Monthly Archives: October 2019

It might be colder at this time of year but that gives us all the excuse to tap into the snuggle factor and enjoy some ‘me’ time. Everyone has their favourite way of doing this, but we thought we’d share ours and hopefully add some ideas into the mix!

Scents and Scentsability

Turn down the lighting and add some gorgeous scented candles. There are loads of different kinds available but good Winter scents include cinnamon, sandalwood, vanilla, pine, frankincense and apple. All these scents work well together so you can mix and match for a fantastic scentsation!  You could also put on your creative hat and create some homemade Potpourri with pine cones, cinnamon sticks, star anise and dried orange slices. You can purchase the latter in a craft store or make your own. Slice up two or three oranges into thin rounds about 1/4 inch thick. Blot with kitchen paper and put the slices on racks in your oven on a low temperature, for about 3 hours, to dry out. Remember to check on them regularly to ensure they don’t burn! You could also thread these on string with cinnamon sticks and bay leaves and hang up. 

Winter Warmers

It takes a lot to beat a hot toddy or soothing spiced fruit juice – you don’t need to have a cold as an excuse to mix one up!  Here are a few suggestions; some with alcohol, some without, but obviously everything in moderation! 

• Gin has seen a big rise in popularity and so why not take it one stage further…hey presto, the Hot Gin Toddy!  Mix 1 ½ oz of your favourite gin with ¾ oz of fresh lemon juice, 2oz hot water, 1 tsp sugar and garnish with a cinnamon stick.
• The Hot Apple Toddy can be made with or without alcohol. All you need is 1 tsp of runny honey (Winnie the Pooh’s favourite thing!), 2oz of whiskey or apple brandy, 5oz apple cider (warmed through), a lemon wedge, a cinnamon stick and 2 cloves. Just pop the honey into a sturdy glass, add the whiskey or apple brandy, top with hot apple cider and garnish with the cloves, lemon wedge and cinnamon stick. If you want the non-alcoholic version, replace the whiskey/apple brandy and cider with hot apple juice.

According to some weather pundits, we could be in for a particularly cold winter this year. Even if we aren’t bombarded with snow and icy winds, there’s something about the colder weather that makes us want to tuck in and snuggle up.

Of course, there are plenty of tasty treats to help keep us warm (hot chocolate with marshmallows, hearty soups with cheesy garlic bread - for example) but there are also practical things we can do to help us prepare our homes for winter too. You’ve probably got a list but here’s a few suggestions from ours!

Staying snug indoors

• The last thing we want is for our central heating to break down and so booking a boiler service ahead of the rush will keep things ticking over nicely. It’s also worth checking that the batteries in your carbon monoxide alarm are still good to go. We probably all have a drawer full of radiator keys for bleeding the radiators – well, now’s the time we can actually use them! 
• Your loca

Not getting a good night’s sleep is debilitating and if sustained over a long period can affect your health - and ultimately your family life, work and leisure time. Your brain uses the time you are asleep to re-wire itself and set down memories, and the rest of your body gets to work on repairing any damage done during the day.

So, making sure that you get your 7-8 hours of restful sleep is worth investing in. A big factor in that is having the right sort of duvet to help you achieve it. There are all kinds of duvets out there, natural and synthetic, widely available at retailers – and even at supermarkets – but our award-winning Certified 100% British wool duvets are regularly acknowledged by our customers to be the best duvets they’ve ever had. We’ve also topped the list in publications such as The Independent and Evening Standard. 

Wool is an amazing product; it’s naturally breathable and temperature regulating, keeping you warm when it’s cold, and vice versa. It

The days may be getting shorter but Autumn, with its glorious colours and rustling leaves underfoot, can be wonderful. We put the question out there and asked some of our customers about the things that they look forward to most at this time of the year.

Naturally, the Autumn colours of the leaves was a firm favourite – fabulous oranges, golds and russets. Down here, in Devon, the bracken is changing colour too and the tors are covered in golden coloured gorse and lovely purple heather. There’s something very satisfying about the crunch of Autumn leaves under your wellies or walking boots and there are lovely shiny conkers everywhere.

Hot chocolate featured high on the list too, especially if enjoyed in front of a live fire or log burner. There are plenty of delicious varieties out there to choose from. Check out Hotel Chocolat’s Classic Hot Chocolat, made from real chocolate flakes (in fact, 70% dark chocolate - perfect for real chocoholics) or Green & Black’s Organic Hot Chocolate. For extra indulgence, add some cream on top or a big squishy marshmallow.

Frosty mornings and cosy nights in also made the list, especially when being in the warm when it’s wet and windy outside. We have to agree that being tucked up in bed whilst listening to the wind outside makes us feel extra cosy.

However, perhaps not unsurprisingly, at the top of the list was ‘snuggling up’. The snuggle factor featured in a variety of ways but the four most popular were: Snuggling in front of the fire, snuggling with the cat or dog, snuggling in a dressing gown, snuggling in the duvet.

On that latter note, we’re here to help! For extra snuggliness, our 100% British wool duvets are just the ticket. Each one is hand crafted from beautiful soft wool, that’s responsibly sourced and then cleaned and needled in a British mill, without the use of chemicals or bleach. These soft fluffy wool layers are then placed between a layer of 100% natural cotton and then expertly hand stitched by our brilliant seamstresses in our Devon workshops. 

Ultra soft and cosy, wool is naturally breathable and temperature regulating, so keeps you warm when it’s cold and vice versa. It also resists dust mites so helps to alleviate symptoms of allergies and asthma. We find that our customers are very particular about the sort of weight they prefer for their wool duvets, so check out our inf