13 best Mother’s Day gifts that cost less than £25: From letterbox flowers to jewellery and handmade treats

It’s impossible to go wrong when gifting a candle, but this one has even more charm than most. It’s made entirely by hand by Katy Earley in Haslemere, Surrey. She made candles as a hobby for years until lockdown when her two young daughters suggested she started selling her products online – making them even more perfect for Mother’s Day. Her candles are now poured in batches of six so each one is made with Katy’s own TLC. All use GM-free soy wax and either essential oil or cosmetic grade perfume oils.

Better still, they look and smell gorgeous, easily on par with candles twice as expensive. Each one comes in a 180ml amber glass jar with a black lid that could easily be reused and there are a range of fragrances to choose from. We were smitten by “high tide” which is inspired by walks along the Welsh coastlines and contains sea salt and jasmine, which is believed to improve positivity. We’d certainly feel happier just receiving one of these on Mother’s Day.

We all know flowers can be hideously over-priced, especially around Valentines and Mother’s Day. This bargain bunch from Eflorist proves you don’t have to spend a fortune to brighten someone’s day.

Available for delivery nationwide seven days a week, the bouquet comes in a handy letterbox sized package so your mum won’t even need to be in when they arrive. Like all letterbox flowers, they’re sent as buds so they won’t look hugely impressive on arrival, but will perk up and bloom within days once they’re put in water. Ours were beautiful and bright and still looked good after seven days in our house.

This particular bouquet is out of stock but Eflorist has a range of gorgeous blooms sure to put a smile on your mum’s face.

Beautiful jewellery and still change from a £20 note? It’s not a dream but just one of the oh-so-sweet gifts available from Estella Bartlett that we reckon any mum would love.

There are all sorts of colours and styles to choose from but if you’re the shining star in her life (in your opinion at least), go for this stars so bright bracelet. It’s made of dinky silver plated stars threaded through a grey card and is adjustable so will fit anyone. It’s also possible to add a personalised message and gift bag which is perfect if you’re sending from afar. We thought this bracelet was subtly smart enough to go with any outfit yet still suitably quirky which meant that more than one person admired it when we were wearing it.

If she has a sweet tooth, this delicious box of mini brownies will go down a storm with your mum. All handmade in London and available with next day delivery, the £17 box comes with 12 brownie bites in three different flavours but boxes of 16 and 24 are available too.

The boxes of 16 include four each of Maltesers, Biscoff and Oreo flavours, which all went down a storm in our house. The Malteser was the outright winner but adult tasters all preferred the Biscoff one, which is a lightly spiced dark chocolate brownie with the faintest hint of coffee for a suitably decadent snack. All had a moreish fudgy texture when eaten cold, but were even more delicious when slightly warmed in the oven first. Bad Brownie say they’ll last for ten days in a cool cupboard or up to three weeks refrigerated but we’re afraid ours were eaten far too quickly to put this claim to the test.

It might not be summer yet but we reckon a blush pink rosé is the perfect Mother’s Day treat for any wine lover. Swerve the bright pink sickly sweet vinos and instead choose this elegant bottle from Villa Maria, the family owned New Zealand estate whose wines have won countless awards around the world.

Made with sauvignon grapes with a touch of merlot, this is a fun, fruity, floral wine with a delicious freshness and acidity courtesy of New Zealand’s cool climate. It has a touch of herby grassiness on the nose but a palate that bursts with tropical flavours of passionfruit and cranberry which make it a pleasure to drink all on its own. And if you’re lucky, your mum might even pour you a glass too…

Ideal for children looking to spend their hard-earned pocket money on something special for their mum, this body butter from Nordic beauty brand Urtekram is a great buy. It has 100 per cent natural origin ingredients, is organic certified and vegan so is perfect for eco-conscious mums careful about what they use on their skin.

