How well do you know your monarchs?

History Heroes is a brilliant new card game designed to test the whole family’s knowledge of British monarchs from William the Conqueror in 1066 to today’s reigning monarch Queen Elizabeth II.

Created by Harry Hastings, a teacher from Sussex, the game provides a fun, interactive way for children to learn about the kings and queens of England, and for adults to brush up on their history lessons, by challenging them to identify monarchs either from a series of facts, from a portrait or from the dates of their reign, thereby capturing their opponents cards in the style of Top Trumps.

Do you know which king was the last to lead his troops into battle or who was on the throne when the Great Plague struck?

Did you know that Henry I had a record-breaking 25 illegitimate children or that Queen Victoria survived five assassination attempts?


And would you be able to name the tallest monarch or identify the king famed for his red face and red hair?

With a total of 42 monarchs to identify, each with six different clues, ranging from easy – ‘Who won the Battle of Hastings?’ - to difficult – ‘Who lost the War of Jenkins’ Ear?’ – the game can be enjoyed by all ages and, with six different ways to play it, can provide hours of fun at home, on long car journeys or simply as a way of helping children with their history homework.

Beautifully illustrated by the well-known cartoonist Bill Stott, History Heroes is the first of a series of similar games created by Harry Hastings, covering famous Battles, Shakespeare, Inventors, Scientists and Explorers.

Harry Hastings History Heroes is priced at £7.99. For stockist details, or to buy direct go to

www.historyheroes.co.uk

Baby&More gives baby much more this Christmas

Nursery specialists Baby&More have a range of Christmas gifts for people looking for something different for baby. From impulse stocking fillers to lust-after items, the website is a one-stop Christmas shop for little ones.

The brand new 7 A.M Enfant collection has finally hit the UK. Already popular with Hollywood A-listers, this range features tons of winter essentials to keep baby (and you) warm and snuggly during the festive period. The innovative luxe Blanket 212 is a real investment buy. The super-cosy muff is suitable for both car seats and pushchairs.

The patented zip mechanism allows parents to extend the width and length of the footmuff so there is no need to but new footmuffs as your child grows. The product literally blankets baby in comfort and warmth and can be zipped back to create a pushchair liner. An adjustable hood can be cinched to baby’s face for those days when your child needs more protection against the elements. Choose from a range of colours to complement your pushchair and other items in the 7 A.M range. Priced at around £135.00.

The brand new WarMMuffs™ from 7 A.M make a lovely gift for mums of winter babies. They secure easily to any pushchair and allow parents the flexibility of using bare hands to strap in and lift baby. The WarMMuffs™ feature a faux fur lining for extra cosiness and the on-trend colourways of the waterproof outer shell mean you don’t have to sacrifice style to be warm! RRP £30 (with fur) £25 (no fur). The collection includes an array of on-trend winter essentials and cool changing bags too and the full range can be seen at www.babyandmore.co.uk.

The Lots to Say Soothers from the Booginhead range are a brilliant stocking filler. With cool slogans including ‘Just Chillin,’ ’volume control,’ ‘Hi’ and ‘Snooze,’ these dummies will soothe baby on Christmas Day as well as making a real talking point. RRP £5.99 for packs of two.

The Mum2Mum Wonder Bib range are great for jazzing up any Christmas outfit. Choose from an array of colours including pink, navy, yellow, orange, red and many more shades. Made from soft, super-absorbent towelling, the bibs come in different styles including the stylish bandana ideal for dribblers, the standard bib which is perfect for meal times and the sleeved bib to ensure messy toddlers stay clean during Christmas dinner. Suitable from 4months to 3 years and priced from £4.00.

All products available from www.babyandmore.co.uk

Luxury Hamper Company Re-launch Website in Time for Busy Christmas Period

The recent launch of luxury hamper company Highland Fayre’s revamped website, www.highlandfayre.co.uk has come at a very opportune time as hamper companies start to gear up for the Christmas season.

Whilst retail stores still face an uncertain future, the online shopping market is forecast to continue to grow at a rate of 14% – 16%. This strong growth curve has been a major factor in the increase of multi channel retailers and, as a result, the consumer can find himself in a position where there are plenty of discounts and offers to consider.

