BUY BRITISH – Christmas Gift Guide

Buy British Gifts this Christmas

Source: BUY BRITISH – Christmas Gift Guide

A great choice of suggested British made gifts for this Christmas – go on, make someone’s day with a present made in the UK.

Great suggestions for British made gifts for Christmas – thank you Make it British – Check out the @MakeitBritish gift guide for great gifts #MadeinBritain http://makeitbritish.co.uk/buy-british/ #BritishChristmasGifts

Traditional sewn Union flag (5x3ft) by Red Dragon Flagmakers

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Australian Made and British Made – How the Aussie’s seem to campaign for their country’s manufacturing and farming better than the Brits

A carrier bag advertising the Australian Made, Australian Grown logo, together with Bruce, an Australian made toy wombat. Photograph by author. October 2015.

Wherever I travel in the world, I make the effort to buy locally made souvenirs and support local people. At the very least I make sure I buy a gift that is actually made in the country I am visiting.

On a recent visit to Australia in October 2015 I was impressed by a shop at Sydney airport selling purely Australian made gifts for travellers. The shop, called Purely Australian carries a wide range of Australian made products – fridge magnets, soft toys, wax jackets and bags, microfibre glasses cleaning cloths, sports clothes such as tracksuit tops, jumpers, wooly hats, Akubra hats, fridge magnets, and much more – all made in Australia. Purely Australian is Australia’s leading retailer of Australian clothing, offering a product range that reflects the fundamentals of nature, including Australian grown cotton and fine pure new wool. The Purely Group, which operates this shop, has operated retail outlets for the past fifteen years, with its primary focus on airport retailing throughout Australia. The Purely Australia Sydney Airport branch is located at Pier B after immigration control at Sydney International Airport and if you are in Sydney is a great place to shop. There are other shops at Sydney Airport selling Australian made products too, although Purely Australian seems to be the only selling just Australian made as opposed to some Australian made and mostly Chinese made souvenirs. At British airports and seaports you’ll be lucky to find anything that is not foreign made, which in some ways is strange given that in Great Britain secondary industry produces far more goods than does Australia.

The products on sale at Purely Australian stores mostly seem to carry the Australian Made logo. The Australian Made, Australian Grown logo is administered by Australian Made Campaign Limited (AMCL), a not-for-profit public company established in 1999 by the Australian Chamber of Commerce & Industry (ACCI) and the network of state and territory chambers of commerce, with the cooperation of the Federal Government. AMCL is not a government body and does not receive government funding for its core operations, which are licensing companies to use the logo and promoting Australian products both in Australia and overseas. Originally the campaign and logo were conceived by the government of Australia. The criteria for using the logo are clear – essentially the product has been manufactured in Australia (not just packaged or assembled); and 50% or more of the cost of making it can be attributed to Australian materials and/or production processes; or else grown/produced in Australia, with all of the product’s significant ingredients grown in Australia and all or nearly all of the processing has been carried out in Australia. What I like about both the campaign and the shop are the simple and clear way it is carried forward. In answer to the question “Why buy Australian Made?”, the response is simple too – “It’s good for consumers, it’s good for business and it’s good for Australia.”

My question is why can’t the Brits operate stores at our airports and seaports providing British made souvenirs, in the same way that Purely Australian stores are committed to providing an all-Australian souvenir experience and why can’t the Brits have a simple and clear buy British campaign like the Australian Made one?

http://www.sydneyairport.com.au/shop/retailer-categories/retailer-listing/retailer-detail.aspx?ret=%7B7D44A704-F7D1-42E5-AE2B-AFDE6614618A%7D&ter=%7B0D3AF84A-9190-4416-8EB0-CE3AB1C849F0%7D&cat=%7B0034A969-E784-44E9-80EA-9F445378B06A%7D

http://lsaspac.com/brand/travel-essentials/purely-australian/

https://australianmade.com.au

The Purely Australian store at Sydney Airport.

