At times like this, it is so important to shop small and local when you can! We have lots of super talented bodies here in the Scottish Borders so I’m dedicating this post to the small, local businesses around me. Again, I will mainly focus on those that I have had personal experience with and goodies that I would love to either give or receive as a gift at any time of year.
I’ll start with Tuppence who I mentioned in my previous post but who offers so much more than cushions! Tuppence offers a wide range of fabulous homeware from cushion and lampshades to door knockers and candles. I spoke about our cushions in my last post but we also have a number of lampshades in our house with stag prints and an incredible fox design. Seeing as we are moving soon, I am fully intending on purchasing some more, I’m particularly keen on the velvet shades and think they will look fabulous in the home! Another product that I am eyeing up is the Brass Bee Door Knocker (£40), I’ve wanted one of these for so long and think it would look amazing on our new green door! If you don’t fancy a bumble bee, there’s also a Dragonfly and a Hare design.
Next up is a brand called Feather & Fell who offer so many goodies! There is some gorgeous homeware, stationary, candles as well as goodies for the horse and dog or even for yourself! I love the doggy gift boxes which range in price but start from £20. Feather & Fell also offer a range of own branded clothing and I for one am loving this padded jacket! The last thing I need to mention is the quarterly released subscription boxes. I’ve had one for every season and they were all absolutely fab! Obviously the contents are a surprise but I received the likes of coasters, a tweed headband, edible goodies, notepads, a water bottle, soap and bath products, a Hiho Silver charm…I could go on. These are £55 but the contents are always worth more than this and I have loved all of mine.
We also have some very very talented artists down our neck of the woods! One of whom is Tamsin Thomson who creates the most amazing paintings and has an incredibly unique style. One of my favourite pieces is “Daydream Believer“, I absolutely love it and it has always been one of my favourite designs! The prints range from £35-£75 depending on the size and you can guarantee they will stand out in any home. There are plenty of other designs to choose from too, including birds, dogs, cows, fish, bees, pigs and many more! And it’s not just paintings, Tamsin also sells a range of homewares featuring her designs such as bone china mugs (£15), tea-towels (£10) and cards (£2). Personally, I love the Highland Cow and Pheasie mugs.
Another talented artist and a little business that is fairly new on the scene is Hannah Meikle Art. Hannah creates stunning pencil pieces and there are plenty of designs to choose from. Personally, I’d be going for “Poppy the Nosey Highlander“, “King” or “Hayley the Hare“. These unframed prints cost £15 so you won’t have to break the bank to get your hands on one.
For clothing and accessories, look no further than Fabrich. Based in a little town in the Borders, Fabrich sell everything from jumpers, bottoms, scarves, hats, bags, plus plenty more. Most of the items can be also personalised which I am a big fan of. I’ve got the Blackwatch Tartan Lambswool Scarf (£29.99)with my initials in gold…I LOVE IT! I’ve also got the Monarch Sweatshirt in black which looks awesome and is super comfortable, perfect for out during the day or for lounging in the house! As for what I’m eyeing up next? Well, I love the look of the Tartan Lounge Pants (£24.99) because WFH is life right now, and the Nautical Accessory Case (£19.99), just because it’s cute.
If a country inspired clutch bag is what you’re searching for then look no further than Country Louvain. Laura, the lovely lady behind the brand is based in the Scottish Borders and creates, colourful suede clutch bags adorned with pheasant feathers. Priced at £30, these will make a lovely gift…my favourite is the bright pink but there is also black, chocolate, navy and royal blue.
From fashion to food, and first up is somewhere I have shopped from more often than I care to admit over lockdown! The Dessert Diva is based in the little town of Kelso but orders can be posted so don’t worry if you don’t like nearby! This little business makes some of the best brownies I have ever had and if you haven’t tried them yet, you absolutely need to! My favourite flavours are the Triple Chocolate and the Salted Caramel but there are lots of flavours to choose from as well as blondies and brownie slabs! A mixed box of 6 costs £15 and 100% worth it!
