Five things I love this week: November 2021
It’s high time for a quick roundup of some of my favourite little treats, and this week it’s all well under a tenner. Let’s get going with my latest pick of five affordable goodies, with prices starting from as low as £1.28 because the special offer gods are currently favouring us.
Sass & Belle mini Frida vase | £4.00. Buy here.
It’s the dinkiest little vase, featuring our creative shero with a fabulous monobrow and folk dress – just about the right size for a single bud or a couple of dried flowers or grasses. Exactly how tiny do I mean? She’s 6cm tall and her base is 3.2cm in diameter, so this is a cute nicknack for brightening up a shelf or small space. If you want larger pots, hangers and other items in similar styles then check out their whole Frida range, with prices starting from £1.
Williamson Lifeboat tea | £3.05 for 80 bags. Buy here.
These tea bags are a lovely robust Kenyan single-estate blend, giving you a strong, full-flavoured malty brew that’s very refreshing and I think best as a breakfast tea. The leaves are naturally grown and pesticide free, and they have a Rainforest Alliance certificate, plus a portion of the proceeds goes to fund the UK and Republic of Ireland’s Royal National Lifeboat Institution. The RNLI is staffed by volunteers who risk their lives to save others every time they go to sea, so their crews are the very definition of true heroes and heroines; there’ve been some frankly pathetic recent attempts to politicise and discredit them so why not send something positive their way instead.
Co-op Irresistible single origin dark chocolate with orange bar | On offer for the next 2 weeks, £1.28 for 100g. Buy here or in store.
This was an impulse purchase a few days ago and oh my, it might even be my favourite chocolate orange bar evahh. The oblong of of fruity deliciousness is a smooth 57% cocoa, with fairly traded ingredients (all their own brand chocolate is Fairtrade), and contains natural orange oils plus good sized bits of candied orange peel. It’s nice for a treat during the cooler months of the year, and would make a perfect stocking filler, especially because it’s far better value than anything similar, plus it’s in plastic-free and rather beautiful packaging. Stock up while it’s at this bargain price.
Sass & Belle botanical style green plant mister | £9.00. Buy here.
This is a bit of a bargain for a mister that’s both useful and beautiful. I love the vintage styling with the green soda glass base and copper spout, ideal for living your best fantasy* of being a well-dressed Victorian heiress who also happens to keep rare orchids in a gigantic hothouse for a hobby and runs a detective agency on the side. It’s, er, really quite good for misting your houseplants too, and is the right size to leave on most windowsills.
*Other fantasies are available, obvs. But think I’ve just invented Mistpunk** and hey, best to let me run with it.
Trivento Reserve Malbec (small bottle) | Approx £2.50 for 187ml. Widely available, currently £2.00 at Asda or 3 for £5 at Morrisons.
Where were we? Ah yes. These petite bottles of malbec – or MiniMalbecs as I like to call them – give you a glass of red wine that’s the size of a quarter standard bottle, or in other words halfway between a UK restaurant-definition small glass and a large glass. It’s exactly the right size for adding a slosh to your cooking and having a small glass of red left to have with said food, maybe for a chilly midweek November evening when you want a drop of something easy-drinking but you don’t want to push the boat out too far. Notes of dark fruits and oaky vanilla, with medium-soft tannins and a velvety finish.
Seen anything you like the look of? Maybe it’s time to treat yourself…
Full disclosure: No PR samples this week, only things I like.
** Apparently no, that’s already a thing. Sheesh.