Koala Australia microfibre cleaning cloth from Purely Australian in Sydney Airport. Australian Made. Photograph by author.

A carrier bag advertising the 1968 I’m Backing Britain campaign.

A Made in England label.

There are a few Buy British campaigns currently running, such as those promoting the use of the logos below:

British Made for Quality logo.

Made in Britain logo.

British Family Made in Britain logo.

John Lewis’s ‘Made in UK’ logo as of September 2012. This logo never really came to fruition and seems to have been quietly dropped. John Lewis have though committed to increase sales of UK made products by 15% by the end of 2015/16 from a 2011/12 baseline. Whilst it is great to see a major player in retail committing to a number, JLP still fails to state country of origin on their website and on some of their products, and still sells mostly foreign made goods these days. Waitrose, like other supermarkets, sells much UK made foodstuff and pleasingly have clearly committed to continue to do so.

Red Tractor logo. The top part of the logo indicates food quality assurance, whilst the flag part of the logo indicates provenance. Only Red Tractor logos carrying the Union Flag are British made; other flags indicate a food is foreign produced and / or processed.

UK food self-sufficiiecy is now just 62%, down from 75% in 1991, according to the NFU.

Grown in Britain logo. Grown in Britain promotes active management to create a more sustainable future for British woodlands.

Great British Furniture (GBF) logo. IT IS Great British Furniture is an initiative to promote British made furniture run by the British Furniture Manufacturers (BFM) furniture trade association. It aims to promote UK made upholstery, cabinets, bathroom furniture, kitchen furniture, office furniture, mattresses and beds. This logo was taken from the Hypnos website.

There are physical shops in the UK, like Things British, that only sell gifts and souvenirs that are made in the UK but non at Britain’s ports and airports that I am aware of. There are some local shops only selling British, like Buford Woodcraft. Jail Dornoch at Inverness Airport is one of the few gift shops at a British airport that does sell quite a few British made items but still alongside much that is foreign made. There are gift shops who sell a good range of British made gifts (alongside Chinese made tat), such as some of the museum gift shops – The London Transport Museum shop, and the National Trust shops.

On the web there are sites selling only British made such as Things British (selling only British made gifts, and supporting British designer-makers), Made in These Isles (selling British made clothes, accessories, homeware, beauty products, furniture, lifestyle products, etc; all products are “produced from within the geographical region of the British Isles”), The Great British Exchange (trade only; they source new British made products and sell them to retailers), The Great British Home (selling gifts, and homeware made in the UK), From Britain with Love (Scandinavian inspired homeware, accessories and gifts made in Britain) and DreamGB (selling British made gifts and everyday products), Pickle (“All of our products are made in the UK” they tell us – throws, picnic rugs, kitchen ware, vases, children’s shoes, toys, cards, jewellery, Christmas decorations and so on), Make The Most Of (an online networking community and seller of British goods and services direct from the providers; although the site promotes British business I do not think everything they sell is British made) and others selling gifts and more like Made Closer, Handmade GB and Not on the High Street that clearly label country of origin and sell some British made gifts.  There are gift manufacturing companies too like Custom Works (trade only; they manufacture more than 50 product lines here in their factory in Bo’ness, Scotland, with everything else they sell being imported). Victoria Eggs homeware, gifts and cards are mostly made in Britain – aprons, oven mitts, tea towels, mugs which disappointingly are foreign made but are printed in the UK, cushions, screen prints, coasters, tote bags, greetings cards and gift wrap.

There are many more companies making gift items in the UK too of course. There are websites encouraging us to buy British such as Buy British, British Family, British Made for Quality, Made in Britain, Back British Farming by the NFU, and of course my site ukmade, but non supported by the British government.

The Great British Exchange (trade only; they source new British made products and sell them to retailers) product qualifying criteria. I don’t know much about this site, but seemingly only British made goods are sold by them and they consider where raw materials and packaging come from. A useful matrix for all of us.