Staying with the sweet treats, we have Ashleys Cakes and Cupcakes. Although Ashley is based in Edinburgh, she hails from the Borders and so I feel she definitely still comes under the local category! Ashley creates the most incredible looking (and tasting) cakes/ chocolate slabs/ doughnuts/ brownies…need I go on? You just need to look on her website which you can find here, to see how amazing her creations are…I’m not exaggerating when I say they are like little works of art! I’m loving her little Highland Cow cupcakes but you just need to get in touch and let her know what you are looking for! A box of 6 starts at £20 and these are worth that just for the look alone! She also makes the most indulgent chocolate slabs I have ever seen, and these come in large and small sizes (I’ll be disappointed if you go for anything other than a large one)! These can be ordered from the site or you can get in touch for a bespoke offering. As for everything else, please just go and look online, I can’t do them justice…and you can thank me later.
Another food based company that I love is Jarvis Pickle which is a based in a little town in the Scottish Borders which sells one of my favourite foods…PIES! I know this might not be the most conventional gift, but who wouldn’t want to receive some yummy pies as a present? Add them to a hamper and you’re sorted. These are one of my favourite brands of pies that I’ve eaten (I’ll get onto the other one next), they are truly delicious and have so many different flavours to choose from. We actually had the steak and ale and beef and kidney pies for lunch yesterday, both I can confirm were delightful! I am however, also very partial to the pork and blue cheese, venison, port and redcurrant and the vegan cauliflower curry pies! I can honestly say there hasn’t been a pie from this brand that I haven’t enjoyed yet! You can find a list of stockists here or you can order online from £18 for 4 pies.
And the other brand who produce unbelievable pies? That would be Hoardweel Wagyu, a family farm in the Borders who produce the most mouthwatering wagyu steak pies! As soon as I get a freezer, I can tell you I will be stocking up on these bad boys! They do sell other cuts of meat as well which are also fantastic quality Scottish meat, but for me, the steak pie is where it’s at and if you haven’t tried them yet, you absolutely need to!
We can’t forget our furry friends either, which brings me to Lazy Pawzzz. Now this company is based in East Lothian and not the Borders, however, but still deserves a spot in this list as this is still fairly local to me. Here you can find quality doggy pillow beds (from £60) with some fab designs! I love the Zen Bee’s bed with pom pom detail but I know my little pooch will chew those off in no time, so I’d be going for the ZigZag number. Want a blanket to match the bed? No problem, there are also a number of fleecy dog blankets (from £38) to choose from! All of these products can be personalised with your dog’s name for that extra personal touch! I that all I hear you say? Nope. For all you Fairfax & Favor fans (and I know there are many), you can get your hands on the limited edition beds (£105) and blankets (£55) with the embroidered F&F logo. These come in navy and raspberry and can also be personalised to suit you!
As well as specific brands, there are also a couple of shops I would like to mention before I finish this post. As you know, I’m a country girl, hence why a lot of the products I have posted about are country themed, and there are two shops in particular that I like to visit. A. Hume is based in the town of Kelso and has all your country fashion needs covered, they literally have everything and I always pay a visit when I’m nearby. You can also visit the website here.
Another shop, and one that is fairly new is All About Countrywear which is based in the coastal town of North Berwick in East Lothian. This shop is small but mighty and has everything you could want when it comes to country fashion and homeware! You will find it impossible to come out empty handed…it also helps that the staff are all lovely and friendly too! If you haven’t visited yet or are not local to the area, you can find their website here.
Last but not least is Love Scottish, a little shop that is based in Melrose. The shop only opened up quite recently and I haven’t managed to visit yet but it is absolutely on my list of shops to go to when I am able to. They sell lots of lovely smelling goodies such as candles, reed diffusers and soaps as well as home accessories. You can find their website here.
And that’s it for my latest post, and I hope it may have provided some inspiration for you all and maybe introduced you to some new brands. These businesses are all local to me and the vast majority are small so will appreciate every order placed! I regularly buy local goodies and will continue to do this and support them through these tough times…I hope anyone that reads this is doing the same and lets keep these guys going. I’ve still got a couple more gift guides coming up so keep your eyes peeled for those coming soon.
Until next time,
Kirsty x
lifewithkirstyjane.com 
A lot of thanks for sharing this informative article, all the best !!
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