The National Trust Shop

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If you ever drop by at a National Trust park, then be sure to end the day with a visit to their gift shop. While most gift shops just sell overpriced junk that aren't as a gift for anyone buy yourself, the National Trust sell overpriced quality items that would make a legitimately good present for family member or friend.



Let's start off with cards; after all it is the first thing people open. The National Trust has a large range on offer, most of which are animal related. I was in their gift shop the other day and was delighted with the beautiful watercolour prints they had. There was one of a hare that had such an adorable, yet somewhat nervous look on its face; it reminded me of Fiver from Watership Down. Actually, there was also an embroidered card, which was very much in the style of the animated film. Many of the cards were very humorous, such as two guinea pigs in a hair salon reading the 'Pigopoliton', or pun cards such as one with a bee on it saying 'Get Well Soon with Vitamin Bee'.



There is a small section devoted to kids, where they sell a few soft toys, playing cards, and outdoor games. They also have character based books like Jess the Cat from Postman Pat. Books are probably the shop's main focus; they have tons of interesting factual books that have a distinctly British sense of humour. These include a series called 'Things you can do now you're [40/50/60/Retired]', and 'Childhood in the [50s/60s]'.



There were also recipe books and books on National Trust locations where you can go walking. And what walk is not complete without a picnic? Well they have all the gear you'll need for that too. Picnic baskets, rucksacks, caps to shade you from the sun (excuse me while I snigger), and blankets to lay on the grass.



No matter how close you are to someone, sometimes thinking of what to buy them can be difficult. You can't always be sure what they're going to like. One thing you generally can't go wrong with though, is food. The National Trust sell artisan chocolate, honeycomb, and other tasty sweets, but also offer a more special selection of homemade preserves and biscuits. The other day I spotted some interesting combinations such as apricot & almond jam with a dash of liqueur, and straying from the traditional lemon flavour I was tempted by their £3 lime and raspberry curds.

Although their items are probably more expensive than I would be willing to pay for myself (I was interested in the books, but at £9.99 they were £3 more than I thought they were worth), I would consider buying gifts for other people - which after all, is what a gift shop is really intended for.

#tourist_attractions
#things_to_see
#shopping
#national_parks
#merton_park
#gifts
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