By: admin

5 Festive Favourites: Christmas 2021

I’m clocking off for Christmas now, but not before I present you with this month’s favourites video. It actually straddles two months (oh, how I’ve always longed to use the word “straddled” in a non-sexual sentence!) because I missed November’s favourites out completely. (It’s my birthday at the end of November and I always forget to film in advance.)

I’m about to sign off for at least a month, I think, in order to a) have a proper Christmas break with the kids and b) attempt to birth some form of book, or at least a good few chapters of one. Seize the day, and all that – if I don’t knuckle down and do it next year I fear it’ll never happen.

So: festive favourites. Five things that have tickled my fancy when it comes to getting into the Christmas spirit, including a massive tree, a dramatic tulle skirt and, er, some wellies. It’ll all make sense when you read on – and please see video below for visuals!

Festive Favourite Numero Uno: The 10ft Vermont Spruce from Balsam Hill

Good lord I had a right old rigmarole with this artificial tree business. You can follow the journey on Instagram here. The first two trees, in true Goldilocks style, weren’t quite right. The third tree finally arrived….but only half of it! Who sends half a tree? Balsam Hill, that’s who.

This little (large) problem was overshadowed, however, when the tree was erected in all of its realistic glory. I’m quite taken aback by how much I love it. I can highly recommend the Balsam Hill Vermont Spruce if, in years to come, you decide you want a non-dropping tree that you can keep forever. (I have to have a fake one as I start shooting Christmas content around seven or eight weeks before Christmas.)

The tree I bought is here but they do have far less expensive options, especially if you’re not buying a gigantic one. The needles are really very convincing and it’s pre-lit with so many lights, way more than I would ever bother to put on. You could almost not decorate it and it would still look great.

Festive Favourite Number Two: Muck Boots

We are now, seemingly, a Muck Boot family. I’ll admit that they look slightly less, er, chic than some of the trendy brands by by God are they comfy. Neoprene-lined so that your feet don’t get cold and with soles that feel on a par with Nike Airs for bounce level. You can find all of their styles on their website here and they also stock them on Amazon here* if you’re in an almighty rush to get something for someone in time for Christmas…

Festive Favourite Number Three: Tulle Skirt

I went all Sex And The City and bought a grown-up tulle skirt and have no regrets. Hush keep selling out of this (it’s £99 here* online) but keep an eye on the page and do order if it takes your fancy, it’s exactly as nice as they promise. Although I would size down at least one UK size.

Festive Favourite Number Four: Desmond & Dempsey Pyjamas

I ordered these cotton pyjamas* for a shoot and could not have been more impressed with the service – really fast postage, the pyjamas were beautifully packaged (above and beyond!) and the quality is superb. The design I liked the most (here*) happened to be reduced in price, inexplicably, but I’m not complaining! I love that Desmond & Dempsey do shorts with long-sleeved tops; lots of places only do short-sleeved shirts with their short sets but I’m never that keen. They make me feel like I’m wearing a school uniform.

You can find all the Desmond & Demspey ranges online here*.

Festive Favourite Number Five: Huda Glowish Skin Tint (Press Sample)

For those who want that sophisticated candlelit glow on their face, there’s Huda Glowish. It’s really great. It’s tinted enough to actually wear as a tinted moisturiser but personally I feel it’s a little too glowy to wear without being tempered down slightly. So I use it as a primer with a very light foundation on top in the places I need it, or I dab it onto cheekbones and below the brows after I’ve finished my makeup. Or both.

It’s a wonderful alternative to highlighter for those who can’t abide the strong, shimmery or pearlescent line that some of the more dramatic highlighters can leave. Utterly foolproof and really amps up a glamorous look. You can find it at Cult Beauty here*, it’s £32.

Here’s the video if you’d like to see some of these bits and pieces in action; all that’s left is for me now to wish you all a very lovely Christmas and a joyful 2022. (Realise that with the current state of affairs that joyful might be stretching things a bit, but we can hope!)

Thank you so much for all of your support in 2021, I really do appreciate every read and every comment. You may have noticed that posts have been a bit more regular on here for the past few months: it’s a trend I’m hoping to keep working on next year. Which will hopefully please those who don’t use social media and only keep up with me here on the blog!

