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Mother's Day 2015: 10 best gifts under £20

Show mum you care without breaking the bank

Tuesday 10 March 2015 13:30 GMT

These great gifts cover everything from keen gardeners to city workers, via a bit of glam and some philanthropy, and come in on budget at under £20.

1. ‘Alcohol May Not Solve Your Problems’ Tea Towel: £12, notonthehighstreet.com

Give a bit of humour and a whole lot of truth this Mother’s Day with this tea towel from Karin Akesson Design, printed with the slogan ‘Alcohol may not solve your problems but neither will water or milk’. Perfect for mums who like a glass of vino and a giggle.

2. Thoughtful Gardener Secateurs in a Tin: £16.95, bloomsburystore.com

Green-fingered mums will love this sunshine yellow pair of secateurs, which come in a cute shrub-patterned storage tin with the quote ‘big things often come from small beginnings’ on the inside of the lid. Wise words for a wise woman.

3. ‘Lovely’ Gold Plated Necklace: £20, notonthehighstreet.com

Tell mum how you feel about her in no uncertain words with this ‘lovely’ necklace by jewellery designer Estella Bartlett. It’s gold-plated, comes gift-boxed and is just the right balance of delicate and elegant to be worn for almost any occasion.

4. Chasing Zero Mother’s Day Card: £15, wearechasingzero.org

If your mum is the conscientious –type (or if she’s just a decent person really), buy a Mother’s Day card from HIV and Aids charity Chasing Zero and a £12 contribution will be made on her behalf to help ensure the safe delivery of a baby in Malawi. She gets a lovely card, along with an explanation of how it all works, and the joy of knowing she’s helped another woman have something to celebrate this time next year.

5. Sloane Stationery Busy Busy Busy Notebook: £12.99, go-british.co.uk

For mums with a to-do list as long as their arm, this navy notebook has a particularly apt motif, plenty of space for checklists and is perfectly handbag sized at 10x15m. The lizard skin-effect, gold embossing and gilded page edges give it a seriously luxe feel for just over a tenner.

6. H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald: £14.99, randomhouse.co.uk

Got a Countryfile fan for a mum? She may recently have seen the author of H is for Hawk sharing the experiences behind this book with presenter Ellie Harrison. Telling the story of how, struggling to cope after the death of her father, Helen Macdonald channelled her grief into taming and training a goshawk, it’s on the longlist for the Samuel Johnson literary prize and we’d go so far as to say it’s destined to become a wildlife classic.

7. Oliver Bonas Flower Heart Scarf: £18, oliverbonas.com

If your mum is anything like mine, she loves a good scarf. This one from Oliver Bonas has a subtle hearts and flowers print and will look great in the summer with jeans and a white shirt or brighten up a dark coat in the winter.

8. Damian Allsop Seawater Collection: £14.50, alexeevajones.com

It might sound a little odd, but chocolate and salt is a smashing flavour combination – remember the salted caramel chocolate cake trend? – and the contrast of crisp shell and smooth truffled centre is pretty good, too. Chocolatier Damian Allsop is clearly a genius.

9. Sophie Conran Tealight Holders: £12.95, sophieconran.com

We love these cut out dots and circle-pattern lanterns from Sophie Conran, which come in raspberry, grey, blue and white, and we think mum will do (hey, if not you can always keep them for yourself). They’ll look equally beautiful outside on the terrace in the evening or as the centrepiece to your dinner table.

10. Nigella Lawson Cake Stand: £17, uniqueandunity.co.uk

This duck egg blue ceramic cake stand is the perfect gift for any house-proud or baking addict Mum, plus we reckon it looks far more expensive than it is – always a good thing. Bake her a cake to display on it and you’ve got M-day covered.

Verdict:

If your mum is the country cottage and gardening type, the Thoughtful Gardener secateurs and H for Hawk are both sure to please, while the Not On the High Street tea towel adds a touch of humour and the Estella Bartlett necklace a dash of glamour. But for something a little different and maximum feel-good, we suggest the Chasing Zero Mother’s Day card – who can object to that?