There is no doubt that online gift buying will go from strength to strength; the luxury hamper market is a prime example of this. The increased competition within the hamper market has led to a need for specialist companies to engage and entice the consumer with more than just the traditional Christmas hamper.

In the last few years, popularity within the online personalised card market has experienced considerable growth. Hamper companies have taken note, and have themselves begun to introduce a personalised gift hamper service, allowing consumers to easily create gifts online for any occasion, including Christmas, Anniversary, Corporate, or Birthday hampers. This new diversity is just the beginning in what is going to become a very exciting and interesting e-commerce market.

Although some speculate that the continued growth of the online retailer could have serious consequences for our favourite high street stores, it is not necessarily the case that brick and mortar businesses will disappear as a result. It is true, however, that in order for traditional retail stores to survive, the way in which they do business and engage with customers will need to evolve.

For more information on Highland Fayre, view their website at: www.highlandfayre.co.uk/
With prices starting from as little as £17.95, they stock ranges of gift hampers to suit all budgets.

Highland Fayre ltd. have been supplying luxury hampers, since 1985, to thousands of corporate and private customers throughout the UK and Europe, becoming Scotland’s premier hamper company.

Highland Fayre are also a family owned company who take pride in the personal service offered.

Arklu Launches New British Fashion Doll “Lottie”™

Autumn Leaves Lottie Doll

English Country Garden Lottie Doll

Lottieville Festival Lottie Doll

Pony Flag Race Lottie Doll

Snow Queen Lottie Doll

Spring Celebration Ballet Lottie Doll

Autumn Leaves themed packaging

English Country Garden themed packaging

Lottieville Festival themed packaging

Pony Flag Race themed packaging

Snow Queen themed packaging

Spring Celebration Ballet packaging

Innovative British Toy Company Arklu launches new fashion doll in a David V Goliath battle against the might of Barbie, Monster High and Bratz.

London Toy Company Arklu is launching an exciting new fashion doll, Lottie™, pitting British design and commonsense values in a market dominated by US brands Barbie, Monster High and Bratz.

Arklu’s bestselling Royal Wedding Dolls garnered global press coverage and sales, specifically in the USA. The company has spent the past year on research and development to create a refreshingly different and innovative fashion doll. Their designs previewed at the London Toy Fair to overwhelmingly positive retailer feedback and the company are now bringing their new creation to market in time for Christmas 2012. Taking their learnings from this, Arklu has applied their quintessentially British approach in to a new doll brand.

Designed for girls aged 3 - 8, Lottie™ has been developed with scientific expertise from leading British academics, alongside consumer research, to address parental concerns about other fashion dolls including negative body image, an increased perception of premature sexualisation as well as a desire for a return to good old-fashioned creative and imaginative play.

Unlike other fashion dolls, there is no pushing the envelope with adult agendas such as scanty clothes, high heels, jewellery, tattoos or makeup; these are girl dolls intended for girls. Most of all, Lottie is super cute and rather lovely.

Lottie’s body is ‘childlike’ – as you might expect as she is aged nine; her dimensions (with the exception of her head) are based upon those devised by leading British academics, Professor David McCarthy (Professor of Nutrition and Health at the Institute for Health Research & Policy, London Metropolitan University) and Dr Margaret Ashwell OBE (formerly Science Director of the British Nutrition Foundation).

Her distinctive height of 7” (18cm) sets her apart from other fashion dolls; she’s super cute and easy to pack and carry around.

Lottie™ is designed for maximum creative play value. She has high-quality, strokable hair that doesn’t tangle easily and her premium quality clothes and accessories are detailed and lifelike, with lots of tactile elements. Super cute, fun details such as detachable velcro patches on the clothing make for added appeal and “swapability”. Accessory packs include a picnic set, dressable Biscuit the Beagle dog as well as detachable velcro pony race winner rosettes. A background story is included on each doll box to encourage imaginative roleplay.

