When grandma says not to bother, she usually means do not spend money on something she will have to find a home for. That is a reasonable request, and the way to honour it while still giving her something is to hand over a project rather than a possession: a box that becomes an afternoon and then becomes cheese, gin or a mended bowl, with nothing left over to dust.
It also sidesteps the other reason people say not to bother, which is not wanting a fuss. A kit is quiet. It does not need a party, a thank you letter or a trip anywhere, and she can open it in her own time and start whenever she feels like it.
What is she really saying when she says not to bother?
Usually one of three things. That she has enough possessions, which after a long life is simply true. That she does not want you spending money on her when you have your own bills. Or that she dislikes being the centre of attention on a birthday, which is a personality trait rather than modesty.
None of those rule out a gift, they just rule out a certain kind. What tends to be welcome is something modest, useful and finite, ideally with a bit of company attached. A kit does all three: it is small, it gets used up, and it gives her something to tell you about or, better, something to do with you when you next visit. Ours arrive with the ingredients measured out and a printed booklet, so there is no course to book and nothing to research.
The beginners cheese kit, for something to eat by teatime
The Cheese Making Kit for Beginners is the least fussy present on this list and the one most likely to be started straight away. It makes five fresh cheeses including mozzarella, ricotta and mascarpone, with vegetarian rennet, citric acid and cheese salt in the box, and the first cheese is ready in about an hour.
The pleasure of it is watching milk turn into something else on your own hob, which is a small piece of everyday magic however many years you have been cooking. Ricotta is the easiest and the right place to begin, and it goes straight onto toast with a bit of pepper. What to add: fresh whole milk, never UHT or ultra pasteurised, which will not curdle, and a large stainless steel pan rather than aluminium or copper, which react with the acid. Two litres of milk in the fridge turns the gift into an afternoon.
The colour changing gin kit, for a bit of theatre with her friends
The Colour Changing Gin Kit is the one to choose if she has a coffee morning or a card night, because it is a party trick she can perform herself. Blue pea flowers and an Earl Grey botanical infusion steep in a bottle of plain gin for about twelve hours and turn it deep blue. Then, when tonic or any other acidic mixer goes in, the whole glass shifts to pink or purple in front of whoever is watching.
The colour change is natural, not artificial: blue pea flowers contain a pigment that responds to acidity. The kit makes up to five 700ml bottles, so she can do it more than once and hand bottles on to people. What to add: a bottle of plain, uncoloured gin she already likes the taste of, since coloured and heavily flavoured gins mask the effect, plus a proper non diet tonic, because some diet tonics are not acidic enough to trigger the change. For adults aged 18 and over. If she does not drink, the same flowers make a blue lemonade syrup instead.
The kintsugi kit, for the piece she could not throw away
Grandmothers are the keepers of the broken jug, the handle-less cup and the saucer from a set nobody else remembers. Kintsugi is the Japanese art of repairing exactly those things so the mend shows, the crack traced in gold rather than hidden, from the wabi-sabi idea that something which has been through a lot is more interesting for it.
Our Kintsugi Kit uses a two part epoxy rather than traditional lacquer, with gold effect mica pigment powder, a spreader and mixing card, gloves, a booklet and two practice bowls, so she can get the feel of it before touching anything she cares about. No kiln, no oven, and each join is held for thirty to sixty seconds, then left alone to cure fully. What to add: nothing, though if you know which piece she has kept wrapped in newspaper for twenty years, put it in the box. It is an adults only kit, the epoxy is strong and wants the gloves on in a well ventilated room, and a repaired piece becomes decorative rather than crockery, kept away from food, drink and the dishwasher.
How do you give it without making a fuss?
Keep the wrapping simple and the framing practical. "I saw this and thought of you, have a go when you fancy it" asks nothing of her and gives her permission to take her time.
Add the one thing she would otherwise have to go out for, whether that is the milk, the gin or the tonic. And if you can, offer to be there for the first attempt. Grandmothers who say not to bother almost never mean do not visit, and an hour making ricotta together is a far better afternoon than sitting asking whether she needs anything.
If she lives a long way off, a kit can go straight to her door: enter her address as the delivery address at checkout. Our kits are hand packed in Britain and posted by Royal Mail, usually arriving in two to three working days.
Gifts for grandma FAQs
What if she really does not want anything?
Choose something that gets used up rather than kept. All three of these end as food, drink or a repair, so nothing is left to store, which is usually the real objection behind not wanting anything.
Is the colour changing gin kit difficult?
No. Blue pea flowers go into a bottle of plain gin, sealed and left for about twelve hours, and that is the whole method. The colour change happens in the glass when tonic goes in.
Does she need to be a good cook for the cheese kit?
Not at all. It is written for complete beginners, the ingredients are measured out, and ricotta, the first recipe most people make, is warming milk, adding acid and draining the curds.
Are these kits suitable to do with grandchildren?
Cheese making is, with an adult on the hot pan. The gin kit is for adults aged 18 and over, and the kintsugi kit is adults only because of the epoxy.
Can I have it sent straight to her house?
Yes. Enter her address as the delivery address at checkout and the kit goes directly to her.
Still not sure what she would actually enjoy? Have a look through the full range of gift kits and pick the quietest afternoon on the list.
