What To Do, See & Buy: Allotinabox; Joe Jin's Daisy Garden; Guinness crisps; Kenilworth Castle; My Slippers
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The good folk at Allotinabox want 2013 to be the year that you finally – for real this time – realise those grow-your-own dreams. Subscribe for a year and they send you a seasonal parcel of seeds, soil and, for the uninitiated, growing guides to tell you which seed turns into what, when. With tips for balcony or window-sill growing, you won't need a garden either. From £49.99, allotinabox.com
Green party
Banish winter blues with a rug that pretends it's spring, so the grass is green all year round. Essentially a giant play mat for grown-ups, Toronto designer Joe Jin's Daisy Garden rug even allows you to rearrange the flowers as you see fit. £400, joejin.com
Fire distinguisher
Apparently concerned that the style-conscious are putting themselves at risk by not keeping a fire extinguisher handy for aesthetic purposes, the good people at SAFE-T have come up with a truly novel addition to your home furnishings: the designer fire extinguisher. Approved by testers as suitable fire types, choose from wine bottle, chrome or leather. No, honestly. From £79.50, safe-t.eu
Crisp and even
Here's a novel one for the Christmas nibbles tray – just imagine your guests' surprise. They need not be put off by the crisps' admittedly grey tinge, or the slight whiff of old booze – made in collaboration with Burts crisps, these actually taste quite nice and may not be around for long, so try them while you can. £2.99, selfridges.com
Silent knight
A Norman fortress that became an Elizabethan palace – there can be few finer places for singing Christmas carols than Kenilworth Castle, in Warwickshire. Worth a drive on a cold December night for the atmosphere alone. £5, tonight; english-heritage.org.uk 'procrastination', and short words, such as 'short'. There is no pretend Latin because, annoyingly, it wreaks havoc with spell.
Hipper slippers
Oh the weather outside is frightful, but with a fine pair of slippers your toes will feel delightful. The very British brand, My Slippers, have domestic footwear down to a fine art. On their website you can design your own in velvet, linen or wool, pick the colour and (for a small fee) even have a monogram or motif stitched on. From £165, myslippers.co.uk
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