talks you through how to correctly set up your camera and accurately capture your subject - whether that be a person, animal or a landscape.
Gift vouchers will make the perfect gift if you know someone who would benefit from an experience such as this. Sometimes I think it's easier to learn when you're immersed in the area/the subject you're photographing.
There's plenty of choice available so I'm sure you'll be able to find something to suit whomever in your life is a budding photographer!
Experience days start at £75, and more information can be found on his website.
Highland Wolf- a Small Scottish Business
Finally, we have a wonderfully small Scottish business for you who sell a variety of products from producers who themselves are independent. All materials are sourced locally, ethically and are of a high standard.
They are passionate about supporting other small businesses who are environmentally aware, support and promote ethical and equal opportunities as well as supporting Social Enterprise.
As an example of being environmentally aware, all of their wooden products are made from recycled materials such as whisky or ale casks, pallets or other items up cycled and recreated into something new and beautiful.
In addition to this they're launching their own range of Highland Wolf products, which are all ethically sourced in Scotland and further afield.
Their aim is always to make use of small businesses in the production process and are proud to start off with their very own brand of preserves.
The fruit used is provided by local farmers and allotment owners. Their range of suppliers and products is growing and they're aiming to expand what they have on offer.
Personally, I love how Highland Wolf uses the wolf's pack mentality to support other local businesses and producers. You're guaranteed to get something bespoke and personal with that homemade touch.
You can view the complete range on their website and also choose gift cards/vouchers if you're not quite sure what to buy!
Well, there you have it! My Christmas Gift Guide 2019 all wrapped up! I hope you do decide to browse through these gifts and do your Christmas shopping early!
I personally love all of these products and will happily browse through their online shops this year whilst choosing which gifts to buy. I think at this time of year, it's important to support independent businesses and make their festive season a happy one.
Do some good this year and support an independent!
Happy Shopping!
Love, Sarah xoxoxo