The post 5 Festive Favourites: Christmas 2021 appeared first on Ruth Crilly.

By: admin

3 Best Beauty Buys: More Great SOS Rescue Creams

A while ago I wrote about three of the best SOS moisturiser creams I’d been trying (pictured above). These were soothing, repairing moisturisers that I’d tested out in an attempt to get my skin back on an even keel. (You can read the post here – that particular ailment episode seems a million years ago now, what with constant school bugs and colds and viruses!)

Two of the SOS repair creams I recommended in the previous round-up were on the pricier side and I promised to take a look at some more keenly priced versions. Here I have three of the best inexpensive face creams for rescuing skin that’s dry and sensitive – whether it’s down to changes in the weather or overly-enthusiastic application of skin peels and retinoids.

Signs that your skin might need a bit of extra TLC? It feels tighter than usual, dryer than usual and has perhaps started to itch or to flake. You might see some redness or it might just be that it feels rough and irritated. Sometimes mine feels as though there are tiny annoying hairs stuck to it; quite a lot of the time it’s because my cat has walked over and rubbed his tail all over my face, but now and then, when on close inspection I see there’s nothing there, I know that my skin is in an angsty mood.

I have a bit more info on what I do in times of facial hardship in this skin routine post here – mainly involving “keeping things simple” and “avoiding strong exfoliating ingredients” but I do find that a week or so using potent skin barrier creams in place of my usual moisturisers works a treat.

Autumn Skincare Routine Post

And so, my top three beauty buys: (more) affordable SOS moisture creams. The first two are ceramide heavy (ceramides are the fatty acids that essentially make up the outer layers of skin, helping to form a nice strong barrier against the outside world) and the third takes a slightly different route to skin nirvana but all apply beautifully are deeply moisturising and have a non-greasy finish.

Curel Intensive Moisture Facial Cream, £19.50 here*. This cream with lightweight texture, but a deeply nourishing action is heaven in a pot. I have nothing bad to say about it. Dreamily fresh and cool to apply but with a surprising richness as it’s massaged in, it is an excellent all-rounder for those who want a face cream with added repair benefits. Brilliant for very dry, very sensitive skin, but it’s not at all greasy so those with combination skin will also find it pretty comfortable.

Dr Jart Ceramidin Cream, £30 here*. Slightly pricier but still offering exceptional value for money, Dr Jart’s Ceramidin Cream acts like a shield over your skin to help prevent moisture loss, keeping it hydrated and happy. It feels almost medicinal, like an ointment, but that makes me warm to it even more!

I often layer these creams over my go-to serum for stressed-skin days: the Toleriane Dermallergo, £28 here*.

This is a clear fluid that’s been formulated for the most sensitive of skin and it has an instant calming effect. It contains an ingredient developed by La Roche-Posay called Neurosensine which immediately relieves signs of sensitive skin including the aforementioned itchiness and tightness and gives a powerful hydration boost.

The third cream I’ve been testing out is from the same Dermallergo range:

La Roche-Posay Toleriane Dermallergo Cream, £18.50 here*. There’s a fluid version as well (same price here*) for those who prefer a lighter texture or who have oily or combination skin but the cream is gloriously soothing and gives a long-lasting feeling of comfort. And joy.

(Comfort-and-joy, good ti-i-dings of comfort and joy!)

Just getting into carol-singing mode, don’t mind me.

Let me know if you have any surefire rescue creams of your own, add them to the comments section below and I’ll give them a try. I like the three I’ve picked out in this post because they all work so well as regular, everyday face creams as well as SOS versions – non-greasy, well-behaved beneath makeup and not so pricey that you’re stingy with the amount you apply…

The post 3 Best Beauty Buys: More Great SOS Rescue Creams appeared first on Ruth Crilly.

By: admin

Life Update: My First Mammogram

A few weeks ago I went for my first mammogram. You can tell it was my first because I made the rookie error of wearing a dress to attend it, which is why I am stood there in my trainers and pants with a dressing gown tied around my waist.

This wasn’t a routine checkup for me. I was still 40 (I turned 41 a couple of weeks ago, just after the appointment) and NHS generally screen women between the ages of 50 and 70. But I had been to the doctor with a strange pain – or more of a pressure – in my armpit and down the side of my breast. She wasn’t worried but I really was, it was out of the ordinary for me, so she referred me to a consultant at the hospital who also wasn’t worried but thought there might be a Fibroadenoma (non-cancerous breast tumour that’s apparently quite common) and wanted to schedule a mammogram and a scan to check it out.

