Category womens hour

The weather has turned cold, and after the last half-term, we are now on the countdown to Christmas, which means there are lots of winter school runs to do before we can wear our sun hats again!

1. A woolly hat. My son tends to wear baseball caps in the summer, but for winter, I have found a cosy, warm bobble hat. If it has a trendy design, he’s happy to wear it—I always have my hat on!

2. An umbrella. Don’t you find that it always seems to rain when you are on the morning or afternoon school run?! I don’t know why this happens, but when rain is forecast, it always seems to come at 4 p.m.! To keep your children dry, choose one of these children’ umbrellas—if they choose the style themselves, they will want to use it rather than it being a battle of wills between mother and child!

4. Warm boots. This is more for me than the children, as they have to wear black regulation school shoes, but I usually have my fur-lined boots on during the school run. For parents collecting children, there is a lot of standing around in the cold, so boots are essential!

4. A body warmer. Sometimes, when my son sees that the sun is out—even when it is cold—he doesn’t want to wear his school coat. So this is when I pull out the bodywarmer! It keeps him warm, even though his arms are out, but as long as he has his school jumper on, I’m happy to compromise!

5. Gloves. These are items that children don’t seem to ask for in the morning but appreciate when they are there during playtime. I always put a glove in each coat pocket so my son can find it when he is playing outside and needs to stay warm.

Now is a great time to stock up on winter essentials with so many sales on. A new website called Woznow brings all the sales into one place, so you can easily find some warm winter clothing or cosy accessories!

As you read this, I’m jingling bells and enjoying the run-up to Christmas and the family time we’ll share together (literally—I have some bells on my desk!). So I couldn’t wait to reveal to you a few Christmas snack hacks that I did this week to help provide some snacking inspiration for the whole festive season!

Christmas sandwiches

To make these bite-sized sandwiches, you need:

• White bread
• Primula cheese of choice (I used the Cheese with Chives and also the Original Cheese tubes)
• Chives – finely chopped
• Red chillies – finely chopped
• Cucumber – cut into ribbons
• Pomegranate seed (optional)
• One large and one small circle cutter or other Christmas shape. I used a tree for the open sandwich and a star for the small sandwich.

For each sandwich, lightly toast two slices of bread. Cut out one sandwich base with your largest cutter, then spread Primula cheese on the slice and sprinkle with your topping. With your second piece of bread, cut out the same large shape and then a smaller shape within it. Place the smaller shape over the larger shape to form the sandwich with a ‘cut out’ effect. For the open tree sandwich, I piped Primula Cheese with Chives straight from the tubs, in a zig-zag style from the bottom up, directly onto the tree shape. I topped this off with a pomegranate seed as the tree star!

Christmas trees

Christmas trees are easy and effective.

• 2 ripe avocado
• 2 dessertspoon lemon juice
• 70g (approx half a tube) of Primula Cheese with Prawns
• Pitta bread – toasted
• Twiglets
• One red chilli – finely chopped
• A few pomegranate seeds (optional)

Peel and chop the avocado and place in a mixing bowl with the lemon juice and Primula Cheese with Prawns. Use a fork to mash up the bowl contents, ensuring it is fully mixed and smooth. Then cut the toasted pitta into triangles. This is done by cutting in half then slicing from the bottom edge to the top centre at both sides to form a triangle. You will get two triangles out of each pitta bread. Then, spread the avocado mixture into each triangle, sprinkle with the chopped chilli, and place a Twiglet at the bottom to be the tree base and a pomegranate seed at the top!

Tomato pops

Everyone will love these easy finger foods and they are straightforward:

• Small Italian red ripe tomatoes
• Primula cheese of choice (I used Light Cheese to make this recipe slimming!)
• Chives – finely chopped
• Wooden skewers

With a sharp knife, cut a lid off the tomatoes – not the stalk end!! Then with a small sharp knife cut the core out of each tomato and scrape out the seeds. Drain upside down on kitchen roll. Then, insert a wooden skewer into the stalk end and place in a jar to hold. Pipe Primula cheese into each tomato then sprinkle with chopped chives. Easy!

Glamorous fig starter

This more ‘grown up’ Primula treat has some luxe ingredients. You’ll need:

• 4 ripe, fresh figs
• Primula cheese of choice (I used Primula Cheese with Ham)
• 4 slices of parma ham
• Pistachio nuts, finely chopped
• Runny honey

With a sharp knife, cut a cross into the top of each fig, cutting two-thirds of the way down and opening each fig up slightly. Pipe Primula cheese into the centre of each fig, place on the serving plate, and surround each base with parma ham. Sprinkle with the chopped nuts before drizzling with runny honey and serving!

