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Nothing beats the comfort, warmth and reassurance provided by a top-quality duvet, whether you’re a 10-tog type sleeper or a hot-bodied dozer who prefers to stick to single digits.
As huge duvet fans, we’re loving the fact that there’s never been a wider range to choose from, whether it’s ones filled with recycled plastic bottles (more of which later) or the finest goose down, or ones that combine different togs in a single duvet. The downside is that this makes finding the one a bit of a minefield, which is why we decided it’s high time to come up with a definitive guide to the duvets that should be on your radar.
But first, some timely advice from a sleep expert at a time when fluctuating temperatures and the combination of cold weather and greenhouse-like centrally heated bedrooms can make our journey to the land of nod a tricky one.
“For optimal sleep, your bedroom needs to be cool – around 19C – and well ventilated,” says Dr Nerina Ramlakhan, neurophysiologist, sleep expert and author of The Little Book of Sleep: The Art of Natural Sleep.
“If you share your bed with someone who responds differently to temperatures at night, consider separate duvets or a carefully positioned fan. Wool or bamboo duvets can be a great option for people suffering from night sweats and menopausal temperature changes,” they added.
How we tested
A lot of sleeping, to be honest. Luckily, our testing session took place during late October during a week when the weather swung from a balmy 21C to a chilly 10C. But we didn’t just spend the entire process unconscious – we spent hours comparing duvet thicknesses, cover weaves and tog ranges to provide the best possible evaluation of what we believe are the top duvets on the market.
Best for allergy sufferers – Mela air duvet: From £140, Melacomfort.co.uk
Best for temperature regulation – Piglet in Bed merino wool medium weight duvet: From £129, Pigletinbed.com
Best for softness – Dusk pure mulberry silk duvet: From £73.50, Dusk.com
Best for quality of filling – Custom Hotel 100% European duck down duvet: £75, Bedguru.co.uk
Best for eco-friendly credentials – Tielle feelgood range: From £265, Tielleloveluxury.co.uk
Best for anxiety – JYSK weighted duvet: £99.99, Jysk.co.uk
Best for sustainability – Bedfolk recycled down duvet: From £149, Bedfolk.com
Best for range of sizes – Secret Linen bottle bedding duvet: From £79, Secretlinenstore.com
Best for personalisation – Bensons for Beds premium edition all seasons duvet: From £59.99, Bensonsforbeds.co.uk
M&S supremely washable duvet, double
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Best: Overall
Rating: 10/10
Tog : 4.5, 13.5
Sizes: Single, double, king, super king
We love this duvet, which has a recycled polyester filling and features something called a sonic seam (otherwise known as stitch-free technology) to ensure the stuffing stays exactly where it’s meant to. The “supremely washable” tagline isn’t just a gimmick, either – despite its brilliant combination of pillow-like cosiness and temperature regulation, it dries incredibly quickly, and M&S claims the coated fibres will keep their softness much better than most duvets, even after washes at 40C. Another gold star is awarded for the top-quality bag it comes in – all too often, the bags that duvets come in are one-use-only affairs, but tough material and tight seals meant we had no worries about keeping this dust-free when it was stored away for longer periods of time.
Liking someone enough to share the same bed doesn’t mean you’re on the same page when it comes to temperature preferences, which is where this comes in – a duvet that is one half 4.5 tog and one half 10.5 tog. Labels clearly indicate which side is which, although it’s worth pointing out that the 10.5 side is marginally larger. Then again, given that this side is for the person most in need of warmth, perhaps that’s fair enough. The design also clears up the issue of who gets the duvet if you split up, because you could, in theory, simply cut it in half. Jokes aside, it’s a brilliant duvet with a 100 per cent hollowfibre filling, which isn’t just ideal for couples with varying temperature preferences – we all know how unpredictable British weather can be, and we love the fact that single sleepers can simply rotate the duvet depending on the weather.