Lottie™ has a quintessentially British feel to her, with an emphasis on seasonality, quirky attention to detail as well as ‘Back to Basics’ play values. Lottie™ is about celebrating childhood in all its many facets; imagination, creativity and pretty clothes, as well as being bold, brave and active in the Great Outdoors. She is flexible, poseable and can stand on her own two feet….a life-skill that is important for girls both big and small. The brand’s (and Lottie’s) approach to life is summed up in the tagline: “Be bold, be brave, be you”.

The bright and colourful packaging has been specifically designed with an eye to lessening use of excessive plastic blister packaging. Each doll box is themed and designed with a cute handle to encourage reuse and doll portability.

The complete range of Lottie™ dolls and accessories are available now at leading retailers and specialty stores, and online at www.lottie.com and Amazon. Like Lottie Dolls on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/lottiedolls
and on Twitter @Lottie_dolls
Dolls retail at £16.99 ($19.99 in USA); accessory packs at £7.99 ($12.99 in USA).

DOLLS
Pony Flag Race (£16.99 /$19.99)
Lottie loves to be out in the countryside riding her pony, Black Beauty. Lottie enjoys taking part in gymkhana competitions and games on horseback. It’s fun to take part and try your best. The Pony Flag Race is Lottie’s favourite; she loves the challenge of trying to pick up, carry and put down a flag while riding Black Beauty. Who will win the race?

Spring Celebration Ballet (£16.99 / $19.99)
Lottie loves to dance and is really excited to be performing in the Spring Celebration Ballet at Lottieville Theatre. Lottie works hard to prepare and practices for hours on end to perfect her dance steps, including pirouettes and arabesques. Will the performance be a success? Will Lottie remember all her dance steps?

English Country Garden (£16.99 / $19.99)
Spring has sprung and Lottieville is full of bright, colourful flowers, the smell of freshly cut grass, the distant hum of bees buzzing and the gentle flitter of butterflies across the meadows. Lottie loves to be outside and to enjoy a picnic in the garden, especially with her favourite strawberry fairy cakes.

Lottieville Festival (£16.99 / $19.99)
Summer has arrived at last! The sun is shining and the sky is blue as Lottieville prepares for its annual Festival. Lottie is excited and is looking forward to live music, face painting, storytelling, and arts and crafts. Will the good weather continue or will the celebrations be spoiled by rain?

Autumn Leaves (£16.99 / $19.99)
Lottie loves Autumn and especially the changing colours of the leaves on the trees. Wrapped up warm in her coat, hat, scarf and boots, Lottie explores Lottieville Forest with her dog, Biscuit the Beagle, kicking her way through all the crisp, colourful leaves. Getting muddy, kicking leaves and building dens is just so much fun!

Snow Queen (£16.99 / $19.99)
Lottie is thrilled to receive a party invitation to the Lottieville Masked Ball. Inspired by one of her favourite stories, Lottie decides to dress as a Snow Queen. Wearing a silver, sparkly mask and a magnificent ice blue and frosty white gown studded with silver snowflakes – will any of her friends recognise her?

ACCESSORY PACKS
Pony Flag Race Accessory Pack (£7.99 / $12.99)
Fleece jumper, riding hat cover, trophy and 3 velcro rosettes.

Biscuit the Beagle Accessory Pack (£7.99 / $12.99)
Biscuit the Beagle dog figure, dog coat, leash, dog bed, bone and drinking bowl.

English Country Garden Accessory Pack (£7.99 / $12.99)
Picnic rug, picnic basket, 2 cups, 2 plates, 2 strawberry fairy cakes.

FACTFILE:
Arklu is a toy development company based in London, UK. Creators of the best selling Royal Wedding Dolls.
For more information please visit: www.lottie.com

Stone Rose Jewellery for unique Christmas presents

Stone Rose Jewellery sells stunning hand-crafted jewellery; with dazzling and sparkling designs, they are best described as an Aladdin's cave of treasures. They have a variety of incredible collections to suit different tastes and their gorgeous bespoke jewellery is perfect for your Christmas gift guide.

