Tag Archives: christmas ideas

The Perfect Tea Gifts: Christmas at Mariage Frères

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Stepping inside Mariage Frères is like being transported into a bygone era. Mariage Frères is exclusively one of France’s oldest tea shops and we are fortunate enough to have their flagship store open on our doorstep in the heart of Covent Garden. This is also the brands largest tea emporium to date, boasting five storeys of tea history. The ceiling to floor tea wall is filled with all the teas you can imagine and is definitely worth a visit just to marvel at the longest tea wall in the World featuring over 1000 varieties of tea. The shop also features a Tea Museum on the second floor showcasing tea antiques from around the World as well as providing you with a lowdown on the history of tea and of course, the pièce de résistance has to be the Salon de Thé. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner each dish is expertly created to feature, you’ve guessed it… tea. We heavily recommend their tea infused cocktails! There really is something for everyone here. 

The emporium is a stunning addition to Covent Garden and like everywhere else at this time of the year, we thoroughly recommend paying this place a visit over the festive period. Tea lovers will be blown away by the quality of the products and we promise you will not be disappointed by their incredible collection of luxurious and stunning Christmas gifts and cakes to impress your guests! 

Our personal favourites had to be…

Mariage Frères Gold Cake £66

Not only is this completely show-stopping, but the Gold Cake is scrumptious. Covered in shimmering gold, this chocolate marbled cake is infused with Marco Polo black-tea and flavoured with festive spices with a core of gianduja and hazelnut. The Gold Cake will serve around ten guests and if you’re in my house, will last about 5 minutes! 

Noël Fruit Tea: £49

This stunning fruit tea comes packaged in a hand-blown glass bauble design. The tea itself is fruity and spicy and festive and can be enjoyed hot or cold and like any, would make a great infusion  perfect for a Christmas cocktail. 

Opera Musical Tea-Box £65

Now this really is a unique and extraordinary present. A beautiful, illustrated musical gift box is filled with four packets of tea and when opened, each plays a different operatic tune. This really is the kind of gift one would have been presented with many years ago and we are so thrilled to see that it is still possible to buy such a traditional gift. 

Soho Bohème Teapot £299

For the tea-lover who has everything. We guarantee they won’t have such an exquisite teapot. This expertly hand-blown glass teapot is sculpted into a soufflè shape and can be bought with a gold or silver lid. This teapot really oozes class and sophistication. 

NOËL SUBLIME® £39

Nestled in an elegant gift set, painted in black & gold and decorated with silver stars, this NOËL SUBLIME advent calendar beholds 25 tea-inspired Mariage Frères treats to make the countdown to the holidays all the more pleasant.
The clock, symbolised by a hanging Christmas ornament, ticks while imaginary windows, opening day after day, glimmer under the guiding light of the Star of Bethlehem.

All gifts are available to buy in Mariage Frères flagship store in Covent Garden or in Selfridges London.

www.mariagefreres.com 

Christmas Gifts for Wine Lovers

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We have selected a few unique and innovative gifting options this Christmas for anyone who loves to receive wine. From subscription boxes to wine days out you can’t go wrong with our versatile selection.

Your Sommelier : French Wine Box

This subscription service offers you 3 stunning French wines each month. Ccarefully selected from independent vineyards, Your Sommelier will provide tasting cards and key info to help you learn all about your wines which will be presented in your own Your Sommelier folder, free with each subscription. The subscription options will be for 1 month, 3 month or 6 months ranging from £36-£60. There is no minimum contract and you can cancel anytime making it perfect for a one off gift or for something a little bit more special.

yoursommelier.co.uk

sipp

Designed for Millennials, this wine club comes with a difference. sipp is the World’s first Augmented Reality wine club which comes with it’s own app. You pick a box online and whichever wines you receive you can scan with your smartphone and receive your very own private tasting experience. sipp helps bring to life all the knowledge of the wine as well as offering up adequate food pairings. sipp was designed to get rid of all the snobbery associated with wine tasting and creating a fun and easy to learn guide on the wines you love. Through sipp you can either purchase a one off gift or their subscription. Join sippClub for just £29 per month and you will receive wines worth up to £45 with no minimum contract and free P&P making it the perfect gift for someone who loves wine already and wants to learn more about the World of wine. Other specialist gift boxes are available and for a limited time, they are running a special Christmas discount on all gifts. We tried it out and thought that this was by far one of the most comprehensive and easy to understand hacks into the World of Wine.

sippwine.co.uk

WWW.WineCellarDoor.co.uk

Offering you a comprehensive guide to all of the visitor friendly vineyards in the UK, this website has an array of experiences and tours for anyone who loves their wine. With a gift for absolutely anyone, winecellardoor.co.uk offers events and tastings at a number of wine estates, giving you a chance to curate your very own wine day out. Through their online shop you can purchase wines produced in the UK’s finest vineyards or you can even check the events page to see what wine related events are happening around the UK from free events to taking part in official wine courses. Our top picks are: Yoga in the Vineyard priced at £85 at Hambledon Vineyard, Christmas Wreath making course also at Hambledon Vineyard and Denbies Cellar Sparkling Wine tasting and Gallery Restaurant Dinner at the Denbies wine estate in Surrey.

www.WineCellarDoor.co.uk

Cheers!