Scooms Hungarian goose down duvet, 13.5 tog, double
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Best: For range of togs
Rating: 10/10
Tog: 2.5, 4.5, all seasons 7, 9, all seasons 11.5, all seasons 13.5
Sizes: Single, double, king, super king
Scooms founders Jonathan and Emily are our kind of people – bedwear obsessives who set up Scooms after struggling to find top-quality duvets made with sustainable materials that didn’t trigger allergies and looked fantastic on the bed. The Hungarian goose down in our 13.5-tog double – made up of a 4.5 duvet and a 9-tog duvet, attached using press stud-like clips – did a great job of regulating our temperature on an unusually muggy autumn night. When things heat up in the bedroom (we’re talking about the weather, to be clear), one layer can simply be tossed aside. The downside is that if one partner prefers a warmer duvet than the other it’s not possible to simply opt for a warmer half (unlike with Slumberdown’s made for you two duvet above), but it’s hard not to love the versatility and quality of this duvet. We loved the ultra-sturdy storage bag it came in, too.
Described as an all-seasons duvet, this wallet-friendly bed warmer is brilliant value and is perfect for anyone who has better things to do than spend hours mulling what tog is best suited to which time of year. We tested the duvet at the tail end of autumn, when extreme temperature fluctuations provided the perfect testing ground, and we were seriously impressed – on a damp chilly night we stayed wonderfully warm but avoided overheating when the mercury soared unexpectedly a few days later. A key ingredient is modal, a wood pulp-derived material sourced from sustainable forests, and its similarity to cotton makes it a brilliant temperature regulator.
For some seriously sustainable snoozing, it’s hard to beat this duvet, which is filled with eucalyptus silk – a material with a production process that requires a fraction of the water needed by cotton and which is, in this case, harvested from regenerative forests in the Czech Republic. Oeko-Tex certification means it’s ideal for anyone prone to allergies, and as hayfever sufferers we’re glad to report a sniffle-free sleep. It’s wonderfully comfortable, teaming a fabulous softness with an unbelievable lightness that never felt suffocating. Its lightness meant we were initially sceptical about its ability to keep us warm on a cold November night, but it passed with flying colours. Our one complaint? We’d love to have seen a wider range of sizes.
Piglet merino wool medium weight duvet, double, lighter
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Best: For temperature regulation
Rating: 8/10
Tog: No tog (merino wool filling)
Sizes: Single, double, king, super king
Another great option for sustainably minded snoozers, this duvet is filled with merino wool (hence the high price tag), which is a brilliant temperature regulator. Because it’s wool (which is naturally hypoallergenic) there’s no tog, although it’s marketed as a medium-weight duvet and has a weightiness similar to a duvet with a tog of eight or 10. The stuffing feels incredibly soft and wonderfully warm, and we loved the hooks placed near the corners, which made it easier to do what the instructions suggested: “air in the sun at the turn of each season”. This brings us onto the inevitable downside that this is a duvet that needs to be handled with slightly more care, but we reckon it’s worth every penny.
Dusk pure mulberry silk duvet, double, all seasons
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Best: For softness
Rating: 8/10
Tog: 4.5, 7.5, all seasons (4.5 and 7.5 combined)
Sizes: Single, double, king, super king
This mulberry silk-filled duvet, which came in a sturdy storage bag, is available in four sizes, and we opted for the all-seasons – a 4.5 and a 7.5-tog duvet, which attach to each other using buttons. The filling’s incredibly soft, as is the cotton cover, and it did a fantastic job of regulating our temperature on an unexpectedly cold November night. Despite this, it felt incredibly light, and the mulberry silk filling means it’s brilliant for hayfever sufferers, too.
Custom Hotel 100% european duck down duvet, double, 7.5 tog
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Best: For quality of filling
Rating: 9/10
Tog: From 2.5 to tog to 20 tog
Sizes: 11, including small single, long single, single, wide single, small double, double, king, super king, emperor, EU double
The crazily long list of sizes and togs left us with more questions than answers. Such as, is there really any need for so many? Then again, tall people with cold feet will probably love the addition of the extra-long option. Size conundrums aside, we loved our 7.5 double, which had an ultra-soft duck down filling and a 300 thread count cover. which felt gorgeously silky. As with many duvets, individually sewn pockets help to keep the stuffing in place, although the blurb mentions how the hand-filling process ensures superior distribution, and we’re inclined to agree – this duvet came out on top in terms of came to filling distribution.
Although we’d have loved to see this eco-friendly duvet, with its chic, ultra-thin hem, available in a wider range of togs, this is our one and only complaint. Everything – from the sturdy zippable bag to the unbelievable softness – screams quality, which probably explains the price tag (you’ll pay £265 for a double). Its earth-friendly credentials stem from the use of recycled European feather and down and Tielle’s obsession with point-to-point sustainability. In other words, Tielle goes all out to lower its carbon footprint by monitoring emissions relating to every stage of the process, from manufacture to store delivery.