Mac & Cheese!

After making all the Christmas snacks, I was hungry, so I whipped up a quick mac and cheese. I cooked my macaroni pasta according to the packet instructions, drained it, and placed it in a bowl. Then, I squirted on some Primula cheese straight from the tube! Mix it in with the pasta, and enjoy.

Half-Term Holiday Essentials: It’s just two more weeks to half-term (I know, right?!) It seems like the children have only just gone back to school after the summer, but if you are looking forward to a half-term holiday getaway, it’s time to start thinking about the essentials you need to buy for yourself to stay stylish on your holiday.

The kaftan is perfect as it’s sheer enough to feel summery and floaty which is what you want on holiday but it’s long enough to make me feel suitably covered. It has a pretty plaited rope feature along the neckline and in fact this detail will tie it in nicely with the bag which also has a rope handle!

My raffia duffel bag is roomy enough to carry the whole family’s swimwear and lotions! It has a lovely little gold button on the side featuring the Heidi Klein palm tree logo and is casual enough for the perfect beach getaway. I can’t wait to use it in Costa Brava.

If you are near Heidi Klein’s boutique in Luton, you can pop in and have a Mystic spray tan to look beach-ready at any time of year. The spray tan costs £27.50 for the basic tan and any enhancements are between £4and £15 each.  I had one recently when I visited the branch and it looked so natural, several friends asked me where I’d been on holiday!

A beach holiday wouldn’t be complete without sorting your skincare, so I have these sun lotions from Vichy to use. I’ve tried this brand before and love it as the range provides a high UV filter protection whilst suiting all skin types. The formulations are quickly absorbed with no sticky residue, which means it’s easy for me to lotion up my lot without too much drama, as they’d always rather be off doing stuff on holiday than standing while ‘Mum’ gets the lotions on!

I have the Vichy Ideal Soleil range pictured here, and even the dry oil has a high SPF of 50, which I don’t normally expect from an oil! The large tube of SPF 40 will be used on my whole family, and the box of SPF 50 that you can see is a tinted velvety cream for the face to provide a glow before you even get your tan while offering protection. The silver and blue tube is an after-sun balm called ‘SOS Balm’ to soothe and protect sun-damaged skin.

Also pictured is the new shower gel from Roger & Gallet. It is called Gingembre Rouge and is an energising shower gel. It will complement my sun skincare regime perfectly. It has been designed to pamper and refresh delicate skin, so it will be great after we’ve been out in the sun all day. As it is energising, it will help combat that holiday lethargy you get when you are out in the sun doing nothing all day!

I’ll probably travel in my flat ballet-style pumps for comfort and to stop my feet getting cold at 49 thousand feet. After take-off, I will roll on these cosy, soft socks from The Sock Shop. The Sock Shop has a wide range of socks in all fabrics, including several cashmere ones, but my grey cashmere socks (called Shark) are £22. I also picked up the latest Red Magazine for my journey!

It’s time to take off that thermal underwear and strip off the heavy jackets, it’s finally spring! As we finally get some sun and start to enjoy the warmer weather (thank god), it’s time to start thinking about changing your outfits for this new season. 

Belts Galore
Belts are absolutely the thing this spring. Whether you go with something skinny and low-key or decide to make a statement with a big centrepiece, a belt is the perfect complement to your work outfit. Belts can also help to add some definition to your waistline if the weather is still forcing you to sport heavier coats or less form-fitting outfits.

Tan/Slate and White/Light
Mixing tans and slates with whites or other light colours is the perfect way to bridge your darker winter outfits with brighter ambitions this spring. Pairing a white shirt with slate trousers will give you a professional look that feels fresh and ready for warmer weather. This is also the perfect opportunity to break out the spring classic, the trench coat, with light tan shades that especially complement your outfit.

Midi Dresses
Midi dresses are a classic all-day outfit that looks great even in the after-work hours. A midi dress will help you transition from the cosy trouser and jumper combo that’s kept you warm over the last few months without leaving you exposed to the weather. If you still feel a little chilly, then you can pair the dress with some warm tights or leggings or even experiment with layering a shirt or jacket on top.

