Scotland’s House of Bruar – the expert's festive gift guide by Director Lorna

We turned to Lorna Meikle from House of Bruar, known to many as 'Scotland’s Finest Store', to get the inside track on what to buy, from what’s hot for teens to what’s cool for grandma.

Lorna is certainly no slouch in the gift department. Joining Bruar over twenty years ago to assist with the store's famous sale, she is now a Director of the Company, leading its buying teams, and taking a particular responsibility for the store's renowned Country Gift department.

We gave Lorna a list of present puzzles to solve and here’s what she said;

The man who has everything

Whether it’s the kindly uncle, the doting dad or genial grandpa there always seems to be a man who has everything. They know what they like and they buy what they need – leaving few options left!

LM: For this man, you want to think outside the box and find something he didn't know he needed. He may have all the books he wants, but what about some beautiful leather-bound ornaments to complement his bookshelves? He may be never out of a gilet, but does he have anything like our reversible quilted version? He may love whisky, so how about a pen or picture frame made from a repurposed oak whisky cask?

The fussy auntie

It might be an aunt, a sister, or an in-law but there are some people who just seem to be perfectly particular when it comes to their purchases. Get it wrong and your gift will be consigned to the bottom drawer or the ‘regift’ pile, so how do you surprise and delight these fusspots?

LM: No matter how fussy, there are some things with a very high success rate! Most ladies love the authenticity and the rich colour of hand-woven Harris Tweed®. We have a huge range of accessories and ladies clothing in this tweed –catering for all price points. Alternatively, nobody can resist pure cashmere! I love our range of cashmere accessories made in Scotland.

The foodie

Their kitchen has every gadget, every spice and a host of store cupboard ingredients you’ve never heard of. They love to eat out and to entertain, and you know quality food will be appreciated in this household.

LM: That's a nice easy one – as a foodie myself I know our lovely hampers are the perfect gift. A favourite of mine is our Celebration Hamper. I appreciate this will be a considered purchase, and we have many other wonderful hampers at lower price points, but for a truly exceptional gift, this one comes in a beautiful strapped wicker basket, and has all the Scottish gourmet items people might not otherwise treat themselves to, with a bottle of Bruar Champagne to add some fizz to Christmas day – perfect!

Troublesome teens and terrible twos

Those lovely little kids you knew are now gangly teenagers, hidden in hoodies and headphones whenever you meet them. You barely know them let alone their likes and dislikes so what can you get them? And at the other end of the scale there’s the tiny tots who seem to have a houseful of toys already.

LM: Gosh, now you are challenging me! Firstly the little ones. You'll hopefully have some time to spend with them over Christmas, so how about a new book and the promise to read it with them? We recently took the time to expand our quality children's book selection on-line, adding whole new categories, so you're spoiled for choice there.

For teens, I hate to stereotype, but I'd say girls will love anything from Alice Wheeler, who create accessories in high quality vegan leather with a lovely bee logo in gold. For boys, why not try to get him off his phone and challenge him to assemble our wooden Land Rover after he's finished his Christmas dinner?

Man’s best friend

All dog-owners dote on their furbabies, so whether you’re buying for your own four-legged friend, or want to bring a smile to a dog-father’s face, then give their pooch some pampering with the pawfect pressie.

LM: If absolutely nothing is too good for your dog, I love our full Harris Tweed® dog bed. Just beautiful – and so hard-wearing. If that's an indulgence too far, how about a smart new Harris Tweed® lead for their walkies?

Special someone

Perhaps last year’s gift was so good you’re worried you won’t match it, let alone top it, or maybe there’s a new special someone in your life and you just want to show how much they mean to you. This can be a real pressure gift to choose. It has to be luxurious and it has to have that wow factor.

LM: Now you're talking! This is where our luxurious range really comes into its own. How about a gorgeous coat in sheepskin? Perfect for him or her, this will be one you'll need to discuss, but once you've decided, it's a real lifetime piece. Like wearing a warm embrace. On the smaller side, we have a really lovely jewellery collection. I love our silver pieces, especially anything by Sheila Fleet, who makes jewellery on Orkney.

The thank you

It might be your child’s teacher, a neighbour who always puts your bins out, the dog-sitter or a colleague, there’s usually a few people on the list we need to buy a thank you gift for, or a secret santa surprise.

LM: A few things spring to mind! We have a new gift brand we love called Elizabeth Scarlett – they do beautifully embroidered velvet accessories like sleeping masks, and each sale makes a small donation to a charity devoted to the animal depicted in the embroidery. Alternatively, something with a lovely relaxing scent really never goes amiss. I love Highland Soap Company or Arran Aromatics, both made in Scotland, but everything in our collection is gorgeous.

If all else fails

When mum says ‘I’ve got everything I need’ or grandma doesn’t want any more ‘clutter’, when the returning student is short of cash or you’ve bought uncle James everything you could possibly think of and you know he’s not used any of your gifts, what do you do?

LM: Ok, I'm just going to state the obvious here – a House of Bruar gift card or voucher is the way to go. It can be used online which is great for people who cannot get to us, or the user can enjoy spending it in-store – potentially on a lovely meal and something from our Food Hall if they don't want any more clutter. It's something for them to look forward to in the New Year, and for me it's so much more thoughtful than a standard gift card from elsewhere.

Speaking of which, we'd love to welcome your readers over the festive period and beyond. The store looks absolutely beautiful with its Christmas finery, and there's delicious food everywhere that we are all trying to avoid! We would love to welcome you soon.