If you love sinking into bed, and dream of having a hotel-like experience at home, then there’s a way to upgrade your setup without shelling out for a whole new mattress: a mattress topper. These clever items slip over your existing mattress and provide an extra layer of support and comfort, and can help you get a better night sleep.

One premium player in the mattress topper world is Naturalmat. The brand’s tremendous topper is made from all natural fibres, without any chemical additives. The company promises it’s eco-friendly too, as all the materials it uses are from sustainable sources and where possible it uses locally sourced fabrics, so its footprint is even smaller.

In what sounds like a charming setup, all Naturalmat’s toppers are handmade in Devon, with the tremendous toppers made to order. And while this means they might take slightly longer to arrive, we reckon it’s worth the wait. Naturalmat is fiercely committed to creating well-made, responsible items, and that’s something we can get behind.

The tremendous topper comes in nine sizes. And if you’ve got an irregular-sized bed, you can also have a bespoke one made. Inside, the fillings are all natural fibres. The innards are layered like a pillowy cake to create the ultimate sleeping surface. The casing is made from wool and cotton, and has natural fire-retardant qualities.

There’s a natural latex layer, which provides a spring-back quality. It’s all tapped from trees, so there’s no deforestation. There’s also a layer of cashmere, which is flecked with bamboo. This is designed to create breathability in the topper, and to provide blissful comfort. And then there’s a layer of organic lambswool. Wool is a natural temperature regulator, so the hope is it’ll keep you cosy in winter and cool in summer.

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How we tested

We tried out the tremendous topper in the king size for more than three weeks. We wanted to find out how comfortable it was, mainly. But also if it really justified the hefty price tag – was our sleep £700 better? And we also looked at whether it did keep us cooler at night. Did those natural fibres stand the test of time, or was the stuffing knocked out of it pretty darn quick?

Naturalmat the tremendous topper, king

Buy now £720, Naturalmat.co.uk

Sizes available: Small single, single, long single, small double, double, king, queen, superking, emperor and made to measure
Type: Natural fibres
Depth: 7cm
Warranty: FIve years
Rating: 10/10

Design

The tremendous topper comes rolled up in plastic sheeting, but this isn’t like your standard boxed mattress or topper. There’s no denying the Naturalmat topper is substantial. Once unfurled, it is more akin to an actual mattress. We were excited to act out the Princess and the Pea when lying on it.

The profile of the mattress is 7cm. That’s a fair old whack compared to other toppers. This is a big thumbs up in the support stakes, but it does mean you’ll need extra depth in your fitted sheets – and maybe a ladder up to your bed.

The topper is soft to touch, and feels ridiculously well made. The tufts hold all the layers in place, again making the whole thing feel more like a mattress than a topper.

Because the tremendous topper is so cumbersome, getting it on the bed requires two people (and a light peppering of swearing). But once this bad boy is on, it ain’t going nowhere. We flopped on top afterwards, and marvelled at how comfy it felt.

We love the thought that it’s made entirely from natural fibres, and that it’s made with the utmost attention to detail. A big tick for us is that come the time – far in the future, when the topper has come to the end of its lifespan – the entire thing is biodegradable. It eased our conscience that we weren’t just adding more crap to our house and waste to the environment.

Comfort and performance

In case it’s still in any doubt, we loved this topper. It was so comfortable. It had the perfect amount of give, and even our hard-to-please co-tester liked it.

It’s perhaps slightly towards the firmer side, but it gave wonderful support. All our hip and lower back aches vanished overnight. If you like a very soft sleping surface, this might not be for you, but for anyone else it’s a surefire winner.

And despite their best efforts, a fidgety co-sleeper didn’t disturb us thanks to the topper’s robustness. It stayed put for the duration of testing, never slipping once.

We enjoy a cosy night’s sleep, but our co-tester is particularly sensitive to overheating, so we were both keen to see how well it fared in regards to temperature regulation and breathability. So we were delighted to find the Naturalmat topper to be invitingly cosy, without ever getting too toasty. Our co-tester declared it the best topper they’d ever slept on, and they didn’t overheat once. A massive tick from us.

The verdict: Naturalmat the tremendous topper review

We give the Naturalmat tremendous topper a two-thumbs up, full-marks score. We loved the natural fibres, craftsmanship and care that has clearly gone into this topper. It is incredibly comfortable and you’d be hard pushed to find a more substantial one. We promised to judge whether we think it’s worth the big price – and we do. Everything about this topper shouts “premium”.

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Does Naturalmat’s ‘tremendous’ mattress topper live up to its name? We put it to the test

This eco-friendly layer is handmade in Devon, but it’s pricey

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How we tested