If you travel to say Japan, Australia, New Zealand, the USA, France, or Thailand, you can easily find plenty of products that are made domestically. In this article by the British Family, James explains that they had a similar experience recently in Italy and were impressed by the number of domestically produced items easily available. As James challenges us to do in this article about Italy, look around the any British high street and see if you can find anything made in Britain!

Manufacturing in the UK allows companies to control supply, guarantee quality, offer flexibility and to be ethical and environmentally sound. I  encourage you to buy products that are made in the British Isles (excluding the Republic of Ireland) and British Overseas Territories and if buying non-British made items I would encourage you to look at goods manufactured within the Commonwealth first. When buying a jumper, a piece of furniture or a bag of apples, do you check to see where it has come from? Why not make a conscious preference to buy British made? You may have to look that bit harder as lots of goods on the High Street are foreign made these days, but Britain still makes most things. I’m backing Britain. Are you?

#BritishMade

“Best place for affordable souvenirs made in England”

In response to this question I saw on trip advisor  – where is the “Best place for affordable souvenirs made in England”?

Wherever you travel in the world, please make the effort to buy locally made souvenirs and support local people. At the very least make sure you buy a gift that is actually made in the country you are visiting.

In the UK for example, pretty much any souvenir shop sells tat that is made in China. You’ll be out for the day in Windsor and buy a fridge magnet with a Union Flag on it. Look carefully and on the back it will say made in China. Please don’t buy things like this. When you travel you should buy locally made gifts and I would encourage tourists and others in the UK to do the same when looking for presents.

My personal pet hate is anything with a Union Flag on it or anything celebrating events like the Queen’s Golden Jubilee that is made abroad. If it has a Union Flag on it, then it ought to be made in Britain! If it has a picture of the Queen, then it should be made in Britain or the Commonwealth! If you are buying such products, please check they are British made.

My site lists plenty of gifts that that are made in the UK.  Please have a look around.

There are physical shops, like Things British, that only sell gifts and souvenirs that are made in the UK but non at Britain’s ports and airports that I am aware of. There are some local shops only selling British, like Buford Woodcraft. Jail Dornoch at Inverness Airport is one of the few gift shops at a British airport that does sell quite a few British made items but still alongside much that is foreign made. There are gift shops who sell a good range of British made gifts (alongside Chinese made tat), such as some of the museum gift shops – The London Transport Museum shop, and the National Trust shops for example.

On the web there are sites selling only British made such as Things British (selling only British made gifts, and supporting British designer-makers), Made in These Isles (selling British made clothes, accessories, homeware, beauty products, furniture, lifestyle products, etc; all products are “produced from within the geographical region of the British Isles”), The Great British Exchange (trade only; they source new British made products and sell them to retailers), The Great British Home (selling gifts, and homeware made in the UK), From Britain with Love (Scandinavian inspired homeware, accessories and gifts made in Britain), Pickle (“All of our products are made in the UK” they tell us – throws, picnic rugs, kitchen ware, vases, children’s shoes, toys, cards, jewellery, Christmas decorations and so on), and DreamGB (selling British made gifts and everyday products) that only sell gifts that are made in the UK and others like Made Closer, Handmade GB, Make The Most Of, Victoria Eggs and Not on the High Street and many others that clearly label country of origin and sell some British made gifts.

There are gift manufacturing companies too like Custom Works (trade only; they manufacture more than 50 product lines here in their factory in Bo’ness, Scotland, with everything else they sell being imported). There are many more companies making gift items in the UK too of course.

Whatever you are buying presents please think about where they are made and buying British.

To wrap your gifts and for cards and things to go with them, please click here for more info.

House of Dorchester Flying the Flag seven pictorial pack. Made in Great Britain.

