Gifts to trust the postman with (or maybe not...)

A conundrum I'm often faced with is what gifts can I give to people that would survive the company of Royal Mail?  Not living less than 100 miles from any of my nearest relatives certainly poses some challenges.

Sure there's always vouchers, or mail-order flowers, or a box of chocolates swaddled in layers of bubble wrap (it'll taste the same even if it's smushed anyway). But what if you want to send an actual present? 

Whiskey Gift Sets
The Whisky Tasting Company

Not full sized bottles I'm afraid...!

TWTC offer a great range of options, from subscriptions to one off tasting boxes.  You can have them sent directly to your lucky recipient with the gift options (and the box is slim enough to fit through the letter box). Each of the boxes contain a number of mini 30ml bottles of different whiskeys (decent ones too) and tasting cards which explain each one's background, ingredients and distilling process.  It's a great gift for the whisky drinker who'd like to try something new and expand their palate.  I particularly like the Welsh Whisky Grand Slam gift set (£27.50) and the Old and Rare Scotch Whisky set (59.50). There's something for everyone. Except for someone who doesn't like whisky. In which case, why are you bothering to read this segment? Silly Billy. Move along.

Gift Hampers
Virginia Hayward


Tear and Share (yeah, right)



I've bought many a hamper from The good people at Virginia Hayward over the years, and they always go down a storm. Their delivery service is speedy too, and they have next day options on many products.  So we're talking about cheese hampers, wine hampers, chocolate hampers, xmas hampers, special diet hampers, even tea and coffee hampers. I've always been a fan of their sweetie ones, particularly the Blast from the Past (£22). They've just brought out a Best of British one too (£22.50) which comes in a smart Union Jack keepsake tin, and their oldie but goodie the Tear and Share set (£29.99) comes in an actual wicker hamper. And you'll share absolutely none of it. 

Papercutting Trees
Cutting Edge Frames UK - Not on the High Street 


A nice kind of paper cut



For something special, I'd direct you to Not On The High Street for a multitude of ideas. For something really special, I'd tell you to go straight to these papercut trees (£65). It isn't just a print, they really do laser cut your choice of names out of your choice of colour card. Their service was quick, their emails friendly and the end product stunning. I bought one of these in white on light grey with the names of our family as a thank you gift for my parents and it is displayed proudly in their hallway.  You can also have names and a date done as in the picture, so they'd make a great gift to celebrate a wedding or new baby.

And if there must be chocolate...
Hotel Chocolat


Giant Slab. Sold.



Of course, sometimes only chocolate will do. In which case I forbid you from going anywhere but to Hotel Chocolat. Their gift ideas are genius, their range is extensive, and their giant slabs are just plain bat crap crazy (£15).  They do a gift bag service so you can send direct, but quite frankly if no one was sending me anything from Hotel Chocolat for a while I would walk five hundred miles and I would walk five hundred more just to be the one who'd walk a thousand miles to fall down at the door of Hotel Chocolat. (da da da da).