Lockdown Love: Valentine Gift Guide
Life in lockdown can make or break a relationship. Whether it separates you from a potential partner or leaves you, literally, on top of each other (and not always in the fun way) it can be hard to get in the mood when the mood is so glum. This year Belle About Town has scoured the (sanitised) shelves of the internet to find great gifts for the one you love, be they near or far.
- Love Struck bouquet by Bunches. This independent florist is a family-run business committed to giving a minimum of 10% of profits to working with the poor either in the UK or largely in the developing world. They offer a huge selection of flowers including a specific Valentine range, and also a letterbox range which is 100% plastic free. Letterbox flowers are delivered in specially designed letterbox friendly packaging. They all include free delivery and arrive in recyclable paper wrap along with a personal message card, a compostable packet of flower food and care instructions. Love Struck is beautiful arrangement of red Roses and L’or du Roselily Isabella Lilies, accompanied by stems of scented Eucalyptus and delicate pink Wax Flower. Priced at £50 and with a week-plus freshness guarantee.
2. Having scoured the Melted Inside website for an artisan andulgent treat we came across this afternoon tea fudge hamper from My Sweets & Treats, priced at £33.99. Delivery took over a week so we’d recommend planning ahead, but this is a great gift to either enjoy together, or have sent to a loved one you can’t see on the day.
3. Art House London candles are hand poured in England using 100% natural plant wax (mainly soy and rapeseed), with lead-free cotton wicks for a clean, non-toxic burn. These luxury candles don’t just look good, they are infused with either the finest pure essential oils, or premium fragrance oils which contain no harsh chemicals or colours. The quality of the oils together with the superior plant wax ensure that the candles burn evenly, and that they fragrance the room even when unlit.
4. A personalised wine decanter is a nice touch to go with a bottle and this one is delicate in design but sturdy to touch. £34.95 from Prezzybox.
5. Nothing says Love in the Time of Corona quite as much as a Cocorose heart-design face covering. If we must wear masks, let them be beautiful ones. All masks come with their own pouch bearing the same intricate design. Profits on every mask sold will continue to add to a fundraising total that exceeded £19,000 in 2020 for Honeypot Children’s Charity. Monies raised are already helping to provide vital respite breaks and other diversions for 55 children UK-wide, whose mental health is impacted by being full-time carers for parents and siblings. The Love Hearts design, comprising pink-red love hearts on a black background is available as both a pleated cotton mask with gentle nose-wire (£11.99) or a sculpted and fitted mask (£11.99).
6. This Olive Oil Gift Set from Sacla is a pretty little set that contains three classic Italian flavours in the Italian tricolore. The extra virgin oil from Venterra’s organic olive trees is top-notch and the basil, chilli and garlic add a real twist to salads, meats, fish, bruschetta, pasta, potatoes… you get the idea.
7. If you’re not able to be together but plan to raise a glass over Zoom, why not post a bottle of wine through their letterbox? Yes really! Garçon Wines are the inventors of eco, flat wine bottles that fit through an average UK letterbox. The full-sized (75cl) bottles of wine are made from 100% pre-existing PET (not single-use plastic), are fully, easily recyclable after use and have a significantly lower carbon footprint than round, glass wine bottles. They’re shatterproof so require minimal protective packaging to arrive safely at the destination – with no spilled wine! The perfect contact-free, seamless home delivery option we all need in these COVID times. Check out the Garçon website for the full range.
8. Baileys Strawberries & Cream Chocolate Hearts are encased in a delicious silky milk chocolate shell, complete with a dreamy Baileys strawberries & cream truffle filling. Available from selected supermarkets for £3.
9. The team at La Tua Pasta have created two limited edition boxes using two of their most popular fillings, tomato + mozzarella and black truffle + ricotta. The twist is the shape though, which for 2 weeks in February will be heart-shaped. As always with the La Tua boxes, easy antipasti and dessert are included, and for San Valentino it will be a fresh bake at home focaccia with olive tapenade as well as a little sweet treat of Italian chocolates to finish off the meal. To give it the right setting and tabletop, they’ve also sourced beautiful linen placemats made in Italy, with two included in each box. The limited edition boxes are available to pre-order now, priced from £46 (from £67 with a bottle of prosecco). Nationwide delivery is free for orders over £30.
10. The Macmillan Love Hearts Noughts And Crosses set consists of a leather box with the noughts and crosses grid embossed in gold foil on the top. The pieces are embossed with gold crosses and love hearts and can be kept inside this calf skin leather box with suede lining. The perfect present to keep lovers entertained during lockdown! £150.00.
11. Give the gift of a good night’s sleep with calm restore pillow spray by Olverum. an elegant diffuser which imbues linens and spaces with a serene natural fragrance, to help promote a tranquil mind and restful sleep, essential for maintaining mood, metabolism and memory. Very much needed in these stressful times! Priced at £25 on the Olverum website.
12. Back British suppliers and treat yourselves to a bottle of Ashling Park Sparkling Rosé 2014. At £31.50 this delicious blend of Pinot Noir (80%), and Pinot Meunier (20%) is produced from grapes grown on the beautiful chalk slopes of the South Downs. Delicious on its own but with the body and structure to partner many foods, this is an extremely elegant and versatile English Sparkling Rosé – it even won a Trophy Award in the WineGB Awards 2020.
And we have an exclusive offer for Belle readers. Spend £25+ and receive a free Ashling Park Pointer’s Pour Mini Gin, when you enter the code APREVGIN. To receive this offer, please add the Ashling Park Pointer’s Pour Mini Gin to your basket and add the code when prompted at checkout.