Still time for those last minute British made Christmas gifts – see http://wp.me/p2KOue-1ne – Buy UK made presents. #BritishChristmas

British Made Christmas Gift Guide 2013 – Great Places to buy UK Made Christmas Presents

10 reasons for giving British made gifts this Christmas:

1. Helping preserve the future of British manufacturing and craftsmanship.
2. You know where what you are buying is coming from.
3. You are preserving and creating jobs for British workers.
4. You are bestowing a gift that does not have a massive carbon footprint.
5. It gives you the chance to buy something of quality that will last.
6. You are encouraging others to buy British.
7. You are helping people to realise that we do still make many wonderful things in the UK.
8. You are being patriotic.
9. British factories have ethical hygienic production, fair wages & decent working conditions.
10. You are helping ensure future security of supply.

Manufacturing in the UK allows companies to control supply, guarantee quality, offer flexibility and to be ethical and environmentally sound. Please support UK industry by buying British.

I’m afraid that you are simply making excuses if you say that you can’t find anything UK made – It has never been easier to find products made in Britain and they don’t have to be expensive. Don’t just rely on the High Street (although I encourage you to buy British made gifts you find in High Street shops); use the internet to research UK made gifts.

You’ll have to be careful to check the provenance of your gifts; there’s a tendency amongst many firms to claim British heritage in a way that misleadingly implies manufacture in the UK.

Anything manufactured Britain, for example any the items listed on this website or elsewhere, will make a good present. Here are some further suggestions of where you might get British made gifts this Christmas (in no particular order):

Maiden Dorset candles are made in England – http://www.maidendorset.co.uk

http://www.emmelinesimpson.co.uk – contemporary gifts celebrating British cities such as Oxford, London, Bristol and Bath. All items are made in Britain.  Made in the UK coasters, tea towels, mugs, placemats, tea pots, calendars, notecards, etc. Note though that Emmeline Simpson mugs are imported from China then decorated in England.

Emmeline Simpson Oxford Bridge of Sighs coaster. Made in Britain.

http://www.campbellcole.co.uk – men’s accessories made in England. One of my favourite items is the beautiful made in England key wrap.*

CAMPBELL COLE – KEY WRAP – Made in England.

Beautiful adult or children’s aprons from http://www.thesundaygirlcompany.co.uk

Deliciously Dotty Retro Red Sweetheart Adult Apron by Sunday Girl. Made in Britain.

Mamnick. Gifts, clothing, cycle stuff for men (and women). Shirts, t-shirts, socks, jackets, shoes, pocket squares, a foul weather wallet / pouch, penknives, hip flasks, and other Sheffield Steel items such as a chip fork, money clip, card holder, cycling trouser clip (with a hole to attach it to your key ring when not in use), bracelets, key rings, etc. Products manufactured in the UK and Japan. Available from their website and they also have a shop in Tokyo. Country of origin is clearly labelled on their website. Also Mamnick 42.21 steel road summer or winter steel road bicycle frames are handmade in Derbyshire, England, using Reynolds 531 lightweight tubing. Some Mamnick products are also, sold by Campbell Cole. Mamnick 42.21 frames are also available at Vernon Barker Cycles. There’s a fascinating interview with Thom Barnett of Mamnick here – http://www.mamnick.com

Raw Leather Workshop – James Bradshaw (of British Family fame) hand makes rugged leather accessories in Britain and they are available from Folksy – http://www.rawleather.co.uk.  You can also find other great British made gifts at Folksy – http://folksy.com*

Raw Leather Hand Stitched Wallet or Card Case (Saddle Tan). Made in England.

Tulip and Nettle children’s clothes are all made in England and will make lovely Christmas gifts – http://www.tulipandnettle.com

Britain’s last-remaining volume teddy bear manufacturer, Merrythought, has been handmaking the quintessential English teddy bear in Shropshire for over 80 years. For example this lovely Shrewsbury bear would make a great present – http://www.merrythought.co.uk

Merrythought Shrewsbury Bear. Made in England.

