With summer in full swing, so too are house visits to friends and relatives. These are our best ideas to put a smile on your host’s face. And remember, depending on how long you’re staying, there is nothing precluding you from giving a small selection of the below.
The Newt In Somerset
The Babylonstoren Wine Selection, £65
A classic, this. Plus, if you intend to drink any wine on your stay, it’s only good manners to bring some with you. Even if you don’t partake, if your host does, it will never go amiss. The Newt In Somerset’s trio of bottles is as stylish as it is delicious, with each vintage hailing from South African vineyard, Babylonstoren. It includes ‘a dry and slightly wooded Viognier for white wine drinkers, a full-bodied Shiraz and their hero rosé which was the official rosé of this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show.’ Buy it.
AKT
The Lantern Candle, £35
Candles come under the everybody-likes-but-few-people-buy-for-themselves category of gift. AKT’s The Lantern candle is plastic-free and cruelty-free – and inspired by the drama and atmosphere of the West End, bestowing a warm glow about the scene and filling the room with the scent of mandarin and neroli. An exquisite mood enhancer. Buy it.
London Grocery
Panettone Limoncello, £22.49
Panettone isn’t just for Christmas (although it is extremely well received then too). This limoncello take on the classic is just the thing for high tea on the lawn – proper table cloth and all. Buy it.
Brindisa
Tasting Box, £70
A hamper is always welcome – and we especially love this one, which takes the recipient on a culinary journey around Spain. There’s honey, chocolates and almonds from Catalonia, Gordal olives and game pate from Andalusia, bonito tuna from the north coast, and chorizo from La Rioja. In short, heaven – without the sweltering temperatures of summer 2023. Buy it.
Heywood Hill
A Year In Books, £235
For a longer stay with a literary type, there could be no nicer gift than a Heywood Hill subscription. After a consultation with an HH bookseller, recipients will be sent two books each month for a year, based on their tastes and interests. The gift that keeps on giving and, of course, reminding them of their guests’ thoughtfulness every month – return invitation guaranteed. Buy it.
Crocus
Terracotta Agapanthus Pot, £59.99
If you’re travelling to your host by public transport, this may be one to send on ahead. But why send flowers when you can send a plant in its own beautiful terracotta pot to thrive year after year? If your host doesn’t have a garden, traditional flowers will do just nicely too. Buy it.
Ortigia
Melograno Glycerine Soap, Small Box, €36
As with candles, fancy soap makes an especially lovely present thanks to the fact it’s something we would rarely buy for ourselves. Sicilian brand Ortigia makes some of our favourites; richly fragranced and beautifully packaged. Divine. Buy it.
Amazon
Frank Lloyd Wright Playing Cards, £12.25
If your guests enjoy an after-dinner game of cards, treat them to a really special deck in the form of these Frank Lloyd Wright playing cards. Buy it.
Pentreath & Hall
Alphabet Brush Pot, £40
Bridie Hall’s brush pots come in every initial and thus make the perfect personalised present for your host – whether to store their paint brushes or their toothbrushes. Buy it.
Maude Made
Apron, £25
Maude Smith makes the sweetest of handmade homewares, from hand-painted tiles to plates. For foodie hosts, we like this sweet fern-adorned apron (it would also make a good gift for gardeners too). Buy it.
Waitrose
Boules Set, £20
Particularly good if you’re descending on family or friends with your kids in tow for a summer stay (or, indeed, if they have kids), Waitrose’s boules set will provide an afternoon of fun and frolics on the lawn. Even if there are no children in sight, it still spells nostalgic fun – perhaps with a Pimm’s in hand. Buy it.
Cambridge Imprint
A Square-Ish Tissue Box Cover In Charleston Ripple, £24
The key to clever present buying is to go for lovely things that the recipient might not have considered or indeed talked themselves out of buying because, well, they’re one of life’s extras. True, no one needs a tissue cover box. But also true is the fact that they can make a not especially attractive thing pretty and thus pep up someone’s day. And that, we think, is ultimately the secret to the art of gift giving. Buy it.
Mary Oliver
A Thousand Mornings, £7.58
Sure, if your host is literary, you could buy them a ‘poem for everyday of the year’ type affair to inspire them daily and that would be wholly lovely to receive. But we think there is something even greater in giving the gift of a book you have loved, thereby possibly passing on the wonder of their words. One good candidate for this is the poet Mary Oliver, whose work is alive to the awe and beauty that can be found in the smallest moments. The Boston Globe said of this collection, ‘Mary Oliver teaches us the profound act of paying attention - a living wonder that makes it possible to appreciate all the others.’ Buy it.
Grind X Henry Holland
Mug Gift Set, £70
If your host is a coffee lover, Henry Holland’s collaboration with coffee roaster Grind is just the thing. You can choose your coffee: either House Blend Ground Coffee, or of 20 Nespresso ® compatible home-compostable coffee pods, plus you get a limited-edition Holland-designed mug and tin. Buy it.
By Nancy Alsop
August 2023