Now in one of the biggest coincidences to happen to me this decade, about two hours after I left the hospital the lovely PR for One Welbeck (a private healthcare centre in London) emailed asking whether I would be interested, in a journalistic sense, in visiting their breast screening centre for a mammogram. How mad is that? I’m told by one person that I’ll be booked in for a mammogram in Somerset and a couple of hours later a totally different, completely unrelated person invites me to write about a breast screening service in London! I thought that I was on Candid Camera.

But it was a genuine offer; One Welbeck’s breast screening centre has the most advanced technology in the UK and they had some spaces available for press to visit the centre and write about the facilities and services on offer. It costs £259 for the main option there which is the “3D Breast Screening Mammogram with Radiologist Report” and I thought that this sounded like a very useful service for women who might not be offered screening on the NHS or who wanted or needed a faster appointment.

And so off I went to London. I have to say, I went a lot less fearfully than I would have done, because I had already watched Nadine Baggott’s Instagram video on her mammogram appointment and it had completely put my mind at rest about it. The strange thing was, when I watched Nadine document her mammogram I had no idea I’d be needing one so soon! It was one of those things that I watched, processed and sort of mentally shelved for later, thinking I’m glad it’s not that bad, I’ll remember that for when the time comes.

And that’s partly the reason I’m giving so much detail here, because I do think that if you can help out a few people by sharing your own thoughts then that’s no bad thing. I think it’s so important not to bury your head in the sand when it comes to your health; I’ve been known to do this in the past because I am quite scared of anything test or hospital-related and so if this post resonates with someone like me then I think it’ll be worth me having written it!

I must say that the experience at One Welbeck was really great: everyone working there seemed geared to make the experience as relaxing and reassuring as possible. And not just for me, in case you’re wondering whether there was some sort of special treatment; all of the women in the waiting area seemed very calm and one even started chatting to me about how amazing the service was there. She raved so much about it that I started to suspect she was a plant, but actually I think it was because she was just so relieved that the experience wasn’t what she had feared it would be. Obviously there are going to be people attending the clinic who are there for routine appointments, but there would also be people who were there to check something urgently and who would – understandably – be incredibly anxious. I think that this woman was in the latter group; she’d already had a mammogram and a scan and a biopsy and was awaiting results on that. But she said that the care and compassion with which she had been treated had really taken her aback.

And I can agree with her sentiments; I felt completely at ease, unrushed and above all, cared for. The mammogram was quick, absolutely 100% painless (the pressure from the scanning machine is weird but it didn’t hurt at all, one bit*) and the ultrasound I subsequently needed was arranged immediately. I was in and out with the all-clear within half an hour. More importantly I was in and out with the all-clear and armed with some very important information: I have very dense breast tissue. I had been told this by my doctor and the consultant but neither had really explained the implications of this so I’d done my mental shelving again and stored the info for a later date. In actual fact it’s info that I need right now because apparently denser breast tissue makes it more difficult to feel small lumps or spot tumours on a Mammogram. (There’s more info at cancer.org on this. It’s why I then had to have the ultrasound follow-up. Dense tissue shows as white on a mammogram but then so do tumours, so it makes it more difficult to see an issue.)

I would never had known this had I not grabbed the bull by its proverbial horns and seen my doctor, asked to see the consultant and then gone for my breast scan. Thankfully all was clear, but it was recommended by the radiologist that I be scanned yearly because of the difficulty with spotting smaller tumours in denser breast tissue and it’s something that I will most definitely now do. I feel armed with relevant, important information about my own body and that is highly motivating; the fear of developing an awful disease is really high up on my list of worries in life, but I feel that there is a small, comforting element of control I can take back by keeping up with things like smear tests and breast checks and any other screening I might be offered.

So the aim of this post is to jog along anyone reading who might have a nagging concern with a lump or visual abnormality to go and get it checked. I tend to have this overriding fear of “bothering” doctors unnecessarily with my ailments, but more often than not when I finally go and see them my gut instinct was correct. (See: massive sinus infection that I lived with for about fifty thousand weeks.)