Reefer Sails products are all designed and manufactured in England and will make great Christmas gifts, for example their children’s crabbing kits in a recycled sailcloth carry bag or for adults perhaps one of their smartphone cases – http://www.reefersails.com

Vinnie & D sell a wonderful selection items by individual designers and contemporary artists all based in Great Britain and most of their products are made in Great Britain too and many will make great gifts. Gifts, home furnishings, jewellery ,art, stationery and produce. If it does not say something is made in Britain on this site, then it probably is not, so do check before buying – http://www.vinnieandd.com

If you’ve got plenty of cash to spare (which you probably haven’t!) or for your business, how about a made in Britain jukebox from http://www.classicjukeboxes.co.uk. For more musical things please see https://ukmade.wordpress.com/2012/11/02/organs/

Sound Leisure ROCKET 88 JUKEBOX. Made in Britain

http://www.zpm.com – wash bags, shower caps, pencil cases, baby bibs, etc. made in the UK. Please note that some of their items, such as their shopper bags, are foreign made.  Look for the words Made in Britain to get British made.*

ZPM Holiday-Hedgehog-Long-Zip. Made in Britain.

http://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/northerngoodsco?ref=l2-shopheader-name – paracord key clips made England.

County Choppers – Exclusive made in Britain chopping boards in the shape of British Ceremonial Counties, made from sustainable anti-bacterial bamboo – http://countychoppers.co.uk

A UK made toaster by Rowlett Rutland perhaps.

A Rowlett Rutland Toaster. Made in the UK.

Or a UK made television from Cello – http://www.celloelectronics.com

http://www.madecloser.co.uk has a great range of British made items to choose from.

http://www.notonthehighstreet.com – lots of gifts quite a few of which are made in the UK – look for the words made in Britain or filter to find made in Britain.*

http://www.jojoaccessories.co.uk – made in England headbands, Union Jack flag bags, pencil cases, purses and cushions, etc. Also at the fabulous London Sunday UpMarket every Sunday, and on notonthehighstreet.*

Jo Jo Accessories Union Flag cushion. Made in England.

http://www.anorakonline.co.uk/search/britain – Anorak sell a few British made things – cushions, coasters, pencil cases, purses, picnic blankets, placemats, was bags, tote bags, laundry bags, jotter pads, etc.*

http://www.waitrose.com/shop/HeaderSearchCmd?searchTerm=dutchy&defaultSearch=GR&search=#_ – Dutchy British produced foodstuffs, drinks and mugs at Waitrose.

http://www.britishchristmasjumpers.com – Christmas themed jumpers made in Britain or Christmas themed clothing from Josery (with designs that can be removed after Christmas) – http://www.josery.com/mens_christmas_jumpers.html

http://ohyo.me – A made in England Ohyo collapsible water bottle would make a useful gift.

How about some darts or even a dartboard from Harrows Darts. Harrows Darts is the world’s leading and most widely distributed darts brand and the only darts brand maintaining production in England. If buying Harrows darts accessories and such items please check these are UK made, as I am not sure  – http://www.harrows-darts.com*

Harrows Darts.  Made in England.

Retriever Sports (Pentathlon, Amazon, and Elkadart brands) darts, dart flights, dart barrels, dart shafts and dart accessories are all produced at their factory in England. You can ask them for your nearest stockist or your can find their products online –http://www.retrieversports.com

Bulls Eye Darts are all made in the UK. Available on their website – http://www.bullseyedarts.co.uk

There is a possibility that some Target darts are made in the UK, as I have read on the net that they have production facilities in China and the UK. I have written to the company to clarify this, as their About and FAQ parts of their website do not work. The photograph on this website shows a packet of Target darts as having been made in China, so do check before buying.

Winmau darts and dart boards are apparently made in Kenya. They do not giving any information about country of manufacture on their website. Winmau are owned by Nodor who also do not give any information about country of manufacture on their website and presumably all their manufacturing is also abroad. Unicorn darts and dart boards are apparently made in China.

Made in England wooden toys by Croglin Designs.