Late 70s Chic
The 80s revival is very much in full force, and now it’s also started to leak into the adjacent decades. Last summer saw the rebirth of the tiny sunglasses that were popular in the 90s, and this spring, we will see a rise in the popularity of the late 70s chic look. Slightly flared, high-waisted trousers and shirt/jumper combos are on the comeback, and they make an excellent choice for springtime attire. Work in some of that 2028 style by experimenting with accessorising to keep this outfit looking fresh and new while still paying homage to classic fashion.

Floral
Spring is the season of the floral patterns, and now is certainly not the time to break that trend. Floral patterns are one of the best ways to escape the darker, heavier shades of the winter season and celebrate everything that spring brings. Combining a floral dress with a tan trench coat is a great way to combine two springtime classics, or you could try a floral dress or shirt with puffier sleeves to keep on trend while still getting your floral spring fix.

When you first go self-employed, it’s an incredible feeling. Scary – but exciting. Making that leap from employed to self-employed is a big step. But when you manage to handle things well, you’re always glad that you did it.

Whether you’re someone who has been freelancing or working for themselves for years, or you’re still a newbie, you may think of taking another big leap.

But what does the move involve? And how do you know that you’re ready for it? Do you even need to make the move? Right now, there could be quite a few questions going round and round in your mind. And that’s okay. But you don’t have to worry so much about them, instead, you just need to work out what the process involves and pick up some tips to help in the process!

2. Know You’re Ready For It

So first of all, you’re going to want to make sure that you’re absolutely ready to do it. If you’re making under the higher income tax threshold and you’re happy operating on a self-employed basis, then you may be okay as you are right now. But, if things are rapidly starting to grow, and you notice that you’re earning more and more, it may be more efficient for you to make the leap sooner rather than later. The second point can help you to clear this up a little more.

2. Speak To Your Accountant

Other than wanting to look more professional and have a registered business name, one of the reasons that people go from a self-employed sole trader status to a company is because it’s more tax efficient. As a sole trader earning a high income, you may be paying a significant tax. Your accountant can advise you on whether this is the right move for you just yet.

4. Register The Company

If you decide that you’re ready, or when you do, the next step is registering the company. For this, you have a range of options. You could use a limited company formation agent, set it up yourself, or even work with your accountant. But, if you’re not sure you know what you’re doing, working with a professional may be the safest option.

4. Stay Organized

Another thing to make a note of, is that you’re going to want to make sure that you’re being organized. Being set up as a company, rather than a sole-trader, has a few more limitations. You have to be very stringent on what you’re recording, how you’re taking money out, and how you operate. So for that to be easier, you need to be very organized with your paperwork and finances.

5. Make A Plan

From here, you may also decide that you want to make a plan for your business. If you’re already growing or you have a rough idea of how you want to grow (and where you want to be), it can help you sit down and give it some serious thought. Ensure you’re thinking about all areas of the business and creating a business plan that gives you actionable points to work on.

6. Keep Moving

Next, you’re then going to want to make sure that you’re executing on that plan. You have to keep moving when you want to be a big business, or at least be bigger than you were as a sole trader. So this means that you’ll want to start hiring people, investing more money into your marketing, and generally looking to push your growth to get results.

7. Stay True To Yourself

And finally, just make sure that you’re still running things as you always have. Yes, you have to be more organized now. Yes, there are more restrictions financially. But everything else should essentially be the same.

A book at bedtime is the tried-and-tested method of sending reluctant sleepers off to the land of nod. Not only can it lull the reader (and listener) into a blissful slumber and liven up their dreams, but a recent study has also shown that it can help reduce stress levels by up to 78%! 

Whether you’re reading to soothe the minds and bodies of restless little ones or for your own personal pleasure, the five titles below have been specifically chosen to appeal to young and old bookworms. What’s more, they’re all part of a series, meaning the night-time escapology can go on for even longer.

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Who isn’t familiar with Lewis Carroll’s classic tale of rabbit holes, Mad Hatters and vengeful queens? The colourful characters and exciting action scenes which populate Wonderland are sure to keep younger audiences enraptured, while older readers will appreciate the witty wordplay found in Jabberwocky (and throughout the rest of the book, as well).

