I don’t mean to sound ungrateful, but there seems to be more tat around than usual in the run up to Mother’s Day. Crap trinket boxes, naff cuddly toys and overpriced balloons are all crammed into the windows of the shops in our high street, all vying for the attention of unwitting kids with pocket money burning a hole in their pocket.

To make matters worse I’m going to be partly responsible for the tat you feel you ought to display on your dressing table, but which will make an unexplained disappearance in six months’ time. Our PTA is holding a Mother’s Day sale consisting of tat gifts bought from the pound shop, and I’ve volunteered to help man the stall.

So in a bid to counteract the tat I thought I’d compile a list of 5 Mother’s Day presents you ACTUALLY want, just in case anyone needs a helping hand (feel free to wave under the nose of your other half):

1. Gin & jam afternoon tea, £35.

This is my kind of afternoon tea. Hush’s in Mayfair (Tatler’s restaurant of the year in 2014) is giving the traditional afternoon tea a twist with gin & jam cocktails, finger sandwiches, scones and macaroons all served alongside a selection of loose leaf teas. Available between 3pm and 6pm on Mothering Sunday, I’d leave the kids at home.

2. A Bake Box subscription, £14.99.

Perfect for bakers, Bake Box is the UK’s first subscription box designed for bakers and each box comes with everything you need to create six recipes. You’ll get six step-by-step recipe cards, all the tools needed to create each recipe (two of which aren’t available on the high street) and professional grade cake decorating products from Rainbow Dust all delivered to your door.

Bake Box very kindly treated me to a box to try out and I think it would make a great Mother’s Day gift (or birthday, or Christmas, or just because). My box came with – among other things – a silicone bundt mould (that’s a cake with a hole in it), a biscuit cutter, a piping bag and nozzles, pink glitter dust and templates to put stripes on a cake – basically enough to keep me going for the rest of the year!

Each recipe card tells you exactly which bit of equipment you need at the top and how to go about using it, and I’ve had great fun both with BB and on my own giving the recipes a go. My favourite has been the bundt cake, as I’ve never made a cake by whipping egg whites and folding them into the mixture before and I’d never used a silicone cake mould either.

You’re promised £40 of equipment in each box (I’d actually have thought mine cost more than £40), which for £14.99 I think is a bargain.

If you’d like to win one we’ve got one to give away – scroll down to find out how to enter!

3. A pair of Crocs, £49.99.

Bear with me – I know you’re thinking clunky, ungainly clog. I’m a big fan of Crocs and the latest collection includes this fab black Mae West-style pair featuring a pair of glittery red lips. Designed in collaboration with New York fashion designer Patricia Field, what’s not to like?

4. Notonthehighstreet.com, prices vary.

I absolutely love notonthehighstreet for the unique gifts that you won’t, well, find on the high street! I’ve bought all sorts of things from them over the years and while they have a huge range of gorgeous Mother’s Day gifts from as little as 75p one of my favourite things has to be this traditional silhouette print of BB from Luna Studio Designs. It cost £40 and sits on my dressing table, and would be the perfect gift for any mum. Which reminds me I must get one of Little B done!

5. A day off, free!

All of the above would be absolutely lovely, but to be honest the best Mother’s Day present in the world would be a day off. A day off from emptying the dishwasher, from loading the washing, from wiping (my all-time pet hate), from cooking and from planning what needs to happen for the next day all while trying to work. It might be free, but that would be absolutely priceless….

What’s your idea of the perfect Mother’s Day?

To win a Bake Box just like mine all you have to do to enter the competition is comment on this post (what’s your favourite thing to bake and why?), follow me on Instagram or Twitter or visit our Facebook page through the Rafflecopter link below. The competition runs from now until 12am on Wednesday March 9 and winners will be announced here next week. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Please note the competition is open to residents of the UK & Ireland only – HUGE apologies to readers in Europe, America & everywhere else but what with postage and the weight of the prize it just isn’t possible to send further afield. Full terms & conditions are on the Rafflecopter link.

I was sent the Bake Box free of charge for the purposes of review. As always all opinions are my own and based on my own honest experience.

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