The 150ml jar is packed with goodies too including macadamia nut oil, shea butter and cocoa butter, which were heavenly on our parched skin and really helped it feel softer. It is quite rich so definitely better used in winter or on dry skin, but it is perfect smoothed on after a bath when she can sit back, relax and let it sink in. The dream Mother’s Day afternoon, in other words.

Brighten up her morning cuppa every day by making her a personalised mug to let her know how much she’s appreciated. A decent 325ml size and made in durable ceramic, we loved the fact that there are plenty of personalisation options to choose from including different handle and interior colours and even a colour changing option which only reveals its design when holding warm liquid. You can then add any photo you like, or even get the kids to draw a design to be uploaded, and she’s bound to love it.

If a mug doesn’t take your fancy, there are loads of other options for personalised items too from keyrings (£8.40, Vistaprint.co.uk) to our personal favourite, a two-sided cushion (£22.39, Vistaprint.co.uk) so you can make sure your gift is completely unique.

We were stunned by the bargain price of this lovely body care duo which looks like a really substantial gift and far more expensive than it really is. Both bottles are a whopping 300ml which will last your mum for ages, and are perfectly matched to turn even the quickest shower into a well-deserved pamper session.

The set includes a bath and shower gel plus a hand and body lotion, in attractive pale pink packaging with rose gold lids. Both smell divine too with a floral fragrance of jasmine and peony and a hint of vanilla that lingered all day when we used these products in the morning. The marula oil, shea butter and vitamin E in the lotion worked wonders on our dry skin too and kept it baby soft until bedtime.

Get her dreaming of summer days to come with this stylish pair of flip flops from Brazilian brand Havaianas. Perfect for wearing around the house if she’s not the slipper type or saving for cocktails on the beach in August, they’re comfortable from the first wear and surprisingly squishy underfoot.

They’re as glamorous as flip flips get too. Available in silver, gold, blue and pink, the strap and side of the sole are covered in glitter which really did twinkle as we walked. We tested the silver pair which would go with everything and we know we’ll wear to death when the weather’s warmer. They did shed a little glitter but honestly, we quite liked leaving a touch of sparkle wherever we went.

Who couldn’t use another lip balm? This wonder tube from super-hip Glossier is a handbag essential she’ll wonder how she ever lived without. Now in a brand new, vegan formula, it’s full of natural emollients to stop lips getting parched including castor jelly, synthetic beeswax, shea butter and safflower oil which is rich in vitamins and fatty acids to support the moisture barrier. We especially liked the applicator that put it straight on our lips rather than all over our fingers while the denser texture meant it stayed put and smoothed our weather-worn lips for hours.

It comes in all sorts of flavours but our favourites are Mango with its translucent coral tint and Berry with a just-bitten redness that made our lips look like ours, but better. Trust us, she’ll want one in every colour once she’s tried it.

If your mum’s still using the same old pair of straighteners she’s used for two decades, give her getting ready routine a glow up with a brand-new pair.

We were doubtful whether these bargain straighteners could replace our pricier ones but were bowled over by how well they worked. They have ceramic plates and two heat settings (200C and 230C) and are the ultimate no-nonsense gadget for anyone who wants to style their hair and go. They heat up in just 30 seconds and really left hair shiny and smooth without any fuss or complicated buttons to work out. They’re also super-lightweight so these would be great to sling in a bag when travelling too.

Every mum deserves some self-care time, and these eye masks feel luxurious on your face, instantly relaxing you for sleep. We were impressed by how quickly the masks heated up, and by how long the wonderful warmth lasted (much longer than the 15 minutes stated on the packaging). The pack of five offers mums the ultimate excuse to keep on relaxing.

We know how exhausting being pregnant can be, so this gift gives any mum-to-be the perfect excuse to properly relax and take a moment to soak in all of the excitement to come. The adorable packaging instantly puts a smile on your face when you open it – and let’s you know how much you are appreciated as you grow your mini human. We loved the scents of each of the bath salt packets, particularly the lavender, and the generous quantities – we were able to enjoy many baths before ours ran out.