There’s something truly comforting about rummaging around in boxes of soaps shaped like lemons, sniffing talc and dusting powder or popping lavender sachets in a drawer. The brilliant thing about heritage brands is that they still make all these things, but also continue to innovate. Bronnley is a good example – you can still buy their aforementioned lemon soaps, but they also have newer ranges like the Eclectic Elements fragrances developed by former Jo Malone creative director, Fran Brown. These now come as individual rollerballs perfect for a handbag (£10, available in store at Boots) or as a tester set of six fragrances for £25. If you’re buying for a traditional soap lover they’ve got an apple and cinnamon soap bauble, £6.50, which would look (and smell) lovely on the tree.
This Tudor Rose fragranced sachet from Woods of Windsor’s English Heritage Range (£4.99) is lovely – really cheering to both see and get a waft of on a miserable January morning when you slam the underwear drawer shut in the half light.
 
 

 
Two brands exploring their heritage in a different way are Kaffe Fassett and Sandersons. We loved textile designer Kaffe Fassett’s Achillea range last year; this year he’s collaborated on another range called On Point , based on the warmth of patchouli melded with soft amber, rich guaiac and cedar woods. As with Achillea it’s both reasonably priced (from £10) and b...