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Wanted for Christmas - one-of-a-kind gift ideas

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It is that time of year when people up and down the country ask the perennial question: “What do you buy for the person who already has everything?”, but top independent retailers are suggesting that if you are asking that question, you’ve clearly not visited York!

‘York is the leading heritage shopping location outside London and for its size, probably has more independent retailers per square mile than any other city, so if you are looking to find really unusual, high quality gifts for friends and family this Christmas you are bound to find something here. What’s more, you can walk from one end of the city centre to the other in less than half an hour, so you won’t waste your Christmas shopping time walking miles between the shops,’ comments Kate McMullen, Head of Visit York.

Whoever you are buying for this Christmas, these ten top gift ideas cover every possibility:

  • Best for serious foodies – delicious artisan oils and vinegars from Demijohn (the world’s first liquid deli) sold in beautiful re-useable glass bottles. Our favourite is the three-in-one Yorkshire Foodie Selection created using some of Yorkshire’s finest produce: Elderflower Vinegar, Yorkshire Lemon Rapeseed Oil and Yorkshire Red Chilli Rapeseed Oil. Price: £36.15. 600ml. http://www.demijohn.co.uk/

  • Best to splurge on - hand crafted and meticulously hand painted in 24 carat gold by the master craftsmen and artists at the Herend Porcelain Manufactory in Hungary, this beautiful 45cm long Tiger is a stunning statement piece, priced £2,280.00. Available from Mulberry Hall in Stonegate, York, which has an unsurpassed range of Herend Porcelain and other prestigious brands such as Lalique, Baccarat, Cumbria Crystal, Halcyon Days and Georg Jensen amongst others. www.mulberryhall.co.uk

  • Best to binge on – high quality exclusive chocolates with a luxurious taste to remember handmade by York's longest established artisan chocolatiers Monk Bar Chocolatiers. www.monkbarchocolatiers

  • Best for bringing out your inner princess - made from soft white plush, with embroidered details and iridescent golden horns, these unicorn slippers make every morning magical! The slip-on design fits most adults. Available from Give the Dog a Bone, £24.99. http://www.givethedogabone.co.uk/

  • Best for cat lovers – from bags to books and tablecloths to tea cosies the choice of cat themed gifts The Cat Gallery has for cat lovers and their feline friends would last nine lives’ worth of Christmases and beyond! The double oven glove, by Sophie Allport, is perfect to use for lifting the turkey out of the oven on Christmas Day. Available from The Cat Gallery, price £15.00. www.thecatgallery.co.uk

  • Best for dieters – they look good enough to eat, they smell like brandy butter and even the shop looks like a French patisserie - the Yorkshire Soap company’s handmade soaps in the shape of cupcakes and slices of cake are the next best thing to the real thing for those watching their weight this Christmas. All the soaps are handmade in York, using natural ingredients – Christmas specials include orange and cinnamon, brandy butter and mint humbug – and come beautifully wrapped. Prices start at £5.00. http://theyorkshiresoapcompany.co.uk/en/

  • Best stocking filler ever! – what would a stocking be without a Terry’s Chocolate Orange in it? Since it was first made, in York, in 1931, Terry’s Chocolate Orange has become the traditional stocking filler.

  • Best for model makers – the Airfix 1/24 Scale Aircraft Kit - Supermarine Spitfire MkIa – is a nostalgic gift that will keep boys of all ages occupied for hours! It contains 156 pieces and its approximate size once built is: length 468mm x width 381mm. Price £49.99, available from Monk Bar Model Shop, a family owned specialist model shop in York, established in 1963.   http://collectable-models.co.uk/

  • Best for crafters and knitters – there’s nothing like a handmade present so in true Kirsty Allsop style learn to knit socks just in time for Christmas – book a place on a workshop at Ramshambles, the award winning York wool shop in the world-famous Shambles – the oldest shopping street in Europe. Visit www.ramshambles.co.uk or call 01904 639500.

And for the ultimate stocking filler, buy a copy of the world’s first-ever scented city guide – Smell York is now on sale through www.visityork.org/shop - this limited edition will fly off the shelves so be quick and order yours for Christmas!

For more ideas about Christmas shopping in York, visit http://www.visityork.org/shopping/

or watch Visit York’s new shopping film http://www.visitbritain.tv/en/video/1511/luxury-shopping-in-york

ENDS

For more media information and images please contact:

Kay Hyde, Head of Communications, Visit York. Tel: 01904 554451. Email: kh@visityork.org

Katie Parsons, Senior Communications Executive, Visit York. Tel: 01904 554436. Email: kp@visityork.org

Notes to editors

When was the last time you had a first time? Discover York for the first time in 2014 - visit www.visityork.org/first and book your accommodation with Visit York for an exclusive 20% discount off a 3 day York Pass.

About Visit York

Visit York is supported by the City of York Council and over 700 tourism businesses and works in partnership with VisitEngland.

Visit York's aim is to market York as a must-see world-class destination to the leisure and business visitor, and ensure investment to develop the quality of tourism in York. Visit York is responsible for leisure and conference marketing, visitor services (running the city's Visitor Information Centre), training and ensuring a quality visitor experience.  

Visit York is the driving force of the city's tourism industry. Key facts:

7 million visitors annually, £606 million total visitor spend, supporting 20,000 jobs

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