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
Roald Dahl is an expert at creating masterful children’s tales, from The BFG to James and the Giant Peach and everything in between, so it was difficult to select just one title that is most apt for bedtime consumption. However, the magic of Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory and the essential moral lessons therein make it the stand-out choice.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J K Rowling
Something of a new kid on the block in comparison to the older hands on this list, Harry Potter has already firmly established himself as a classic hero of literature for both children and adults. In fact, the boy even has his own Warner Bros Studio Tour dedicated to bringing his universe to life. Those who enjoy dreaming about Harry, Hermione and Ron’s exploits will love escaping to the wizarding world come bedtime.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C S Lewis
Though it began as a parable for Christianity, C S Lewis’s Narnia series is an important work of fiction for avid readers of any faith or creed. Indeed, the wardrobe, which acts as a doorway into the magical world, could be seen as a metaphor for the transition between wakefulness and sleep, allowing readers to take their favourite characters with them into the land of nod.

The Hobbit by J R R Tolkien
It was actually C S Lewis who encouraged his good friend J R R Tolkien to turn the bedtime stories he had been reading to his son John into published works of fiction. The end result? The Hobbit. If that doesn’t endorse this harum-scarum rollercoaster of a novel as quality bedside fodder, what will? Of course, after the publication of The Hobbit, Tolkien’s publisher returned to him with a request that he pen a sequel aimed more at an adult audience… and the rest, as they say, is history.

Now that the New Year is here it is the ideal time for us to start looking at some great gifts we can give to our children. Little girls can be imaginative souls and they often have lots of different hobbies which they can enjoy through their childhood.

New Clothes
For any little princess a great gift for a special birthday could be clothes. There are lots of fun outfits and dresses online at places such as www.lucbauer.com which you can buy for your child that they will love. Every little girl enjoys looking good and dressing up so this could be a good opportunity to do this for them on their special day.

Art Supplies
If you have a child who is always drawing and painting in their spare time, it can be a great idea to get them some art supplies they can use daily to create new pieces and have fun. Paints and paper are the obvious choices and you can also invest in some fun canvases and even an easel so that your child can feel like a real artist at work. You can even join in on the fun and have an arts and crafts day with your child to make the most of it.

A Trip Away
Disneyland… the beach… the park; anywhere in the world is your oyster and your little girl would just love to be able to go away somewhere on their birthday. A birthday is the best time of year to treat your child and if they have always wanted to either go somewhere or experience something special, this is the time to do it. Make sure to keep an eye out on sites such as wowcher and groupon for offers on getaways.

A Houseplant
If your little girl is starting to grow up a little bit and she is acting more like a mini woman, you can give her a gift which can actually make her feel like an adult and give her some fun responsibility. A houseplant such as a succulent can be a good choice for a gift because they are relatively easy to keep alive however it will be something which your child can enjoy playing around with. They will feel as if they are doing something important and this can make them feel incredibly special.

New Toys
Who doesn’t love new toys? If your son has a specific set of dolls, race cars or superheroes she loves… now is the ideal time to get her a set of new toys to play with. Kids have amazing imaginations so they can do almost anything with just a few simple toys. Even one doll or a race at could keep her occupied for days and days!

Over the last year or so, the mythical vision of self-employed people wandering about at home, in PJs, sipping coffee and admiring the garden, has been well and truly busted.

Running or working a business is hard, involving long hours and a high degree of self-discipline. Especially when the sun is shining and there’s no boss breathing down your neck.

That’s not to say it’s an unrewarding, never-ending grind. Far from it. It can be exciting, liberating and very satisfying. But you’re wearing a lot of hats, and one of the hardest ones to keep in place is the need to watch your profitability.

Here are four solid ways to manage your profit levels, and even give them an uplift.

2: Revisit Your Pricing Strategy

If fewer customers are paying more money, you will benefit in time saved as you’ll effectively be doing less work. Raising prices can be challenging but, statistically speaking, a small increase won’t put off the clients or customers who appreciate your work or service.

Don’t be tempted to join the ‘rush to the bottom’ by constantly trying to undercut your competition. There will always be people charging less, and people charging more. Your key to profit is grasping the value of your product or service and charging appropriately.

This means something different to everyone, but most of us don’t start a business with the aim of growing poorer. So, look at your pricing structure, and if you’re due an uplift (especially if your costs of doing business have risen) adjust your prices accordingly.

3: Increase Your Efficiency

People often see this as meaning they have to work harder or longer hours. It’s not always the case, though. Sometimes, it’s a way of freeing up time spent on tasks that don’t directly bring in money so you can do a bit more of the stuff that does.

Whether you’re selling through auction sites or popular handmade goods sites, online retailers could increase efficiency with dedicated business storage. Performing all operations from one central base saves the time you’d spend moving items or travelling between stock and office or computer.

