Stuck for Christmas gift ideas? The Exeter Christmas market’s got you covered

The best picks under £10 from the Christmas market and Winter Wonderland

2 years ago

Guides

In making a list of all the people I have to buy Christmas presents for, I noticed a recurring theme. I had no idea what to get any of them. But one evening, a lightbulb went off in my head and I grabbed my coat and walked the 40 minutes from Pinhoe Road to Cathedral Green. And as I walked round the Exeter Christmas market in search of gifts, I decided that, in the spirit of Christmas, I could not possibly gatekeep these amazing finds.

If they like a sweet, aesthetic decor: dried orange garlands

When I tell you that I am literally obsessed with these… These are really simple but nice decorations for any place which needs brightening up. My friend tells me that hers are still smelling after 3 years and although whether I believe them is a different story, mine are still as gorgeous as since I got them.

Also, these are a BARGAIN because you can get a small bunch for £4 – don’t walk down to the market, run.

If they like self-care: bath bombs, soaps, scrubs etc

You might think that this gift is a bit girly but honestly, everyone loves some self-care and sometimes it just takes someone else to indulge them.

I found these these soaps selling for just £4 each by the entrance of Winter Wonderland and the peach melba flavour blew me away. If I wasn’t saving for a flight home, I know that I would be in my overdraft from buying the whole stock.

These volcanic scrubs were very cool too and perfect for an alternative to a bottle of cheap booze. You can bet that I’m going to treat myself to one before I leave for the holidays.

And if they have too many products, why not give them something to store it in like these beautiful olive wood soap dishes?

If they like food: food

If you are out of ideas for a foodie friend, you can always take this down a different route and treat them to something to eat. The market has so much to offer in terms of food and drink: pizza, tzatziki, burritos, curries, chocolate and more, but my faves are the crêpe stand and the mulled apple juice at the Winter Wonderland. You literally cannot go wrong as there is so much food on offer there.

If they like to cook: seasonings and pastes from India in a Jar

I like to think I’m an avid chef (I can already hear my housemates laughing at this statement because I cook the same three things each week). In the middle of the market, the colourful array of these seasonings and pastes caught my eye immediately. After tasting a couple of flavours, I ended up buying the butter chicken powder, which actually can be used in other dishes such as chicken tikka masala (tried and tested by yours truly in one of the three dishes I can make). Though, there are so many other seasoning flavours such as Indian BBQ tandoori, lentil dhal, and phall tindaloo. These big packets of seasoning are just for £5 so if your mate loves to cook, help them to spice up their next dish – literally.

If they are cold all the time: gloves and scarves from Wild Wool

I’m writing this in a house with no heating whilst it’s minus two degrees because my bills aren’t included (pain). You can bet that I wish that I had picked these some gloves up from the Wild Wool stall when I last visited the market. The cost of living crisis may be hitting us all hard right now, but at least these really cool gloves will certainly be a helping hand in these troubling times.