*A bit more info on the mammogram process itself, which I’m putting down at the end in case people don’t want to read about my boobs being essentially flattened into pancakes and then released. I’m being completely honest when I say that for me there was no pain. But it was uncomfortable. You basically have to drop your boobs (one at a time) onto a plate of glass and have them pressed until they’re essentially flat.

Re the plate of glass thing, if you’ve ever photocopied your breasts (to be frank if you had an office job in the nineties and didn’t photocopy some part of your anatomy then I’m highly disappointed in you) then it’s just like that but without the searing heat of the photocopier light going over an intimate area of your body.

You have to completely relax, which is obviously easy when you’re semi-naked and a lady you’ve only just met is placing your breast onto a piece of machinery, and you have to sort of slump yourself over it so that your shoulders aren’t tense. Then the other part of the scanner comes down to flatten the breast out and you start to feel a pressure which builds up and up and feels incredibly weird and then comes to a sort of climax (not that kind) where you think your boob couldn’t possibly squash more and then poof! It releases.

If I felt any pain at all it was actually where my ribcage was pressed against the machine. But it was fleeting, like the sort of pain you might get when you turn around in your car seat and lean into the back and you awkwardly press against the central console. (Bizarre comparison, don’t know where that came from!) And my radiographer, Miss Johanna Kelsey, was very calming and reassuring and talked everything through in very simple terms so that I didn’t feel scared or worried, just sort of…bemused.

My default state these days. Ha.

(I was very lucky to be invited to One Welbeck without charge because they are raising awareness of their services but I am absolutely going to return every year as a fully paid-up client as I am not eligible for NHS checks at this age. You don’t need private healthcare or insurance to book with One Welbeck, it’s a one-time fee of £259 for the 3D mammogram. Fees differ for other services such as ultrasound or biopsy.)

The post Life Update: My First Mammogram appeared first on Ruth Crilly.

By: admin

How I Style My Mid Length Hair

This is how I style my mid length hair now that it’s slightly shorter than usual – it sits just below the shoulder. Obviously I use the word style in its very loosest sense because I’m about as wieldy with heated appliances as an elephant would be with a crochet hook, but I’ve just about mastered the art of putting some waves in without burning huge welts in my head and so I thought I’d share.

(It’s incredibly similar in vibe and “technique” to this post here if you’d like to see my version from a few years ago.)

I use the Cloud Nine curling wand (it’s here online*). I like it because it doesn’t have one of those clamps on it, the long section of the tong that can be opened and closed. I hate those because a) they are too taxing on my very basic coordination skills and b) they look (to me) a little bit like the speculum they use when you have a smear test.

So yes, it’s just one long heated round-ended bit of metal, really, and you wind each section of hair around it and hold on until your fingers start to smoulder through the heatproof gloves**.

(**this is not official advice. You’re supposed to hold the hair around for a limited amount of time so that you don’t a) damage your hair and b) singe off all of your fingertips, but I have no idea what that amount of time is. I suppose you just have to experiment…)

There’s an art to the hair-winding. You section off small pieces of hair and then wind all of them away from your face, or maybe it’s supposed to be towards your face… but it should be clear to you by now that I have no idea what I am doing and that I just wing it. Sometimes the hair turns out OK, other times I look slightly deranged for a day or two until the curls drop out. It’s a risky business.

The best part of the whole process is the day after. Delayed gratification. On my bleached, roughened hair, the slept-in curls suddenly go huge and voluminous and I get a lovely, sexy texture that has body and shape but no real discernible curl. So on day 1 I have the full curl, which is fun, on day 2 I have the sexy texture and then it stays sexily textured for around two or three more days, throughout which I add more dry shampoo than you’d think would be possible.

On day five I usually can’t resist the urge to wash it. It starts to feel like old felt. I then give it a day off and start the whole process again. I just think that the curl/wave/texture thing works really well on this length hair. Shorter would actually be even better, but I can’t bear not being able to tie it up so it’s not an option for me anymore. I’ve learned the hard way with that!

So that’s my current mid length hair style. The long fringe bit is annoying – can’t wait for that to grow out! – but it’s relatively easy to tong that bit separately and just ease it into some kind of gentle face-framer or (on energetic days) power quiff.

