I don’t know about you, but when our boys ask me what I want for Christmas, I always find it really hard to think of ideas, so I thought that it would be lovely to introduce you to a few of our brand friends that might provide inspiration for you if you have to answer that question for anyone!

These brands are all brands that I’ve purchased something from, either for myself or for Dimpsey, my hospitality business – so I know them well.

So here we go…

Amanda Banham Ceramics

I met Amanda years ago on a women’s retreat at FForest in Wales, she somehow worked her magic and I managed to make a passable pencil pot, but her main love is producing these gorgeous ceramic houses. My favourites are the ones with her witty or motivational phrases on. Since meeting her, a few houses have slipped into my shopping basket, both for myself and as gifts for friends.

You have to be quick to get one, as she puts them on sale around once a month and they often sell out in minutes, so it’s best to sign up for her newsletter and follow her on Instagram, so you don’t miss out when the shop goes live.

You can find Amanda’s shop here

Simple Things Magazine

I love the day that my subscription copy of Simple Things drops onto the doormat. I find myself saving it for when I need to switch off for 10-15 minutes and I can sit and read a few articles. Always full of delicious recipes and new brands to discover, as well as great articles, Simple Things is carefully designed to slow you down and to remind you that not everything has to be rush, rush, rush.

As they say on their subscription page,

“We cover eating and growing, mindfulness and microadventures, forgotten wisdom, home life and slow moments. It’s for people who love their lives but want to take the pressure off and remember what’s really important. We like tea & cake, learning stuff, being outside and the satisfaction of a job well done.”

You can find Simple Things here

Chapter Organics

Once smelt, never forgotten…

I found Chapter Organics online and sent for some samples for Dimpsey and absolutely loved the ethos and the products, so I ordered for Dimpsey and for the display huts at Blackdown Shepherd Huts.

Founder Charlotte turned to Aromatherapy as a tool to support her emotional wellbeing and reconnect her with herself, but she also found that it ushered calm and clarity into her life. There are currently 7 chapters, each with different scent blends.

My favourite is the Peace chapter and everyone who visits here comments on the smell, it’s longlasting, but not overpowering and the soaps are so kind to your skin.

Here’s how Chapter describe their products:-

“100% Natural Aromatherapy blends designed to enhance your wellbeing and make selfcare an everyday ritual. Blended with pure essential oils, we make candles, atmosphere and linen mists, hand and body cleansers, moisturisers, pure essential oils, room diffusers”

You can find Chapter Organics here

A Search of Kinds – 

Holly Thomson new book

Holly started this book in May ‘24 while she was staying at Dimpsey, she wrote 10,000 words during that break and went on to finish the story and publish ‘A Search of Kinds” in time for the re-launch print run of In the Country magazine. Pretty amazing for a start-to-finish timescale on a really good book don’t you think?

Below is part of the Amazon review I wrote after reading the book, it is so hard to put down once you start reading and would make a fantastic Christmas present for anyone who loves a good romance book, set in cowboy country.

“Holly’s characters are intriguing and she expertly weaves the storyline through chapters that alternate between the perspectives of the two main characters. They’re both believable and likeable and you find yourself really wanting things to work out for them.
Her descriptive way of writing means that you can almost see Jackson & Ellie in your mind’s eye and the close of the last chapter left me wanting the second book to be available right now – which just shows how invested I was in the story!”

You can find A Search of Kinds here

King and Carr

I purchased a blouse from Hannah to wear for judging the Hiho Silver best-dressed at the Badminton Horse Trials first trot-up and then met her in person at a recent Country Lookbook event.

Hannah makes all the blouses herself and they are absolutely gorgeous and specifically designed for women living the country lifestyle. As per her website story, they are timeless wardrobe essentials that you will reach for again and again. Hannah also makes beautiful hair bows and scrunchies that would make excellent stocking fillers.

I’ve seen Hannah’s shirts popping up in various places and they’re always eye-catching, with lots of comments about how comfortable they are to wear.

Hannah is so lovely and will be joining me on a CWG podcast interview soon, so look out for that one when we release it!

You can find King and Carr here

That rounds up my first selection, there’s quite a few I want to share with you so I thought I would spread them over a few posts, I hope you like them.

Also, if you have any suggestions that you’d like to share, pop them into the comments below this post and we can all help share the word about the brands we love.