UK made handbag tidies, tissue covers and purse security bells from Sandi Bags– http://www.sandibags.com*

Susie Faulks oilcloth ladies bags made in England – http://www.susiefaulks.co.uk

Love Lammie also specialises in oilcloth handbags, as well as homeware and accessories, all made in the UK – http://www.lovelammie.co.uk

Perhaps an elegant umbrella for a Christmas gift from http://www.foxumbrellas.com – see https://ukmade.wordpress.com/category/umbrellas/ for more British made umbrellas.

Or a lovely mug from http://www.emmabridgewater.co.uk – see https://ukmade.wordpress.com/2012/09/26/pottery/ for more British made mugs.

Talisker is the only single-malt whisky made in Skye and would make a good present for someone.  Available in Tescos.

Nyetimber make fine English sparking wines (great for the Christmas celebrations or as a present). Available for example in Waitrose  – http://nyetimber.com

Nyetimber blanc de blancs. Made in England.

Or what about a lovely made in England soap related gift from Lush.

How about a British made adult or child bicycle or tricycle from http://www.pashley.co.uk – for more British made bikes and cycling equipment please see – https://ukmade.wordpress.com/2012/09/26/bicycles/

http://limandalimanda.co.uk – Coastal & nautical themed home accessories and gifts ~ cushions, tide clocks, notice boards, chalk boards, key rings, and Christmas decorations. All their products are made and designed in North Yorkshire.

DreamGB have a lovely British made recycled wool rug*, as well as British made Christmas gifts for kids and lots of other British made items which will make great gifts – http://www.dreamgb.co.uk

Recycled wool rug at Dream GB. Made in Great Britain.

Solway Blankets blankets, throws, baby blankets and picnic blankets are made in all made in British mills and would make wonderful gifts for all ages  – http://www.solwayblankets.co.uk. For more blankets please see https://ukmade.wordpress.com/category/blankets/

How about a fab pair of British made Union Jack slippers (or any of their designs really) from Triggerfish – for more British made shoes, boots and trainers please see – https://ukmade.wordpress.com/2012/11/12/english-shoes-ten-brands-still-made-in-britain/*

Triggerfish Union Jack – navy / red slippers. Made in England.

A lovely made in Britain scarf from http://www.miel-b.co.uk*

miel b King George scarf. Made in Britain.

A made in the UK accessory pouch from http://www.bigxtop.com/product/accessory-pouch

iftys.com – Iftys is an online store that specialises in selling British made luxury products.

Map Marketing Limited have a production facility in Devon and make large printed wall maps, educational tools, postcode maps, digital and bespoke maps, and map gifts, for example a jigsaw puzzle map centred on your home at http://www.mapmarketing.com/map-gifts-best-sellers/customised-map-jigsaw-puzzle_ct295pd299.htm. They do not make everything they sell themselves, so please do check before buying that what you want is actually made in Britain.

Want a gift for your pet?  Please see https://ukmade.wordpress.com/category/pet-products/*

https://thingsbritish.co.uk – Gift shops where everything is designed and handcrafted in Great Britain. They have stores in London in Carnaby Street and St Pancras Railway Station and some items are available on their website. I visited the St Pancras store yesterday (8.12.13) and it is filled with reasonably priced wonderful British made gifts. Jewellery, technology cases, mugs, cups and saucers, passport holders, card holders, stationery, greetings cards, scarves, t-shirts, children’s wear, bags, satchels, clothing, luggage labels, coasters, pet accessories, English Handmade Soap, and much more; at affordable prices and all handcrafted in Britain. This is a must visit gift shop for tourists and anyone who lives in the UK.*

I love London travel card holder at Things British.  Made in Great Britain.

Things British gift shop in St Pancras railway station, London. Photograph by author.

Next door to the Things British shop in St Pancras you’ll find a Smart Turnout shop.  Quite a few of the items in this menswear shop are British made, for example their cricket caps, some of their jumpers and some of their scarves.

