8 best gifts to deliver direct to friends and loved ones during lockdown

Sending presents for birthdays, anniversaries or just because needn't be difficult. Stick to social distancing measures with a gift sent straight to their door

Tuesday 14 July 2020 17:27 BST

There's no better time to surprise someone with a little mood booster (iStock/The Independent)

Now more than ever, it’s important to stay connected and let people know you’re thinking about them.

But sending something thoughtful has become increasingly difficult with some post offices having to close because of illness and social distancing measures.

That's why we've compiled a list of gift delivery ideas that you can send straight to their door, no matter where you or they live.

Buying from an independent business online is a great way to find gifts that are unique or can be personalised – and you'll be supporting a small company, many of which are struggling during this troubling time, so your cash will be going to good use.

Ultimately, you could probably get anything you think of delivered as a present, but the services below offer special gifting options.

Whether you’re buying a gift for a chocoholic or just want to brighten someone’s day, these ideas are guaranteed to put a smile on someone’s face.

You can trust our independent reviews. We may earn commission from some of the retailers, but we never allow this to influence selections, which are formed from real-world testing and expert advice. This revenue helps us to fund journalism across The Independent.

I Think That You Are Magic flower power bouquet: £30, I Think That You Are Magic

A bouquet of flowers is a timeless classic for a reason, but this brand is making sure the love works both ways. The London-based florist is putting together bunches of British spring flowers, donating £10 from each order to local charities working to help the most vulnerable young people and adults in society, including Young Minds, Shelter, Trussell Trust and the NHS.

Our bouquet was a bright and beautiful arrangement of narcissi, anemones, tulips and sweet peas. Delivery days and the flowers in the bouquets vary according to which area of London you’re in and are delivered by the florist herself. This is a brilliant way to support independents, so even if you’re not in London, you can research independent florists nearer to you.

Cocoa Runners chocolate lovers’ hamper: £59.95, Cocoa Runners

Dark chocolate stimulates the production of endorphins and contains serotonin, often called the happy chemical. In simpler terms, this means that good quality chocolate genuinely has calming, mood-boosting properties – making it the ideal snack during a time of anxiety. Also, it’s just delicious.

Cocoa Runners’ online shop has a cornucopia of chocolate-related gifts, with more than 1,000 individual bars from 120 craft makers around the world. If you don’t fancy picking your way through all of those, this chocolate lovers’ hamper is aptly named, with a selection of white, milk and dark chocolate housed in a luxe wooden box.

The lucky recipient will be able to sample everything from Taza Chocolate's Mexicano cinnamon to a Madagascan dark chocolate stuffed with pink peppercorns. Most of Cocoa Runners’ suppliers go above and beyond Fairtrade requirements to give farmers a better price in an industry that can be rife with ethical issues. Sure, it’s a bit expensive – but this is basically happiness in a box.

Pasta Evangelists: From £7.25, Pasta Evangelists

At a time when you can’t take someone out for dinner, you can at least send them restaurant quality food to enjoy at home. There’s Deliveroo, of course, but for something that feels a little bit more special – although you do have to cook the pasta for all of five minutes – try grown-up food delivery service Pasta Evangelists.

Recipes span 20 different Italian regions and change weekly – some mouth-watering examples include beef tortellini with sage butter; pappardelle with beef shin and a Barolo wine ragu and black truffle and pecorino triangoli with truffle butter and toasted hazelnuts.

You can order it for next-day delivery if you’ve forgotten a special occasion, and if you live in London it comes in a box that slots neatly through the letterbox. If you live anywhere else in the UK, your delivery will arrive in a larger box. Brownie points for gluten-free and vegan options. Now all you need is the wine.

Patch Plants: From £6, Patch Plants

For something that has more longevity than a bouquet of flowers, try Patch for a green friend to brighten up someone’s home. Patch’s service helps you to choose a plant best suited to the conditions it’ll be in – and the level of care it’s likely to receive – so you can buy something that’s really tailored to your loved one. And unlike many plant shops, you can also buy a lovely pot to go with it (something that’s actually usually pretty expensive and inconvenient to buy when you’re out and about). The website is also offering a free bite sized 10-step plant parenting course for those who have recently adopted.

Books That Matter subscription: From £17, Books That Matter

Given we’re spending an awful lot of time looking at screens, books offer welcome respite and escapism. Books That Matter is a book subscription service that aims to put women’s writing in the spotlight. Each box contains a book by a female author, accompanied by at least three gifts by independent women creatives.

We received a copy of The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing, a hefty paperback that won the Nobel Prize for Literature, focussing on the life of a novelist and single mother experiencing writer’s block in 1950s London – apt for any writer in lockdown.

Carrying on with the writing theme, the gifts included were a pencil case, an illustrated notebook, a weekly planner and a plastic pastel pink pen. We loved the choice of book – previous boxes have included smash hits like Circe by Madeline Miller and Her Body & Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado, so there’s plenty of variety – but we weren’t so keen on this month’s gifts, although these do vary month by month, and you can check out past boxes on the website. A thoughtful gift for bookworms or anyone looking to read more.

BoroughBox luxury single wine box: £29.99, BoroughBox

BoroughBox delivers all sorts of brilliant produce, and its wines are selected by Borough Wines. This much-loved London wine shop specialises in curating bottles you wouldn’t otherwise find on the high street – so it makes sense that its choices are top notch. In this instance, the bottle arrives in a wooden box and you can choose from red, white, or to really push the boat out, a bottle of Nyetimber sparkling wine. And you don’t need to stop at wine, either – you can get gin and tonic boxes, the ingredients for non-alcoholic cocktails, artisan sweet treats and so much more. An easy win.

Dishoom e-voucher: From £10, Dishoom

The plight of the hospitality industry during coronavirus has been well-documented. Give the gift of good times to come and support your favourite restaurant by buying a voucher to be redeemed when all this is over. Dishoom normally has physical “coins” that you can buy as a gift, but that’s changed to gift vouchers that you purchase online. OK, it’s not eating out – but no one could say no to a gift of the iconic black dhal.

Calm subscription: £28.99 a month, Calm

A global pandemic is a time that many people – with or without anxiety – will struggle. Calm’s award-winning meditation app has a variety of offerings, from daily programmes that aim to tackle anxiety, stress, self-care and focus, to one-off sessions to help you in a pinch. Basically, whatever you want to work on, Calm has something that will help you do it.

It’s ideal for both beginners and experts and is particularly good for insomniacs thanks to its sleep-focused meditations, and its much-loved sleep stories. These are read by people like Stephen Fry and Matthew McConaughey and follow a gently paced travel story that will help you drift off and encourage a deeper, more restful sleep. Head to the app’s website and you can buy a one-year gift card – you can either print the voucher or attach it to an email.

The verdict: Gifts to deliver direct

I Think That You Are Magic’s flower deliveries win for its cheerfulness and commitment to giving back, closely followed by Books That Matter for the brilliant book choices.