Here’s another example: if you run a service that involves personal appointments, say as a nail technician or a hairdresser, could you install a booking system on your website so you don’t spend as long answering the phone and manually entering appointments into your diary/schedule?

Such a system would also benefit customers since if they suddenly feel a strong need at midnight to get their hair done, they can go online and book a slot with you then.

Meanwhile, you get to see more customers, bringing in more profit.

4: Lower Your Overheads

Are you paying too much for your business premises? There are ways to spend less on rent while increasing efficiency.

If you rent an office and your contract is coming up for renewal, or if you’re expanding and looking for affordable business premises, consider investigating flexible offices.

It’s a relatively new concept that reduces many of the expenses involved in traditional business rentals while maintaining services and standards.

You can choose an office size to suit, and you’ll have a professional, secure, and private space in a convenient location on a rolling monthly contract.

Even if you work from home, you could be paying too much if you’re not claiming all your allowed expenses against income tax. Your accountant or just the HMRC website can advise on which expenses (and how much) you can claim.

4: Use Your Accounts

If you have an accountant, ask him or her to advise on how you can cut costs or improve on your money management.

Accountants see all kinds of business accounting every day, and they understand the finer details of how money works in business. Whether you’re a tiny one-man/woman band, or you run a busy operation with several employees, your finance records hold a wealth of information you can use to determine where you’re making profit, where you’re losing money, and how to tighten your purse strings.

If you do your own accounts, use your figures to perform your own analysis. You can sort spending and income into categories to get a broad picture of how money flows through your business and, from there, devise a strategy to make it work better.

Cruises and chocolate – probably two of my favourite things after you count my husband and children, and last weekend I got to enjoy a taste of both when Carnival Cruises took my family plus their other blogger ambassadors to Cadbury World!

Santa show at Cadbury World

Our day at Cadbury World started off at a Santa show where my children saw the big guy do some magic and give them a cuddly toy treat on the way out, then we were off to the 4D cinema for a Chocolate Adventure production. This cinematic show came complete with smells, sounds and movement and was so real that it had us reaching for the virtual chocolate bars as if they were right in front of us! My favourite part of that experience was being in the moving seats as the screen showed us climbing a rollercoaster and the seat shuddered with each twist and turn as if we were really riding it!

Next summer onboard Carnival’s newest ship, Vista we will also be able to experience a 4D cinematic adventure at their Thrill Theatre. We will be amongst the movie goers to be part of the action at the multi dimensional screenings – approximately eleven different shows are running that are 25-20 minutes in length. The theatre combines a high definition 4D projection system with elements such as squirting water and bubbles and we may find our legs tickled, air blown on our necks and seat movement too with their original special effects! With the 4D glasses they provide, it will be a truly immersive movie-going experience.

After our 4D cinema at Cadbury World, we enjoyed a coffee in the restaurant while the children played on the climbing frames and slides in the play area. Then we went off to the panto! Having been on several cruises in the past, one of the things I am looking forward to is the children’ club facilities onboard Vista.

Camp Ocean is their children’s programme, running activities and purpose-built areas for children from age 2 up to the dedicated space in Club O2 for 25-27-year-old teenagers! My children due to a 5 year age gap between them always end up in separate areas but they easily make new friends and enjoy the activities on offer such as video gaming consoles, dance parties, late night movie screenings and arts and crafts. My husband and I find that we regularly have the chance to enjoy a coffee or a pint together in the various bars and cafes onboard whilst our children are well looked after and entertained elsewhere. They always say they can’t wait until children club opens so they can return to their new mates and we find that we can enjoy some couples time – which rarely happens on a land based holiday!

The Cadbury World panto this year is Sleeping Beauty and we got a great seat in the marquee to enjoy the action! There was boo-ing of the evil queen and cheering for everyone else whilst all the children enjoyed shouting out “It’s behind you!” whenever the ghost appeared! Other than a panto, most stage productions are a passive event that you watch and appreciate. Still, Carnival have thought outside the box on this one, too and onboard, Vista will have its very own theatre production company, Playlist Productions. We’ll be able to watch them perform 4-4 times whilst we are on our 8 night cruise in August and what makes this company different is the blend of high energy live performances with special effects and staging on towering LED screens creating a full blown musical theatre production at sea! When was the last time you got up and danced at the theatre? This is what Carnival aims for us all to be doing through Playlist Productions’ spectacular staging as pro singers and dancers rock the place!