This wasn’t even supposed to be a written post, I was just going to bung the video up, so please do watch that for a more sensible explanation of how I currently style my hair!

Life Update: Lunging Into The Unknown

I’ve long been trying to find a word that describes the sort of life you have as a parent to young children; something that encapsulates the feeling of utter chaos, that conveys the sense that your life is very much out of your own control – a word that sums up entirely the way in which your normal day is made up of manic mini-sprints, both physically and mentally.

It can often feel as though you’re just frantically treading water, trying to get work done and also be an adequate, functioning adult, but then there are these blissful downtime moments where everything is running like clockwork and the kids are at school and all seems right with the world.

And I couldn’t think of a word for the haywire parts, the bursts of hours or days that seem as though they’ve been specially designed to send you over the edge, until my literary agent said to me (humble-brag, dropped that one in, didn’t I? Ha!) that often he feels as though he’s lunging from one thing to the next.

Lunging!

Such an absolutely spot-on word. It really resonated with me. Maybe because I still associate the word lunging with the idea of moving suddenly and speedily towards something rather than that awful knee-bend thing you have to do in the gym. If you’re well into your fitness and only associate the word lunging with, well, lunging, then it might not hit the same note for you as it did with me.

But lunging. Careering from one thing to the next in a reasonably uncontrolled, spontaneous kind of movement, is exactly how I live life. And I’m sure I read someone wise say something, somewhere, about being in control of your destiny and trying not to be reactive all the time (ie waiting for an event to happen and then thinking “shit! Better lunge to the left!”) but I can’t remember what they said the alternative was.

Oh well.

I’ll be lunging for a while yet, then! At least this sort doesn’t make my knees creak.

The sharp-eyed among you will have noticed that the last life update was in August. I used to write one every month, without fail, and still would like to do that, but I’ll tell you what has become increasingly difficult: the kids are getting older. Might seem an obvious statement to make, but it has a huge impact on the way I write about them. It was fun writing about boobs and poo and what have you when they were more or less inanimate, but as they grow I find myself feeling apprehensive (over) sharing much about them. It feels like an invasion of privacy – even more so than a photo or a video – because, I suppose, there’s an unsaid trust between parent and child that you won’t go laughing about their funny mistakes in public.

Unless it’s the one about lions, because that was pretty good, to me at least. Mr AMR asked the six year old for a book of “hugs, kisses and lie-ins” as a gift and she presented him with a beautifully-drawn pamphlet with multiple vouchers for hugs and kisses. And drawings of lions. Loads and loads of lions.

See? It’s not the best anecdote in the world, is it? I mean it’s cute to me, but there’s nothing worse than other people sharing stuff about their kids that they think is cute. Pass the puke bucket sil vous plait. I get it. I’m with you. The stuff that’s great to share is when they’ve made a clay reindeer that looks like a giant misshapen penis and you can all laugh, or they’ve dyed themselves blue with a hair crayon and you can all commiserate.

So I’m feeling my way with the old “life update” posts. It’s a foray (or lunge) into the unknown. I love documenting life – and where else will I record the fact that my four year-old’s little hand in mine, when we cross the road, brings me to genuine tears of happiness on a daily basis? – but life is constantly changing and the people I once considered to be part of me are now their own little persons. How mad is that? They have their own opinions and everything. You should have seen how hard I had to bribe them to put elf outfits on (see photo at top of post): I now need a whole drum of Haribo to keep up with the bribes train.

I’m pretty sure that bribery via sweets is a massive no-no in the parenting books, but I can’t imagine they look too fondly on my particular method of self-care and stress-relief either* so I’m fighting a losing battle there.

*hiding around the corner, usually in the utility room, kicking the (full, always full) linen basket and silent-shouting hugely offensive swear words into a balled-up tea towel.

The post Life Update: Lunging Into The Unknown appeared first on Ruth Crilly.

By: admin

The Ultimate Books and Chocolate Gift: 2021 Version

OK readers, you know the drill with this one. For the ultimate Christmas (or birthday, or any occasion for that matter) gift, a gift that will surprise and delight and make the recipient think that you’re the most thoughtful person they know, you need two ingredients.

