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It’s Christmas shopping season, and nowhere does it with as much charm as the Cotswolds – the control centre of chic gift-giving.
For many living in the hearts of the honey-stoned, foliage-festooned villages and towns, the shopping started around three mince pies ago.
Stay local, say locals (why would anyone want to leave the Cotswolds, especially at this time of year?).
Burford, Cirencester and Stow-on-the Wold are all heaving with sophisticated stores, delicious delis and any number of distilleries.
But if you aren’t fortunate enough to be neighbours with Beyonce (said to be buying in Wigginton) and the Beckhams, you can still buy it all online.
Here’s our guide to some of the gorgeous gifts that any Santa superfan would like to find tucked in their (cashmere) stockings…
Raise a glass
Toast the cook with a sip of Cotswolds Gin. Based at Shipston-on-Stour, you can’t go wrong with the classic Dry Gin (£38.50, cotswoldsdistillery.com), and there are different flavours (and outrageously good-looking bottles) to brighten every drinks cupboard, as well as a range of single malt whiskies and liqueurs.
Or look into Reverend Hubert, which produces an incredible, gin-based liqueur (£39.99, notonthehighstreet.com) based on founder Thomas Lester’s old family recipe.
There’s also the Sibling Gin Distillery – run by two brothers and two sisters – in Cheltenham. Its tangy Winter Edition Gin is infused with fresh cranberries and clementine peel (online only, £25, siblingdistillery.com).
Eat well
Daylesford Organic is still the mothership of the Cotswolds, with organic food, drink and homeware offerings.
One of its hampers is a smart present in every sense of the word. The Full English Breakfast Gift Box will help relax the most stressed of Christmas cooks, with organic sausages, eggs, streaky bacon and sourdough.
Enough sustenance (and on-trend protein!) to see you through till turkey time (£70, daylesford.com).
For pure indulgence, Costello + Hellerstein’s handmade truffles are divine.
Founder Ori Hellerstein (known as The Artisan Baker) worked as a pastry chef in London but left to live in Stroud, and thank goodness he did.
The hand-crafted, award-winning chocolates are best eaten after guests have left, so no sharing is needed (Sea Salt Caramel Truffles, £14.95, notonthehighstreet.com).
The Cotswold Fudge Co makes, as it says, 100 per cent scrumptious fudge – the perfect gift for sweet-toothed teachers. The three-bag hamper is a no-brainer (£17.50, costwoldfudgeco.co.uk).
Further stocking fillers might include sugar mice complete with little cotton tails from The Sweet Shop on Burford High Street (burfordsweetshop.co.uk) where you can have Proustian flashback moments galore enjoying nostalgic treats (aniseed balls, rose and violet creams and Walker’s Toffee are available).
Make a beeline for the Cotswold Cheese Company to stock up on food for savoury lovers. There are three shops – in Moreton-in-Marsh, Stow-on-the-Wold and Burford (basically the Cotswold Golden Triangle!), all heaving with local cheeses. The three-month subscription of handpicked cheese, crackers and chutneys makes the perfect gift (£125, cotswoldcheese.com).
Pretty little things
Give someone a heavenly scented home with the Cinnamon, Orange and Clove Candle from Chipping Norton’s Cotswold Candle Company. It comes with elegant packaging and a perfect pedigree (£28, cotswoldcandle.co).
Jewellery is always a crowd-pleaser. Pop into Law & Co, which has shops in Stow-on-the-Wold, Cirencester and Cheltenham, and sells charming bracelets and necklaces (lawandcompany.com) as well as irresistible clothing.
Pom-on-the-Wold is the Cheltenham-based Cotswold cousin of Pom London. Look out for pretty pieces like Estella Bartlett Stars So Bright Friendship Bracelet (£13.50, pomlondon.co.uk).
Estelle Manor, the hottest membership club of the year, has a store called The Muse (you can only go to the shop as a member or guest – but anyone can buy online at themuse.estellemanor.com).
Dainty trinket dishes are emblazoned with meditative mantras such as ’And Breathe’ and ‘Everything Flows’. A snip at £90. More affordable are the branded goodies – a Mind Your Manors tote bag is £60, but a witty social flex.
A surprising jewel in the crown is the Burford Garden Centre – basically Harvey Nicks with compost – where, given a flexible-feeling credit card and a free afternoon, you might just get all of your Christmas shopping done in one place.
Everyone is a fan, and it’s no surprise – the shop sells everything from plants (obviously) to wooden toys, clothes, books, art and to-die-for food.
Home style
Walk into Susie Watson Designs in Broadway for home gifts that will suit the fussiest of recipients. Best-sellers include the Winter Hares cushion (£78, susiewatsondesigns.co.uk)
The Richard Harvey Collection at Shipston-on-Stour is perfect for little gifts such as signed prints by Simon Drew (£16.95, rhcollection.co.uk), while Beehive in Chipping Norton stocks its own hand-made cushions as well as hand-thrown mugs by local potter Will Lehmann.
And then there’s the Curated Store in Stow-on-the-Wold, which has regular pop-ups of designers and makers, and also sells their goodies online, including the perfect countryside Aga cover (£38, thecuratedstore.co.uk).
Dress the part
The Cotswolds are bursting with beautiful boutiques, from Aspiga (Stow-on-the-Wold) and Moloh (Tetbury) to Penelope Chilvers (Cheltenham), Pom-on-the-Wold and Law & Co.
For ‘big’ presents go to Aspiga – a top seller in Stow this season has been the glam but comfy Jocelyn V-Neck Corduroy dress, (£250,aspiga.com), and there are some fabulous apres ski offerings such as the Merino Wool Stripe Hearts Jumper (£170, aspiga.com).
Penelope Chilvers boots, as loved by HRH the Princess of Wales herself (if it’s good enough for her…) are beautifully made and last for years.
Top winter picks are the warm winter boots such as the Inclement Cropped Tassel Boot (£284, penelopechilvers.com).
Moloh, meanwhile, is the OG of Cotswold fashion; a beautiful English heritage brand with stunning knits and tweeds. Bestseller Moloh Neck is a soft jumper made from superfine lambswool – just the thing for these freezing days (£195, moloh.com).
Scent of success
Smellies mean guaranteed gratitude. Cotswolds-based botanical perfumery 100 Acres has a mass of perfect pressies (and a stall is highly likely to be at a country fair near you).
The Botanical Handwash and Cream are £58 (100acres.co.uk) and perfect for the downstairs loo.
Daylesford’s sister brand Bamford produces an entire range of bath, body, face and even baby products, as well as candles and diffusers to make your home smell fresh (and expensive), such as the Bamford Fig Leaf Willow Diffuser (£69.50, bamford.com)
And you could always pop to Soho Farmhouse for a workout and buy Cowshed goodies with your member discount…
Teens and godchildren
Any Cotswold dweller worth their salt will have at least two or three godchildren.
The Little Bazaar is great for witty eye-masks and ‘Everything’ tote bags (£42, thelittlebazaar.co.uk); these are ideal for lugging sleeping bags and illicit cider to Boardmasters Festival.
For smaller ones, Oscar and Me is a beautiful Stow-on-the-Wold family-run children’s shop with Cotswold-made and hand-knitted clothes. The adorable Bee Apron is only £10 (oscarandme.co.uk).