Burford Woodcraft is a shop in Burford in the Cotswolds selling just British made wood products. They have an eclectic and innovative collection of wooden and wood related products such as cabinets, sculptures, bowls and platters, jewellery boxes, desk accessories, kitchenware, notebooks, bookmarks, wooden onions, wooden glasses, greeting cards, games and toys all made in the UK. Selected products are also available from their website. It says at the top of the front page of their website “Quality Products, Handmade in Britain” – http://www.burford-woodcraft.co.uk

Burford Woodcraft shop in Burford. Photograph by author.

How about a handsome British made tie? For example from http://tinaloder.co.uk/ties2013 – entirely made in England ties.

Or a beautifully made tie from Cavenagh London – http://www.cavenaghties.co.uk.  These top quality ties are all made in the UK (using Italian silk) and prices start at just £10 a tie.*

Cavenagh Ties. Made in England.

Or how about a made in England silk cravat from http://www.cravat-club.com

The whole Merchant Fox collection is made in Britain and includes so many beautiful items – http://www.themerchantfox.co.uk.  For example this beautiful Fox Mask Sterling Silver Pendant.

Merchant Fox – Fox Mask Sterling Silver Pendant. Made in England.

According to this article by the Grey Fox in the Guardian, a recent survey found that men prefer underwear to gimmicky gifts. So why not buy your man British made underwear? For example from British Boxers by DAP Squared, Cock and Bull, Burtonwode, Daniel Jenkins, or Kiniki. There’s actually a wide choice out there of British made underwear and swimwear for both men and women – please see https://ukmade.wordpress.com/2012/12/30/pants-and-knickers-british-made-underwear-for-men-and-women/

British Boxers. British made.

Super British made socks as a gift in wool, cotton, alpaca from http://www.jarbon.com. You can find many more British made socks here.

John Arbon Textiles welly-boot-socks-2012 – 80% British wool /20% nylon. Made in Britain.

Or perhaps a British made alpaca scarf from http://www.plumoflondon.com (their entire range of knitwear for men, women and children is British made; the alpaca is sourced from Peru).

How about a made in England box framed memo board / key hanger board by Beautiful and Useful which are available at Things British or via the Beautiful and Useful website – http://www.beautifulanduseful.co.uk*

Ticking – Key Hanger Boards. Made in England

A lovely handmade clutch bag or purse from Sew Good Bags; available at Things British – http://www.sewgoodbags.com*

Or handmade fridge magnet pegs by The Home Made Haven; available at Things British –http://www.etsy.com/shop/TheHomemadeHaven?ref=shop_name_search_sugg*

The Velvet Co put together gift boxes which contain luxury products made in the UK – http://www.thevelvet.co

I hope you find this gift guide enjoyable and useful. There are so many quality British made items and it was difficult to know what to feature in this article. Do have a look around the rest of my site.  Thanks.

Also please buy British made Christmas decorations, wrapping paper and Christmas cards, for example at:

Deck the Halls British made Christmas decorations – http://www.deck-the-halls.co.uk*

Deck the Halls licking cat DTH 1125 Ht: 7 cm. Handmade in Britain

Happy & Glorious sell British made Christmas tree decorations, as well as lots of other British made gift items. Everything on the Happy & Glorious site is made in the UK – http://www.happyglorious.co.uk*

Shakspeare Glass make contemporary blown glass in Somerset, England, including beautiful Christmas baubles – http://shakspeareglass.co.uk*

BAUBLE-250-RUBY-PAIR. Made in England by Shakspeare Glass

Victoria Armstrong ceramics and stationery all made in England. Much of it is dog themed. It says on their website “Using traditional, hand-made methods, our dog-themed, ceramics are made in Stoke on Trent in the heart of the Staffordshire Potteries. Our mugs and jugs are made from the best Cornish clay and our Christmas baubles from the finest English Bone China. Our stationery collection is made in Wiltshire and Kent and uses high quality, responsibly sourced board which is FSC approved” – http://www.victoriaarmstrong.co.uk

Designed and made in Britain, a Timba Tree is a wonderful sustainable alternative Christmas tree – http://www.timbatree.co.uk

ChristmasTimeUK sell an artificial pencil Christmas tree at http://www.christmastimeuk.com/display_details.php?category=&cat=1&code=011-19359&type=&brand=

You can also get a British grown real Christmas tree easily, but do check where it is grown, that the trees on the farm are sustainably managed and consider a tree with roots so you can plant it in the garden after Christmas.