A book with a striking cover
Quality chocolate with photo-worthy packaging

That’s it. Two things. But it’s very, very important that you get the right things. An airport novel with a bar of Galaxy will not suffice. We’re talking an entirely different gift language here; considered literary material paired with the sort of choc you’d expect to see in one of those posh little delis that you immediately have to back out of because the parma ham can only be bought by the whole leg, complete with board and knife, and you realise your pot of olives is going to cost twelve quid.

I’ve been doing this Christmas present “books ‘n choc” feature for a few years now and you can browse past posts here; the rules are very simple but surprisingly difficult to follow if you’re time-poor. Which is why I spend hours and hours picking out the best books, the nicest covers and the most Instagram-worthy chocolate so that you can click and buy in a few seconds.

Sounds too good to be true? Here’s the best bit: some book and chocolate combos can come in at around a tenner. That’s ten pounds to look like you’re a cultural trailblazer, a coveted tastemaker and above all, an absolute sorcerer of the gifting world.

(Full disclaimer: my friend Tee chose some of these books because she reads more voraciously than me and always has so many good, considered suggestions. Thank you Tee.)

Obviously you can mix and match any of the books and chocolates you like, but you have to admit that the following pairings look very pretty. Click the links for more info on the books, if I had to do a synopsis on each one I’d be here until…well, Christmas.

Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason, £11.50 online here*

Marc de Champagne Truffles from Willies Cacao, £4.50 online here*

Delectable duo: one of the best books I’ve read this year with some surprisingly affordable truffles in a cool little box.

Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro, £15.59 online here*

Dark Sea Salt Truffles from Charbonnel et Walker, £15 online here*

A book that’s on my to-read list but happens to have the most striking cover, paired with Charbonnel & Walker’s finest.

Mr Loverman by Bernadine Evaristo, £7.37 online here*

HiP Oat Milk Chocolate, £3.95 online here*

I loved Girl, Woman, Other and so snapped up Mr Loverman when I was last in town. The graphic, colourful cover goes brilliantly with HiP’s Oat Milk chocolate.

Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart, £11.05 online here* (or £5 for the paperback version, which also has a good cover if you’re keeping costs down!)

Willie’s Cacao Orange & Almond, £2.49 online here*

Shuggie isn’t the most joy-raising of reads, but it’s an absolute masterpiece and a great gift for any serious reader. Willie’s Cacao offers up a festive flash of colour, just to lighten the mood…

Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell, £14.99 online here*

Dark Sea Salt Truffles by Charbonnel & Walker, £15 online here* as before

I’m still attempting to wade into Hamnet; it made my sister cry a lot and so I’ve been uncharacteristically nervous. However it’s a solid option as a gift – it’s had rave reviews – even though it came out last year. Looks great with the truffles, too.

Paul by Daisy Lafarge, £10.94 online here*

Le Chocolat de Francais, La Bouche Chocolat, £6.95 online here*

This is a Tee recommendation and the chocolate is from Liberty. Can we all please stand back and appraise the absolute glory and joy of this particular book-n-choc duo? I don’t want to blow my own trumpet here but visually, I think I have actually outdone myself. It’s almost art.

Long Division by Kiese Laymon, £8.99 online here*

Coco Chocalatier, £4.95 online here*

Kiese Laymon’s Long Division is next on my reading list and the cover art is perfect for this Ultimate Gift quest. This duo comes in at less than £15 and would be a bright little package to find under the tree.

A Modern Way To Live, by Matt Gibberd. £17.99 online here*

Love Cocoa Salted Caramel Milk Bar, £4.50 online here*

A foray into non-fiction now. A new book from The Modern House (estate agents and style leaders extraordinaire) and a gorgeous slab of salted caramel chocolate. For the cool cats and the interiors aficionados.

How To Break Up With Your Phone by Catherine Price, £5.87 online here*

Montezuma Giant Chocolate Buttons, £3.39 online here*

This is very non-hipster with its primary colours but I couldn’t resist – the shades are almost identical! What a match! The book is very topical and the buttons are very moreish and the whole package comes in at just over £9.

Diddly Squat by Jeremy Clarkson, £7.37 online here*

Tony’s Chocolonely Sea Salt Milk Caramel, £3 online here*

OK, I deliberated over including Jeremy’s book but I have to say that I loved the farm series and so, apparently, did nearly the whole country. So here’s the book and a bright, unapologetic slab of chunky milk choc, which just seemed appropriate.

