Gifts for Mum

The Japanese SK5 steel blades are heat-treated to 60 HRC and slice cleanly through stems up to 25mm, on aluminium handles with a non-slip coating. They rarely need sharpening; when they do, a few strokes of a fine diamond file along the bevelled edge only, never the flat back, bring them back. At 230g they sit in a pocket through an afternoon of deadheading, and they suit left-handers.

What owners say: Owners find them extremely sharp and built to last, making short work of thick branches, and say they’re easy to use, smaller hands included.

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An eau de parfum, 50ml, that opens with a lift of Italian bergamot, which fades within minutes as the lily takes over, so judge it after an hour rather than straight away. Spraying onto the wrists and neck rather than clothes lets the base notes come through as they should.

What owners say: Owners say it lasts well, love the scent and rate it good value.

Winsor & Newton has made Designers Gouache since 1935, and illustrators and designers still use it. A little goes a long way: squeeze out a pea-sized blob and mix from there. Paint left on the palette softens again with water next time, it dries flat and matte, and every colour is sold singly, so favourites can be topped up one tube at a time.

What owners say: Owners rate the quality as superb, with rich, creamy colour that covers well from a small squeeze, and call it an ideal set to start with.

At 12.5kg with the stand, it stays put rather than going on trips, and it holds up to 205kg. Set it on flat, level ground before anyone climbs in, as a slope tips the bed to one side; adjustable hooks set the height. The polyester end strings cope with the weather, but the cotton bed is happiest stored indoors through the cold months.

What owners say: Owners say it goes together in minutes without tools and is comfortable and sturdy; they like the carry bag and the look, and children love it too.

The blade is 19mm wide and 4.8m long, marked in metric and imperial, and the case is built to take knocks, with a belt clip and a lanyard to hang it from. At 180g and 8.3 x 7.3cm it slips into a kitchen drawer or a handbag as easily as a toolbox.

What owners say: Owners find it well made, fairly priced and easy to reel back in, and plenty pick it for the pink.

There’s no needle threader or speed control, so thread the needle in good light and let the foot pedal set the pace. The flat bed slides off to leave the free arm, and an LED lights the work. Brother covers it for three years, and took over Manchester’s Jones sewing machine company in 1968.

What owners say: Owners find it a gentle way in for beginners, helped by clear instructions and the DVD, and say it stitches neatly for simple clothes-making.

It’s 4cm of high-density EVA, 43 × 28cm, with room to shift your weight, a non-slip pattern on both faces and a built-in carry handle. Water doesn’t soak in, so mud hoses straight off and it dries quickly in the sun. Ohuhu also pitches it for cleaning jobs.

What owners say: Owners find it comfortable and easy on the knees through long spells in the garden, rate its thickness and durability, and say it’s handy beyond the garden too.

The 50W heater holds a steady 165°C, a silicone sleeve covers the nozzle, and the wide stand keeps it upright when it’s put down mid-job. Squeeze the trigger gently and let the stick melt at its own pace: pressing hard pushes out more glue than a joint needs. It takes standard 7mm sticks, so refills are easy to find, and an on/off button saves pulling the plug between jobs.

What owners say: Owners like how quickly it heats up and how little it drips, and say the fine nozzle suits detailed work.

Soil doesn’t stick to the stainless heads, and the narrow transplanting trowel is the one for bulbs, plug plants and seedlings in tight spaces, where a broad trowel would disturb the plants around them. Spear & Jackson guarantees the set for ten years, so keep the box and receipt; the firm was founded in Sheffield in 1760 and is still based there.

What owners say: Owners say they’re very strong and durable, with comfortable handles, and admire the stainless heads.

The 530ml bowl has a pouring lip and room to whisk properly, and its glazed inside wipes clean rather than staining green. Sift a scoop in first, since lumps are what leave a gritty drink, then add water that has stood a minute after boiling and whisk in a quick zigzag until it froths. The set also has a bamboo whisk, a steel sifter, a whisk holder and a short handbook for beginners.

What owners say: Owners like how pretty and well made the set is, that nothing is missing from it and what it costs, and find it makes matcha well. Some find it lasts, but others say the whisk frayed sooner than they expected.