Many people will have found it a struggle to find things to keep them occupied these last couple of months. We are simply not a nation who are used to sitting at home and doing nothing! Work, visiting family & friends, hobbies, sport…these are all things that help pass the time on a daily basis without really having to think about it, but what do we do when we can’t do these?!

We have come up with 6 fun and productive lockdown ideas to help you through this time!

 1. Puzzles

You might think puzzles are just for Grandparents. Think again! We offer a fantastic range of puzzles and one of our favourites is the Talking Tables Pick Me Up Gin Puzzle. This pick me up puzzle represents one of the simple pleasures in life, so whether you pick one up for a friend or simply for yourself, this puzzle is sure to help you relax and with such a beautiful design it really will perk you up! We think doing this puzzle with a large G&T is a must, but that’s for you to decide…

2. Gardening

Now is definitely the time to get your gardens looking spick and span, especially with all the beautiful weather we’ve been having. How about a little garden buddy in the shape of our lovely Jellycat Silly Succulent who is daft and adorable. This potty plant has a grey felt pot and a great big loveable smile. A tuft of gingery fluffy soil, cordy boot-roots and sparkly jersey leaves, and you've got a soothingly silly aloe.

3. Cooking

I know lots of us have been getting our bake on during lockdown! This is the perfect time to perfect our kitchen skills. We have lots of cookbooks in our kitchen shop as well as all the tools you need to help you become a whizz in the kitchen!

4. DIY

Give Dad a gentle push towards doing some much needed DIY with this life hacks for Dads book! Do you aspire to make DIY disasters a thing of the past? To discover ingenious ways to keep the kids entertainedﾠand make cleaning up after them a breeze? LIFE HACKS FOR DADS is your handy guide to making your daily life that little bit easier. This fully illustrated manual coverseverything from keeping your car door wonderfully dent-freeﾠto perfecting your Frisbee throw, and much, much more.

5.  Online Pub Quiz

Lots of people have been introduced to the world of ‘Zoom’ whether be it for work or play. So how about suggesting a virtual ‘pub quiz’ with your friends? Grab a drink, some pub snacks and a copy of our ‘General Knowledge Pub Quiz’ and test your pals!  This book has over 10,000 questions and over 300 individual questions on a huge variety of subjects. Lots of the quizzes are themed, along the classic lines of music, sport, geography, politics, entertainment etc, but there are also more specialist subjects such as gardening, the Olympics, medicine and festivals. How much fun would a themed quiz be?! Everyone can dress up as something from the theme and you can quiz to your hearts content.

And when all else fails…

6. Eat Chocolate

We are still offering our fantastic selections of hand made boxed chocolates! They range from a box of 4 up to a box of 48 and are sure to brighten up even the darkest day. Why not let someone know you are thinking about them by adding our personalised ribbon to the box. A simple message can make a huge difference. If you are looking for a little something to nibble on for yourself, check out our ‘sale confectionery’ page on the website. Here you will find items with shorter best before dates and broken bits which are still just as delicious as everything else. And who doesn’t love a bargain?! Especially when they taste as good as a gourmet chocolate pizza!!