Gifts for Them: 8 ideas for the people who are hard to pin down
Updated 25 October 2026
The friend you can never quite read, the couple who have everything, the neighbour who fed your cat in August. These eight work for nearly anyone, from a £7.50 tin of wildflower seeds to a frame the whole family can send photos to. All from UK shops and checked on 24 October 2026.
Fortnum & Mason Tea & Biscuit Gift Set
Royal Blend and Earl Grey tea bags with ten shortbread biscuits, which covers nearly everyone in Britain. Royal Blend was first made for King Edward in 1902, so you've got something to say when you hand it over.
Photo: vincent valvona, CC BY 2.0, https://www.flickr.com/photos/100021169@N02/9500271943
Wingspan Pocket
The much-loved bird card game in a small box that plays in about half an hour. It has a solo mode, so it suits a couple, a household or one person on a quiet night.
Photo: heyhohideo, CC BY 2.0, https://www.flickr.com/photos/40740324@N08/29927464471
Artist's Meadow Wildflower Seed Tin
Twenty seed balls of poppies, oxeye daisies, red campion and more: scatter, water and wait. Each tin covers about a square metre or a few pots, and 20p goes to The Wildlife Trusts.
Photo: petercastleton, CC BY 2.0, https://www.flickr.com/photos/24822045@N06/3630469448
Hotel Chocolat Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate, 280g
Real chocolate flakes with caramel and a pinch of sea salt, and they choose how strong each cup is. A pan and a whisk are all it needs.
Photo: oatsy40, CC BY 2.0, https://www.flickr.com/photos/68089229@N06/34008079870
Photo bauble ours
Their best photo of the year on a bauble, with a name and the year printed underneath and a ribbon to hang it. It goes on the tree every December from now on.
Gibsons Into The Forest Jigsaw Puzzle, 1000 pieces
Woodland wildlife and botanicals under starlight, made in the UK, 69 x 48cm when it's done. Good for the days between Christmas and New Year when nobody knows what day it is.
Photo: liza31337, CC BY 2.0, https://www.flickr.com/photos/85763206@N00/2944376209
Dog Biscuit Making Kit
Pre-weighed ingredients and a bone-shaped cutter: add eggs and water and it makes up to 70 biscuits. For the friends whose dog is, let's be honest, in charge.
See it at Natural & Noble on Not On The High Street
Photo: Randy Son Of Robert, CC BY 2.0, https://www.flickr.com/photos/46042146@N00/2137548043
Aura Frames Carver Digital Photo Frame, 10.1"
A 10.1-inch frame the whole family can send photos to from the free Aura app, from wherever they are. Load it up before you wrap it and it's full on the day.
Photo: Dennis S. Hurd, CC0 1.0, https://www.flickr.com/photos/43296902@N00/3528695391
When in doubt, go for something they can eat, drink or plant. Prices can change, so check before you order.
Prices were checked on the date shown and can change. We don’t earn anything from links to other shops; we just like these. Anything marked “ours” is made by us.