The Life Changing Magic of Tidying by Marie Kondo, £9.75 online here*

Hip Oat Milk Choc £3.95 online here*

I still haven’t read this Marie Kondo book, which is probably why my office is such a shit tip, but it makes for a lovely present along with some neat oat milk confectionary to eat whilst you’re reading…

Scary Smart by Mo Gawdat, £12.99 online here*

Tony Chocolonely, £3 online here* as before

I’m almost afraid to read Scary Smart, so it’s a good job I’m giving it as a present to one of my nearest and dearest. They will enjoy it greatly – it’s quite the eye-opener, I’ve heard – and I don’t think the Tony’s Chocolonely will be sniffed at either.

The Son by Philip Meyer, £7.79 online here* in paperback

Love Cocoa Salted Caramel Milk Bar, £4.50 online here*

It’s quite heavy-going, this book, a story of tragedy and conflict set in the early years of the newly-formed Texas. It’s incredibly violent but everyone (admittedly all men, go figure) I’ve bought it for or recommended it to has loved it.

The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich, £7.99 online here*

Wllie’s Cacao Orange £2.49 online here*

I haven’t read a Louise Erdrich novel in years and am really looking forward to this one – I’ve gone for a “flames” theme here to match the chocolate box to the book cover. That’s just how I roll.

No One Is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood, £10.77 online here*

Charbonnel & Walker Dark Truffles, £15 online here*

If in doubt, trawl through the latest Booker shortlist. That’s what I’ve done here and what a corker of a cover to have found alongside a brilliant book! I love it when a plan comes together. Looks mighty smart with the box of truffles – a pricier gift, perhaps, but one that will be vastly appreciated. And what sort of toiletries set tat would you otherwise be giving them, that would come in at £25?

Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams, £7.25 online here*

Tony Chocolonely, £3 online here* as before

One of my must-reads of last year, Queenie is at once heartbreaking and one of the funniest books I’ve finished in ages. I’ve gone bold and bright with my colours in this match and I’m not displeased with the result. It’s also another “pairing for a tenner” – a great, considered Christmas present for those on a tighter budget.

Fing by David Walliams, £4.50 online here*

Wonka Bars £7.95 for 6 online here*

And so we move to the kids’ offerings. I only have one thing to say to you here and that is Wonka Bars. You could slide one of these Wonka bars into a parcel with pretty much any kids’ book and it would make the whole thing magical. Who wouldn’t want a Wonka Bar?

They also make brilliant stocking fillers without books, if you’re that way inclined – and with each bar coming in at around £1.30 it’s a touch of wonder that won’t break the bank.

Further up the page, behold the Wonka Bar with David Walliams’ Fing; below see it in action with The BFG. Ideally I’d have had a copy of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory but mine is from the eighties and the cover has fallen off from overuse and it didn’t photograph particularly well…

The BFG by Roald Dahl, £6.99 online here*

Wonka Bars, £7.95 for 6 online here*

So that’s fun and friendly covered, but for those wanting something pretty you can’t beat the Penguin Clothbound Classics – they tend to be around £10 to £15 each and look really special. (You can find a selection online here* but Google to see all of the choices – the Alice one below is here* and £10.99.)

The cloth covers with individual patterns make each book feel like an absolute treat – it’s kind of dull to gift a classic, because most people have drudged through them at school and would rather forget, but give a clothbound classic? Yes please.

Right, I’ve absolutely bloody exhausted myself. I don’t think I’ve ever put so many photos into a post before or looked up so many book prices online! So you’ll excuse me if I take a books-n-choc break until next year. Oh:

I forgot the wrapping. This Clairefontaine Kraft paper is absolutely brilliant and exactly the right width for wrapping books! I think it looks really understated and chic and they do a few different designs. You can find it online here* – it’s my discovery of the season! Each roll is 5 metres long and costs just under three quid. Not as cheap as actual brown paper, but it’s easier to handle and looks far nicer.

Now I’m really, really going! Leave your own book and choc suggestions in the comments below!

The post The Ultimate Books and Chocolate Gift: 2021 Version appeared first on Ruth Crilly.