Not Not A Gift Guide
Quite simply a list of things I've loved or am lusting after. I've cheekily included a final option to gift a yearly subscription to SNOA...
This is mainly a list of goods that I’ve stored in a nerdy little Notion page under the same categories over the past year. I’ve bought some and resisted others. I think they would make great gifts for your friends and family, should you be selfless enough to give away things you not-so-secretly covet. I am also open to this being a list of things loved ones might want to send me anonymously. I’m only half kidding. Next week will be my last essay of 2022; so consider this my penultimate Sunday newsletter this year. Thanks so much for reading, and I hope you find a little inspiration here.
Living Room
I met Joe, Finn and Freya from Mitre & Mondays when I started working on the Atelier100 programme just before summer; I knew they were insanely talented from the beginning, also that I would coerce them into being my friends and letting me work with them. Persistence works, people. Anyway, this is their incredible floor lamp that’s lighting up my living room. It features a reclaimed cobblestone from a London brickyard, a London plane timber frame and stainless steel fixtures that top and tail the more natural elements. If you’re looking for a stand-out piece for your home, this is the one.
I swear by Wax Atelier’s seasonally-hued candles; specifically these twisty double dippers which I affix onto my hammered brass candle plates. I love them because of their upturned little lips.
I’m clearly going candle crazy because I also bought a pair of brass tomato candle holders from my friend Lucy Page. I’m obsessed with having objects made by friends in my flat, so I added to my LG collection (I have a spoon tile and an ear-ring ring).
And another Atelier100 shout out to Alison Cooke, a wonderful sculptor who made this epic vase out of clay excavated below the River Thames. It sits proudly on my coffee table, still filled with the bouquet of flowers the creatives gave me on launch night. Cute!
Kitchen
A good stainless steel pan should be in any food-loving, yes-chef kitchen arsenal. This one from Crane Cookware has been on my mind for a while.
Until I find a cutlery collaborator (watch this space in 2023), it’s the bony Laguiole cutlery set for me – I love that they look like little fingers.
I kept on seeing this jar of Gracewood feta and thought it wouldn’t be worth the money, but it truly is: it’s creamy, soft, milky and rich, infused with herbs and marinated in peppery olive oil. Perfect eaten out of the jar when hunger strikes; beautiful smeared on toast with confit garlic; sublime atop a creamy, beany, pasta-studded soup; delightful stirred into a spicy orzotto. Great as a little stocking stuffer or a Secret Santa gift.
If you’re looking for a good gift for new mums, I’d honestly recommend delivering them a load of FieldGoods sustainable frozen meals. They’re ridiculously tasty and when there are babies to be fed and sleep to be caught up on, bunging a frozen fish pie in the oven for dinner is a godsend. Literally not an ad but I did write some copy for them earlier this year and tried their lasagne and fish pie: I was delighted.
Of course I’m going to tell you to buy a Christmas hamper from On The Table, and not just because my wonderful friend Lucy runs it. If your family, like mine, have banned gifts this year, it’s a perfect sort-of-gift (which you can indulge in; aka the best kind) to bring along to a family gathering.
Wardrobe
I swear by Le Bonne Shop socks. Go fancy with their cashmere ones. Grab the perfectly-padded Boyfriend socks for long walks and longer days. A sparkly pair to pop into your clogs. The Her ones in every colour. Normalise getting your loved ones socks for Christmas.
Cornwall-based Darn Studio’s Tonto pyjama set has been on my list of treats all year. As someone who spends 90% of their time at home (and often in bed), these feel like a necessary uniform.
Another Cornwall brand and friend, Francli Craftwear, has just released their latest Rewoven Oddments Collection. I already have three Francli bags and they are truly built to last forever so I’m refraining from purchasing, but I absolutely love this rucksack.
As a huge proponent of the Canadian tuxedo, allow me to recommend this Toast denim shirt that I may or may not buy now that I’ve purchased yet another pair of Levi’s that coincidentally match this denim wash…
I saw Danny from Danny’s Mud Shop (Instagram’s unlikely but ultimate thirst trap potter, IMHO) wear this Camp High t-shirt, so in true Mean Girls fashion, I wanted it, too.
Library
It might not arrive in time for Christmas, but would recommend pre-ordering my friend Bre Graham’s debut cookbook, Table For Two, that’s coming out in January. It’s a love letter to love, and her recipes are always so romantic, comforting, easy to make and super delicious.
I’d also recommend Georgia Levy’s cookbook Let’s Do Lunch for anyone who works from home and never knows what to cook or eat. Her recipes are so accessible and always taste amazing. She’s also just a generally wonderful person, which I think we should all take into consideration when paying for someone’s work.
I’m shocked that I haven’t read Lily Anolik’s biography of Eve Babitz, but it’s next on my book wishlist. Great for the wistful, California-forward literary friend who just wants to have a good time.
I think a gift subscription to The Seawanee Review would be pretty well received amongst your more Didion-esque literary friends. If just for the covers.
I’ve definitely made use of Rachel Alice Roddy’s An A-Z Of Pasta, and have drawn plenty of inspiration from Jeremy Lee’s Cooking, and I’m forever consulting Samin Nosrat’s Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, especially when making a mayonnaise.
Of course, you could also gift a yearly subscription to Since No One Asked for the food nostalgia lover in your life. Specifically popular amongst millennial women, in case you were wondering who might find it a lark. I’d appreciate it so much!