We’re just going to put this out there. We suspect weighted duvets – believed to reduce anxiety due to the stimulation, which can enhance serotonin production – are a bit of a love/hate affair. We’re also going to follow up with a word of warning – weighing in at 7kg, this one feels much weightier than your average weighted throw (there’s a reason it comes in a reinforced duffle bag-like sack). If you’re considering a weighted duvet for the first time, this probably isn’t for you but if you’re familiar with the concept, this might be the perfect product. Due to the filling – 95 per cent glass beads and five per polyester fibre – there’s a faint noise when the stuffing shifts, but nothing too unbearable, and the consistency provides incredibly distributed pressure. In summary? Although this isn’t the kind of cloud-like duvet you can simply tug up to fend off whispers of cold air, if you’re a weighted duvet connoisseur, this is the best of the bunch. A final word of warning – if you like to sleep naked know that nothing is left to the imagination, due to the way it falls.
We tried the 13.5-tog version of this duvet, which has a gorgeously silky trim (nothing’s worse than a stiff cotton hem slicing across your face in the night) and is filled with 100 per cent recycled down. The luxuriously thick cover, made with top-quality cotton, has a wonderfully cool feel, which aided the duvet’s temperature regulation qualities, and it’s also Nomite and Downafresh certified. Translation? It’s a brilliant option for anyone prone to allergies.
Another undisputed winner in the sustainability stakes, this duvet is made from recycled plastic bottles – albeit ones collected by Plastic Bank then cleaned and recycled. You’ll need to wait three to four weeks for your duvet because all made to order, but we guarantee it’s worth the wait. This is one seriously soft duvet, encased in a 100 per cent cotton cover and with cloud-like filling kept in place by beautifully stitched panels. We’ll never look at a plastic bottle in the same way again.
Bensons for Beds premium edition all seasons duvet, double
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Best: For personalisation
Rating: 7/10
Tog: 9 tog and 4.5 tog (combined)
Sizes: Single, double, king
This is another all-seasons duvet that does a great job of minimising the risk of face chafe, thanks to its thin, soft trim. It’s also another two-in-one job – it’s basically one nine-tog duvet and one 4.5-tog duvet, designed to clip together using press studs. We loved the ease with which one layer could be tossed aside on heavier nights or – for the truly lazy – we could simply attach the second duvet during colder months, instead of digging out our winter duvet. This one also had the prettiest design – elegant stripes that were so pretty we were tempted to ditch the duvet cover.
These days, there’s such a wide range of fillings that it’s very much down to personal preference. If you’re prone to allergies, don’t write off natural fillings such as goose down, but ensure the cover has a tight weave and that the duvet has Nomite or Downafresh certifications. That said, if you’re still wary of natural fillings, opt for manmade ones such as Aerelle – a trademarked filling that is made from plastic bottles. Duvets filled with silk fibres are a great option for allergy sufferers, too.
Duvet vs comforter: What is the difference?
We’re blaming the Americans for this one (apologies to our readers across the pond). In recent years, we’ve noticed more people referring to duvets as quilts, when they’re two very different items. A comforter is basically another word for a blanket – albeit an extra-thick quilted one that is made from a single piece of material – while a duvet is a slab of thick filling inside a separate cover. Unlike a comforter, which is intended to be draped over beds for additional warmth, duvets are standalone items.
What is the thickest duvet?
A tog of 20 is the highest you’re likely to come across, although why you’d need one – unless you’re planning on camping out in the Antarctic circle – is beyond us. In reality, the ideal tog for a winter duvet is around 13. Summer duvet togs should be between 2.5 and 7.
That said, neither the tog or the thickness should be the only focus, because numerous factors play a part: the material used for both the filling and the lining, our individual responses to temperature fluctuations, and whether the duvet will be used by one person or two.
The verdict: Duvets
M&S’s supremely washable duvet does it all – it kept us warm without weighing us down, and it’s incredibly easy to care for, too. Slumberdown’s made for you two dual tog is an ingenious duvet that comprises two different togs but doesn’t require any fiddling around with press studs or buttons, and the Scooms Hungarian goose down duvet gets the highly commended nomination for the top-quality filling and wide range of togs and sizes.
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