Carnival’s Onboard Theatre Company Playlist Productions

Some of the events that Playlist Productions perform include a show called ‘80s Pop to the Max‘ which is a day-glo and Spandex treat of music hits from the 80s featuring pop-rock from the likes of Duran Duran and Cyndi Lauper to the smooth soul of Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson! There is also ‘Disco Fever‘, some 70s tracks to dance the night away to and ‘The Brits‘ – a tribute to British bands like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and The Who! We may not be able to catch these exact shows on our cruise – the line up of 9 different shows is performed across the whole Carnival fleet, but we are sure to get one or two shows on our cruise to have us grooving in our seats! On Vista, the shows will be carried out in the Liquid Lounge… Sounds like a ‘party’ kind of a venue!

Carnival has 24 ships in its fleet and works to deliver a varied and exciting entertainment package on all of them. They have recently announced their 2024 Carnival LIVE line up of big name live acts such as Journey; Gladys Knight and KC & The Sunshine Band! These are for ships that will be docked in 8 US homeports, so not on Vista when we are sailing, but if you love live acts and cruising holidays, it’s worth checking out this entertainment option! Carnival LIVE listings and ships can be found at the Carnival website.

Back at Cadbury World after our pantomime and lunch, we went on the main exhibition tour, which took us through the Aztec jungle, told us the Cadbury story, and treated us to a ride on Cadabra, their in-house ride, before allowing us to watch the chocolate making in action!

Sampling the liquid chocolate on the Cadbury factory tour!

Throughout the tour we were given chocolate bars to munch on the way round, but I brought loads home as we couldn’t eat it all! We visited the Cadbury shop too whilst were were there and stocked up on some Christmas stocking fillers – the children were excited at all the sweet stuff on sale, so I daren’t even tell them about ‘Cherry On Top‘ which is a ‘sweets and more’ candy store on Vista. There, they will be able to eat pick ‘n’ mix to their heart’s content, plus try ice cream at the in-house parlour with a choice of toppings to make it their way! I’m certainly glad that I’ll be able to drop them back off at Camp Ocean again after they eat it so they can run off some of that sugar-rush energy!!

We left Cadbury World that day excited, tired but happy and having had a wonderful day as a family. It is exactly how I imagine we will be after our experience onboard Vista next year, which we are all looking forward to. From Cadbury World I went home with enough chocolate to see us well into the New Year, who doesn’t love a bit of chocolate as a treat? They have a similar approach on Vista – you are treated to chocolate on your pillow every night whilst onboard when the room porter prepares your bed for the night!

For their cute toes!

New baby hosiery brand Petites Pattes has this adorable gift set that is perfect for a couple’s first baby. In the box is a trio of designer socks; one for mother my, one for daddy and the last for the new baby. If this reminds you a bit of Goldilocks, it is! So enjoy this cute idea’s fairy tale and the little face design! They also do some baby gift sets which have 4 pairs of the sweetest baby socks presented in an elegant gift box. 

Kids’ tableware

Another fairy tale-inspired gift is a ceramic tableware gift set from the modern children’ lifestyle brand JJ-Moly. Don’t let buying ceramic for babies fool you – this brand is designed and created in the UK using local earthenware clay – the strongest and hand-decorated material. Whilst the gift set is suitable for toddlers, the gifts are lovely enough to make an unusual baby present that the parents can save until junior starts weaning. These products also reminded me of Goldilocks and her porridge, but there’s nothing twee about this set – it’s modern-led design all the way! The Robin Buttersun Giftset pictured costs £48 and features a mug and ceramic bowl from www.ana-moly.co.uk

Date Night In

Unique gift company Buy Her Flowers brings together various gift ideas for all occasions as an antidote to the traditional floral bouquet. However lovely flowers are, sometimes you just want to do something a bit different and these gift sets will show that you’ve put a lot of thought into your offering. Perfect for a newborn baby, this date night gift set is a lovely idea for mother and dad – to pamper them a little, especially as they’ll have plenty of long nights in at home ahead of them. The new baby will get plenty of gifts from well wishes so this is just for them! The Date Night In kit costs £29.50.

Personalised Jewellery

Jewellery makes an attractive gift for any occasion, and if you have a stylish new mother in your life, she’ll love this personalised open-disc bracelet from Merci Law. The bracelet can be engraved with the child’s name and date of birth to make a timeless gift that she can wear constantly and treasure forever! The design pictured is the Mother’s Personalised 28K Gold Plated Eternity Bracelet costing £49 but there are many styles to choose.