If you are searching for bold, statement jewellery, look no further than Stone Rose's 'Stardust' collection. Using rich, vibrant colours and crystals, these eye-catching designs twinkle like the lights on the Christmas tree.

Alternatively, their 'Elegance' collection has striking, yet understated, jewellery. Made with Swarovski crystals, pearls, silver and gold these designs are opulent and suited to those with sophisticated tastes.

Stone Rose Jewellery is fantastic. Sparkly and glamorous, their designs are perfect for this magical time of year. You can view these tantalising pieces at www.stonerosejewellery.com.

Harveys Bristol Cream and Christmas

Heralding the festive season as loudly as Christmas jumpers and carol singers, this seasonal favourite is loved by family and friends alike.

Whether you sneak a sip whilst basting the turkey, mix it in a fashionable cocktail or toast the Queen’s speech with an annual tipple, one taste of Harveys Bristol Cream will put everyone in an unfailingly jolly mood.  

Its  distinctive nutty, dried fruit flavours and softly spicy aromas make Harveys the perfect accompaniment to some of the season’s best-loved foods; buttery mince pies and indulgent luxury Christmas puddings. 

(EDITOR: Every year, my wife and I like to watch the 1951 version of A Christmas Carol whilst eating mince pies and sipping Harveys Bristol Cream!)

Harveys Bristol Cream (75cl RRP £9.22) is widely available in supermarkets across the UK.

Harveys over ice with a slice of orange

The simplest of serves, Harveys over ice with a slice of orange brings out the taste of candied orange and perfectly complements the dried fruit and toasted almond flavours of this delicious sherry.

Recipe:

•             Place two or three cubes of ice in a tumbler

•             Pour over 50ml Harveys Bristol Cream

•             Garnish with a slice of orange

Harveys mulled apple and winter spice

Recipe (serves six):

•             Slowly warm 200ml Harveys Bristol Cream with 500ml premium pressed apple juice, six cloves and 50g vanilla sugar in a pan for 10-15 minutes to release the incredible flavours

•             Strain the liquid into a warmed 2 pint/ 1 litre punch bowl

•             Garnish with apple slices and serve in glass mugs decorated with star anise

NOTANOTHERBILL is the great new gift that keeps on giving!

In this modern day and age no one receives anything good in the post, just bills and the odd pizza menu...

NOTANOTHERBILL is here to revitalise your letterbox. It’s a new subscription service where you receive a beautifully wrapped and carefully curated surprise present in the post every month - something that is not another bill.

Presents are sourced from far and wide with the aim of introducing subscribers to great artists, designers and brands.

Presents to date have ranged from limited edition art prints, collaborations with up and coming designers, exclusive leather products, jewellery, and even a ‘Take over the world kit’.

Each beautifully packaged surprise comes with a personalised letter explaining more about the present, where it was sourced and why NOTANOTHERBILL think you’ll like it.

It costs £15 per month and you can subscribe for yourself (or as a gift) from 1 month to a whole year – to find out more visit www.notanotherbill.com “BILLS ARE BORING, GET COOL SURPRISE PRESENTS INSTEAD”

Give them a gift of love. Give them Single Malts for Christmas!

Don’t let choosing whisky be a daunting task this Christmas, check out our handpicked selection of award winning single malts guaranteed to impress your loved ones this festive season...

The foodie in your family, will love nosing Highland Park 12 Year Old and discovering the characteristic honey sweetness followed by fruit.  On the palate it is drying with a hint of gentle smoke and a flavour that just keeps on going. (RRP £31.65) Highland Park’s full portfolio of single malts is available at www.highlandpark.co.uk. Highland Park 12 Year Old is available at multiple retailers including Asda, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Waitrose, Morrisons, Co-op and Somerfield.

The gift of Ardmore is perfect for the person eager to discover a new dram this holiday season.  With an unshakable belief in traditional distilling methods, Ardmore Traditional Cask delivers a sweet ripe fruit start followed by the tang of peat. (RRP £30.93) The full Ardmore portfolio is available from www.ardmorewhisky.com. Ardmore Traditional Cask is available in selected major multiples and all good whisky shops.