Toy State Reveals Fantastic Toddler Toys | Christmas Ideas

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Toy State, a toy industry leader and innovator of highly-stylized licenced “lights and sound” and radio-controlled vehicles has a fantastic selection of Christmas toys suitable for toddlers. Designed to cope with tough toddler play and encourage co-ordination and imaginative play. We reviewed the following:

Hot Wheels Extreme Action Sharkruiser– All the excitement of Hot Wheels™ with lights and sounds for extra action. Get ready for extreme fun with the chomping jaws and glowing eyes on Sharkruiser. Ages 3+ Expected Market Retail price £19.99, available from smythstoys.com, TheRange.co.uk, ASDA.com, Wilkinson.com, ToysRUs.co.uk

A huge hit with toddlers. They can barely wait until it is out of the box. Chomps away as it goes. 

Cat Buildin’ Crew E-Z Machines® R/C- You are never too young to start playing with a Remote-Control vehicle. Designed for toddlers, the single button activation allows the child to drive the Cat machine forward when pressing the button or watch it spin in circles when released. There are 2 fun characters to collect including; Haulin’ Harry™ and Rugged Randy™. Ages 2+ Expected Market Retail price £16.99, available from smythstoys.com, TheRange.co.uk, Toymaster.co,uk and Debenhams.com

A brilliant little toy for toddlers. Easy to use and tons of fun. It also helps their coordination. 

 

Christmas Spirit Shots | Christmas Ideas

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A shot glass that looks just as great on your tree? What a brilliant idea. We loved these Christmas Spirit Shots. They are cool and funky. Get them for yourself or as a stocking filler.

christmasspiritshotschristmasdecoration christmasspiritshotglasses

There is no better way to get into the festive spirit than spirit itself, and with these bright, neon baubles you can have spirit in every room.

Perfect to add to your Christmas tree or to dress up your sideboard, these six flasks can be filled with your favourite spirits as a quirky and fun decoration over the Christmas season.

Features:

6 Christmas Tree Decorations
Fill With Favourite Spirits
Neon
Screw Tops

From iwantoneofthose.com

 

The Gifts We Must Stop Giving: Ideas For Christmas

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Shop smarter, not harder, this Christmas
 
While we all try our best to keep up that polite exterior, most of us have some experience of forcing a smile upon receiving an unwanted gift. Novelty ties, ill-fitting underwear, naff toiletry sets – it seems we are a nation stuck in a never-ending cycle of buying for the sake of it, and receiving useless presents in exchange.
To support the launch of their new range of lifestyle gift experiences, powered by Time Out, Smartbox set out to find out more about the nation’s gifting habits.  They surveyed 845 people, up and down the country, and found that:
Receiving
·         Graciously accepting and quickly returning unwanted gifts is fast becoming the norm. 44% of people have returned a gift that was bought for them, with Londoners he most likely to do so
·         40% of people asked prefer to choose their own gifts
·         When asked to name the worst present received, the most popular response was an item of clothing (particularly socks, ill-fitting pants and hosiery)
·         It’s not all about the money. A whopping 84% said that an expensive gift would not mean more to them, with 95% claiming they’d prefer a gift that’s thoughtful, regardless of cost.
Giving
·         Despite the efforts of the eager 8.5% of the population who begin their Christmas shopping in January, 47% don’t feel their gifts are always truly appreciated
·         66% often spend more on a gift than they had hoped to, with a shocking 42% admitting they often spend more than they can afford.
Garry Barone, Head of Sales and Marketing at Smartbox UK, said: “We all know what it’s like to receive a gift we’re not too keen on, and I think if we’re honest, most of us have bought a gift that we knew wasn’t quite up to scratch. When you think about it, buying for the sake of it is a pretty pointless and sometimes costly exercise – particularly when it comes to Christmas. Our survey found that the average person buys for 10 or more people each year – and spends around £250.
“However, when it comes to receiving gifts, it really is the thought that counts. A Smartbox lifestyle gift experience gives you the best of both worlds. While you choose the themed Smartbox that best suits your loved one, they themselves are able to take their pick from up to 200 experiences detailed within.”
Smartbox is Europe’s leading lifestyle gift experience company. This year, they have joined forces with Time Out to offer an incredible range of gifts to suit every age, personality and pocket.
Unlike your usual gift cards and vouchers, each Time Out Smartbox comes in a quality gift box. The voucher comes with a glossy book featuring full details on each experience, making it really easy to choose. What’s more, the price is nowhere to be seen, so they never need to know how much you spent.
The booking process is easy as the voucher is activated on purchase.  All the recipient needs to do is choose what they want to do, where and when. They book directly with the experience provider and redeem the voucher on site. And with many of the packages available for two people, you can share the experience – bonus!
The Time Out Smartbox range includes:
·         Adrenaline (£119.95)
·         Adventure (£29.95)
·         Charming Getaways (£139.95)
·         Delicious Retreats (£199.95)
·         Gourmet Escapes (£269.95)
·         Table for Two (£59.95)
·         Tastings (£29.95)
·         Unusual Escapes (£89.95)
·         Zen & Spa (£59.95)
Also available:
·         The Michelin Star Dining Smartbox (£169)
Smartbox gift boxes are available at selected John Lewis, Butlers, Beales, Clinton Cards, Waterstones, Heal’s and Cargo stores. See website for full details & terms www.smartbox.co.uk.