All of the green gables products are made in Britain, such as their Christmas cards and gift wrap.

Nancy & Betty Studio sell a range of British made greetings cards, gift wrap, notelets, and Christmas crackers. They say on their website “All of our goods are proudly made in Great Britain, including the envelopes and presentation boxes”. Available from their website, in various well known stores and elsewhere online for example at Unique and Unity – http://www.nancyandbetty.com

Why not tie up your Christmas presents with Twool sustainable twine (and re-use it later).*

You can get British made Christmas crackers from Simply Crackers, the only company I know of making Christmas crackers in the UK. Simply Crackers  is the trading name of Wheatley of Nottingham who manufacture crackers for all occasions. They say on their website “for your peace of mind ALL our crackers are produced at our Christmas cracker factory in Bottesford, Nottinghamshire, UK” – http://www.simplycrackers.co.uk

You can find British made tinsel at http://www.dreamgb.co.uk/seasonal/christmas-gifts/british-made-tinsel-detail* This quality tinsel is made in Wales by Festive.*

British made tinsel by Festive Productions Limited

Waitrose (and John Lewis) sell British made wrapping paper, but you’ll have to buy instore as country of origin is not listed on their website.*  Marks and Spencer Christmas wrapping paper is made in Britain, but again you’ll have to buy instore as country of origin is not listed on their website.* Sainsbury sell British made wrapping paper; sensibly they do state country of origin online so you can safely buy online or instore.*

Some shops, like House of Fraser and Paperchase, only sell Chinese made Christmas wrapping paper, but you will be able to find British made wrapping paper in most other shops – just check the country of origin on the packaging.

Some Christmas cards, like those from Marks and Spencer, Cancer Research, and Tesco are usually made in China. Some cards do not state country of origin on the back (and we have to assume these are foreign made) but most give country of origin.

Most shops have British made Christmas cards – just check the country of origin on the back of the card. For example, Woodmansterne greetings cards are all designed and printed in England (the RSPB charity Christmas cards I am giving this year are made by Woodmansterne) or Heavenly Creatures by the Almanac Gallery Christmas cards (part of the Great British Card Company) are printed in the UK or Christmas cards by the green gables are made in Britain. Pony Poo Christmas cards are made in the UK (from pony poo!). Emma Burningham Christmas cards and Christmas gift wrap are manufactured in the UK. Oxfam Christmas cards (at least all those I have seen) are made in the UK. Emotional Rescue and On-The-Ceiling personalised cards are all made in the UK and can be purchased online at TheDogsDoodahs.com. Another online company that makes their personalised cards in the UK (in Guernsey) is Moonpig.

For more information on British made cards and suppliers please see:

Buy British made cards – support Britain

When buying your diary or calendar for 2014, please buy one that is made in the UK – see https://ukmade.wordpress.com/2012/10/14/british-made-diaries/ for British made diaries and calendars.

If you have more ideas for Christmas gifts, please feel free to leave a comment.

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Deck the Halls handmade Christmas decorations made in Britain

Deck the Halls British made Christmas decorations.

Deck the Halls licking cat DTH 1125 Ht: 7 cm. Handmade in Britain

Deck the Halls sausage dog DTH 1132 Ht: 7 cm. Handmade in Britain

The Little Pennant Company

Elizabeth Ackerley LittlePennantCo on Twitter.

https://www.facebook.com/thelittlepennantcompany

Embroidered home accessories and gifts. All products designed and made in England. Some of the fabrics and the treads used in making are imported, as the company have been unable to source them in the UK.

Website under construction – thelittlepennantcompany@gmail.com

Beautiful things – I encourage you to have a look 🙂