All I Want For Christmas: The top must-haves for cake designers

The official wedding season may be over, but the run-up to Christmas can feel just as hectic! If you find yourself on the receiving end of family and friends wondering what they can gift you this Christmas - look no further! I’ve curated a very handy wish list, packed with fantastic tried and tested products that I think you will love as much as I do.

So, grab a coffee, browse the ideas below and share your favourites with your loved ones!

The gift of awesome coffee – NewGround Coffee subscription

If you love excellent coffee, you will appreciate NewGround Coffee’s exceptional blends. This Oxford-based brand is ethical and socially responsible too, using ethically sourced high-grade coffee, carefully selected from small-scale farms around the world to create new and exciting flavours. The NewGround team also create work and training opportunities for ex-offenders across the UK, giving some of the most overlooked people in society a new beginning.

NewGround Coffee is available in a wide range of delicious blends, my favourites are Zukuka Bora, Aricha and Mug Shot. You can also choose or gift subscriptions. These are available in 200g and 1kg bags or pods, and can be set up weekly, fortnightly and monthly. Visit www.newgroundcoffee.com to order a bag in time for Christmas!

A new recipe book (or two!)

I love immersing myself in the pages of a beautiful recipe book – everything from the pictures and the stories that accompany each recipe. I recently discovered Bake it Better, by pastry chef, Matt Adlard’s and it’s packed with incredibly delicious recipes to enhance your pastry knowledge – including Blueberry and Mascarpone Choux Buns, decadent Brownies enrobed in tempered chocolate and incredible ways to level up your Brioche, to rival any high-end bakery brunch.

Small Batch Cookies, is the latest book by former GBBO winner and author, Edd Kimber and is wholly centred on those moments where you need just a small taste of deliciousness! The recipes feature straightforward instructions and only ever make a maximum of six in a batch, for the perfect little treat. Recipes include Lemon Custard Creams, Sticky Toffee Cookies and Red Velvet Sandwiches.

For your stationery fix– Choose Papier

If you haven’t already come across UK stationery brand, Papier, you’ll love its amazing range of stylish, personalisable stationery items – including diaries, weekly planners, notecards, journals and accessories. I buy a diary from Papier every year and love choosing the colours, font and style of the front covers – you can match your branding or plump for one of their beautiful, painted designs. Their designs are created by over 40 talented independent designers – including ceramicists, interior designers, illustrators and artists. Visit: www.papier.com to find out more.

A relaxing New Year massage

We spend SO much time on our feet with our shoulders often tensed and hunched over a worktop. Make the most of a little downtime after Christmas and ask for a gift voucher for your favourite local beauty therapist or spa, so that you can book a relaxing or rejuvenating massage and give your muscles a well-earned treat. Book it during a quieter week, so that you can continue the feeling of relaxation afterwards (without the need to dash back to the kitchen or hop on Zoom calls)!

A treat for your hands

If you’re anything like me and spend your life washing your hands, or you suffer from dry skin in the cold weather, hand cream is such a brilliant product to have on stand-by, and a lovely treat to be gifted – I have it by the sink, in the car and on my bedside table! Here are my recommendations below for the best ones I have discovered so far:

Best book for floralinspiration – ‘The Flower Hunter: Seasonal flowersinspired by nature and gathered from the garden’, by Lucy Hunter

This is the first book from talented British floral and garden designer, Lucy Hunter, which takes you through a gorgeous year in her garden and studio in North Wales. The book features beautiful imagery and tips for creating naturalistic floral arrangements. If you have a passion for flowers and floral styling, you will absolutely love diving into the pages of this book. Lucy also talks about flower varieties to plant and grow to create your own gorgeous cutting patch.

The Gold Stiletto

If you haven’t already heard, the sleek Stiletto Family has a luxe new member! Prop Options announced the launch of its Limited Edition Gold Stiletto pedestal stand at this year’s Cake International – and she is available for pre-order now. Crafted with premium, food-grade stainless steel and a stunning metallic finish, the Gold Stiletto is available in a 12” diameter, perfect for tiered cakes and displaying whole sharing desserts – like a luxury Pavlova!

Travel cups to keep your drinks hot

When you’re whizzing around the kitchen, it’s easy for a cup of tea or coffee to go cold when you’ve not even got half-way through. Travel cups are a fantastic way to keep your drinks hot, with the added benefit of a lid to protect against spills in case you knock it over. I love YETI cups – they come in a wide range of sizes and styles, and a fantastic range of colours – you can even match them to the Prop Options Reeded Stands in Peach, Yellow, White and Green!

A relaxing candle – Choose Woodspring Co

Woodspring Co is an independent, vegan brand based in Cheshire with a gorgeous range of candles perfect for cosy, relaxed nights in. Featuring four collections, including ‘The Herbary’, ‘The Collective’, ‘Stories’ and ‘Winter’, Woodspring Candles are made with soy wax and paraben-free fragrance and essential oils for a deep and long-lasting scent. ‘Evening’ is a perfect scent for those cosy nights in and its Winter fragrances, including ‘Clementine and Clove’ and ‘Fig and Cedarwood’, are perfect for this time of year.

By Daisy Pratt, owner at Very Vanilla & Prop Options PR manager

If you find yourself on the receiving end of family and friends wondering what they can gift you this Christmas - look no further! Daisy has curated a very handy wish list, packed with fantastic tried and tested products that we think you will love as much as we do.

Team Prop Options