It’s Giving Gift Guide
Ten days till Christmas Eve! Chloe, Anna & Rebecca share their favourite under £15 seasonal gifts, and talk about the importance of pre-ordering books.
Tis the season… we wanted to do a little gift guide! Reading things (of course) and some lovely items that are under £15. And as Anna has a book out in the new year, we wanted to talk about pre-ordering books - a gift can be something you look forward to!
Gift it forward
Pre-ordering books is actually really, really important for authors, especially debut authors, because it shows booksellers and publishers that there is an appetite for this book - or even, this sort of book, if it feels like a niche subject. Why it is important to signal this interest is so that the publisher will put effort, support, and attention to authors and the book. It also helps future commissioning.
So pre-order books this Christmas! And, may we suggest FoS (friend of Sourced) Jenny Lau’s An A-Z of Chinese Food, and of course Sourced co-founder Anna Sulan Masing’s Chinese and any other Asian. Both are available wherever you like to get books, like Foyles (here, and here)!
The other thing to do - to go to your local independent bookshop and ask for them to get the book in!
(ASM: if you do pre-order my book, send me a little insta message with the receipt, and I will organise a personal note and signed bookplate for the copy!)
Fun gifts for under £15 gifts
(from independent creatives!)
Martini glasses £14.95 (ASM)
Having the right glassware makes the drink that much better! I am a big fan of the Asterley Brother’s vermouth for my martinis, and all their products are thoughtfully designed. They also have good looking barware, all under £15!
Pink candles £3.00 (ASM)
I love Diddy’s cocktail bar on Mare st in Hackney, it is fun, cute and owner Diddy is just the best! During the day, Diddy’s also has a ‘Diddymart’. If you are an important person in my life you will have received a candle (or many) from me, from Diddy’s. Not just because all the best books in 2025 are going to be pink… I think pink is a very good colour for Christmas. (There are many fab, under £15, bits you can get online, and more in person!)
Flaky sea salt is always a great gift, but I have begun to gift my friends bags from Halen Môn after a lovely visit to their shop in Anglesey, North Wales a few years ago. The celery salt is particularly addictive and makes an amazing addition to a Bloody Mary.
Damson and Black Pepper Jam £6.50 (RT)
I bring lots of jars of this jam with me when I travel back to the US for Christmas. In The fruit manual: a guide to the fruits and fruit trees of Great Britain, Scottish botanist Robert Hogg writes, “the Damson seems to be a fruit peculiar to England. We do not meet with it abroad, nor is any mention of it made in any of the pomological works or nurseryman's catalogues on the Continent.” I’d never heard of damsons before I moved to England, and this tart, peppery jam feels like a great way to bring a bit of it back. You can pair with a color-coordinated Opinel knife to bring you just over the £15 mark.
Everything Bagel candle £12.99 (CRC)
If you want to get a (literal) gag gift, scour your local TKMaxx for the viral Everything Bagel candle . TikToks of people’s reaction to smelling this candle are almost a gift in themselves though the manufacturer doesn’t seem to know what the fuss is about. I have encountered this candle in the wild and it doesn’t smell overwhelmingly terrible or good but it is a great gift for a white elephant exchange, and the ceramic bagel the candle is set in is very cute.
Subscribing to newsletter
And finally, we always love to encourage more reading! Some of our favourite free and paid newsletters (not quite under £15 for the year, but less than a coffee a month):
Shelf Offering - by food and culture writer Apoorva Sripathi
Feminist Food Journal - founded and edited by Isabela Bonnevera and Zoë Johnson
Drinking in Strange Places - by brewer and drinks writer Charlotte Cook