If you want an Afternoon Tea with a bit of a difference, you could take a look at this gift experience from Virgin Experience Days.

Swinton Estate is one of the largest private estates in England, situated in North Yorkshire and the Yorkshire Dales.  It goes back to the late 1600s and since the 1880s, it has been in the ownership of the Cunliffe-Lister family.  And it's got a number of different experiences available and one of these is rather different:

How about a Private Island Hire with Afternoon Tea for Two at The Swinton Estate?

The Swinton Estate has got a rather special spot for a private event.  You'll take a hand-drawn cable ferry across to your own private island - and it's got a miniature Georgian style summerhouse.

The team at the Estate will set up the island ready for you, with Afternoon Tea laid out.   Tuck into sweet delicacies from their pastry kitchen.  There are local preserves and locally sourced meats, and you could also treat yoruself to a glass of champagne or English sparkling wine to add bubbles to the occasion.  There are handdrafted cakes to tuck into, too!

The experience is not available in the winter months, but it is available 7 days a week at other times.  Book early!

This experience is normally £239 but you can tuck into it for £215.10.

By the way, there are other experiences available at the Swinton Estate through Virgin Experience Days, including  Traditional Afternoon Tea for Two, a Champagne Afternoon Tea for Two,  a One Night Luxury Yorkshire Escape with Dinner for Two, a  Two Night Luxury Tree Lodge Escape for Two, a Half Day Midweek Cookery Course, a Two Course Lunch, Garden  Talk and a Guided Tour for Two and more!   See them all here.

Head to Virgin Experience Days to find out more.  Bon appetit!

Green People produce organic beauty products for all the family, from babies and teenagers to men and women.

They are based in Sussex, and one of the things I love about them (apart from their products, which I've used for years), is their involvement in charities, especially for the environment.  These include the Knepp Wildland Foundation, the World Land Trust, and the Marine Conservation Society.  They also include Ehlers-Danlos Support UK.  Find out more about them here.

They have all sorts of products for beauty and wellbeing - skin, hair, body, sun care, travel kits, wellbeing goodies, and make-up.  

This is the Alexandra Kay Time to Relax Aroma Bracelet Gift Set
for £20.00

The gift set above comes with: 

• 1 x Alexandra Kay Time to Relax Essential Oil Blend 10ml
• 1 x FREE Lava Stone Aromatherapy Bracelet 

There's also a Time to Smile bracelet gift (to uplift you) and a Time to Sleep bracelet gift as well. 

Plus there's the Alexandra Kay Time to Restore Magnesium Lotion 200ml for £40.00, which has been featured in Good Housekeeping and Elle.  The body lotion is enhanced with Magnesium and CB2-Skin Biofunctional to reduce and soothe muscle tension.  

And Green People have new Shampoo Bars.  They've got zero waste, reusable packaging - and they are vegan and cruelty free!  They are also SLS free and soap free. 

This is the Citrus and Ginger Shampoo Bar 50g

This is the Eucalyptus and Mint Shampoo Bar, 50g

They have a number of lovely gift products to choose from, for all the family and for friends, too.   There's something for all the family, from little babies (such as the Organic Babies Silent Night) to teenagers, men and women. 

There the Men's Skin Care Heroes gift for men 
with the 3 top-selling products from the Green People for Men collection,
namely an Exfoliating Face Scrub (100ml),
Wash and Shave (100ml) and a Cooling Moisturiser (100ml)
for £37.50.

How about the Revitalising Skin Gym Trio?
This natural and organic skin care and Gua Sha gift set
has got everything that you need to master
Gua Sha home facial massage techniques.
 

And with summer coming along and the chance to make the most of any sunny weather we get, Green People have help with sun lotion products! 

They have also got a quiz you can take to help you find the right SPF is right for you, and they have goodies for all the family to protect you from sun - and in the case of one product, insects as well!  Take a look at their sun lotion products and the quiz here.

They also have a Green Beauty Club - you can get Green Points when you shop and get access to exclusive perks and discounts.  These can be turned into vouchers to use against your next order with them or you can donate them to one of their charities.  Join here.

See the full range of gift sets here 

Emma Bridgewater is well known for her beautiful earthenware pottery.   She has put together a range of collections, and they include themes such as dogs, cats, the countryside, gardening, birds, flowers, and nature.

Her pottery includes products such as different size mugs, cups and saucers, jugs, plates and bowls - and she also has other products made of glass and wood.

She has an incredible new range called the Wild Flowers collection.

This is the Wildflower Walks Small Square Tin Caddy for £4.00.
You could give a loved one this caddy with some seeds in it.

 
This is the Wild Flowers Small Mug for £18.00.

This is the Wild Flowers 6 1/2 Inch Plate for £16.00.

You could put flowers in the Wild Flowers half pint jug.  It's for £25.00.



This is a very pretty Wild Flowers Tea Towel for £13.00.

See the whole collection here.


By the way...

Emma Bridgewater also has Polka Dot Enamel Plant Pot for £30.00.
You could also give them a plant to put in it.

 
Happy New Year!  

There's great news from two gift experience companies for you until the end of 2024 - they are both offering discount codes!

This gives you a good chance to go and have a browse and take a look at what they've got.  

Red Letter Days and BuyaGift have thousands of experiences, and they've even got some online experiences as well so that you can do something from home.  

They have garden experiences and visits, flower arranging, animal experiences, days out, theatres, photography, arts and crafts - there's so much to choose from.

If you're buying for someone who would love to be pampered, there are spa days and beauty treatments, or if they aren't really into that, they are lots of food and drink experiences.  As well as cookery workshops and courses for people who like to have a go at something new, if you're looking for a gift for someone who prefers to just sit and chill, there's lots of Afternoon Teas, meals out, and drink experiences, from wine and beer to gin and whisky.

So how do you get your code?  Just use the codes below - they are valid until 31 December 2024 and are site wide, even covering special offers and 2 for 1s.  Some products are excluded from these codes.

Photos are a great way to bring people together, even if you just look at someone's picture on a mug or a slate or blanket.  

It has been said that a picture paints a thousand words and Printerpix has photo gifts to remind you all of those special moments.  They have collage canvas, photobooks, custom blankets, photo prints, photo mugs, jigsaws puzzles and much more!

How about a blanket?  You can put your photos of your personal memories on it, 
and they can snuggle up under it!
You choose the size and what the blanket is made from e.g. cosy fleece or Sherpa fleece. 
They've got cat blankets as well, and gifts for pet lovers.

And you don't have to have the picture of one person - you could have a photo of a much cherished pet, or a picture of the two of you enjoying a moment, or a place that means a lot to them.   

How about canvas prints to decorate a wall with and to bring memoires alive?
There are different sizes and edge designs, and wood frames. 

Tell the tail (!) of your cherished pet, 
or give a loved one a photo book to show the bond between them and their family member.

Printerpix has some great offers, just in time for Mother's Day.   

Visit their website here.