Presented in its iconic bottle, The Glenrothes Select Reserve is the very essence of The Glenrothes range.  Perfect for the most stylist gent on your Christmas list, Select Reserve is produced in The Glenrothes ‘House Style’ laden with ripe fruits, citrus, vanilla and hints of spice.  (RRP £36.18) The Glenrothes full portfolio of single malts is available at www.theglenrothes.com. The Glenrothes Select Reserve is available from Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Asda and whisky specialists.

Laphroaig Quarter Cask is an ideal dram for the adventurer amongst your friends.  The vibrant single malt shows soft sweetness and a velvety feel when first tasted, then the intense peatiness so unique to Laphroaig comes bursting through. (RRP £35.99) Laphroaig’s full portfolio is available at www.laphroaig.com and Laphroaig Quarter Cask Single Malt is available in all major multiples.

For the whisky aficionado, Highland Park 18 Year Old is an ideal gift this Christmas.  Twice named, "Best Spirit in the World" by US spirits writer F. Paul Pacult, this single malt displays characteristic toffee sweetness and leaves you with a full, smokey finish.  (RRP £68.48) Highland Park’s full portfolio of single malts is available at www.highlandpark.co.uk. Highland Park 18 Year Old is available at multiple retailers including Asda, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Waitrose, Morrisons, Co-op, Somerfield and whisky specialists.

For the lady or gent that enjoys the classic things in life, the gift of The Macallan Sherry Oak 18 Year Old will not disappoint.  This signature style Macallan is wonderfully rich in colour with hints of dried fruits, spice and chocolate orange. (RRP £76) The Macallan’s full portfolio is available at www.themacallan.com. The Macallan Sherry Oak 18 Year Old is in specialist whisky retailers.

For the single malt fan, spoil them with the Laphroaig 18 Year Old.  Made in limited quantities each year and savoured by a fortunate few, the immediate taste is an oak sweetness, from 18 years in the cask. A faint hint of the sea can be detected, testimony to its time maturing on the sea-sprayed island of Islay. (RRP: £77.17) Laphroaig’s full portfolio is available at www.laphroaig.com and Laphroaig 18 Year Old is available in specialist whisky retailers.

Get them a special personalised mug for Christmas!

Everyone needs mugs. And mugs make excellent Christmas presents. Especially the supremely elegeant and rather fetching personalised mugs carefully crafted by Mclaggan Smith Mugs.

Mclaggan Smith Mugs have a special and incredibly funky knit pattern. Each mug costs £8.00 and for an additional £5.00 you can have the handle personalised (uo to 30 characters.) for the ideal gift for that extra-special person in your life!

To learn more please visit Mclaggan Smith Mugs at www.msmugs.com or call them on 01389 755 655

Red, white or rosé? Give the gift of home-made wine this Christmas

If your friends and family enjoy relaxing with a glass of wine, why not treat them to the new ibrew Wine Starter Kit? The ibrew Wine Starter Kit is a complete micro winery perfect for people who love wine and love having fun.

The ibrew micro winery is completely reusable and can be used time and time again to make 30 bottles of quality wine. Making your own wine is fun and the ibrew system makes it so simple. It takes just 21 days to make your own wine. Imagine the enjoyment of serving your very own wine, hand-made by you!

Whatever your taste in wine there’s a variety to suit you. If you enjoy a rich, full bodied red, try the Cabernet Sauvignon variety or for soft, ruby red the Merlot is ideal. There are also two choices of white, including a light, delicate and floral Pinot Grigio and a golden, fresh, zingy Soave. For lovers of rosé there is a medium bodied Shiraz Blush with floral overtones.

The equipment is reusable and has been built to last. After you have made your wine, simply clean and rinse the equipment and you are ready for your next brew.

The complete ibrew micro winery is available from www.ibrew.co.uk and www.wilkinsonplus.com and each kit costs from £70.00 per variety for two batches of 15 bottles. Refill kits cost from £24.99 to make a further 15 bottles of wine – less than £1.70 per bottle!

So, if you know someone who loves a tipple, the complete ibrew micro winery makes the perfect Christmas gift.