Enhance The Usual Suspects
“Flowers? For Valentine’s Day? Groundbreaking.” In the hands of the clever team at Floraly, though, they prove to be exactly that. Working closely with their growers, flowers are picked to order, delivered and packaged sustainably and are available as one off purchases or as part of monthly subscription packages (yes, please). They boast excellent eco and social commitment credentials and my own bouquet featured such high quality blooms I’ve been asked if they were fake. It seems we forget how lovely the real thing can be when treated with care.
You’ll also get nothing but the most real, fresh ingredients included in a Hey, Tiger chocolate bar. This year’s curated Valentine’s Day pack includes three chocolate bars, my personal favourite being ‘Sprinkles & Glitter’. Inside each candy-coloured cardboard pack is the chocolate itself in a Wonka-style shiny golden packet, as well as a special bonus. The HT team have collaborated with DJ, “professional opinion haver” and all around cool girl Lillian Ahenkan, aka Flex Mami, to deliver thought-provoking game cards inside each pack, turning these delightful treats into an indulgence for your mind as well as your mouth.
Finally, you’re likely to indulge all your senses if you’re lucky enough to be opening a Lenoir & Co gift box come Sunday. ‘Boxes o’ goodies’ were the It thing a few years ago, and, as so often happens, reached saturation tipping point and descended into sad cliche territory. Happily, Steph Lenoir and her team are turning that on its head and have created gift collections which are truly special and luxurious, without breaking the bank. There are options curated according to interest (design, kitchen skills) or experience (they would make a lovely ‘thank you for being in our wedding party’ choice), and, most unusually in this territory, there are no sad ‘filler’ items. Think instead a split of French champagne, rose-petal-packed bath bombs, sleek handmade candles and properly interesting pieces to up your decor game, like fluid porcelain vases and brass cheese knives. And it’s worth noting that the boxes themselves are huge, heavy and beautifully presented, so the joy of receiving one begins right when the mailman knocks.