Anglophile gifts for everyone on your list who loves England, with British books, afternoon tea, classic British brands and a few Christmas traditions.
I was fifteen the first time I went to England, and I have been going back ever since. My brother lived there for ten years, which gave us every excuse to return again and again. We walked the Cotswolds, spent days in London’s great museums, and went to the Lake District to walk some more and see where Beatrix Potter created her magic. Most days followed the same happy pattern: a long walk, a tea room, a bookshop and, if we had earned it, a pub. If someone on your list loves all things British as much as I do, these Anglophile gifts will bring a little bit of England home.
An Anglophile, by definition, is a person who is fond of or greatly admires England or Britain. Afternoon tea, the red telephone box, the Royals, the English countryside: if those make your heart beat a little faster, you are one of us.
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Books for the Anglophile
Rosamunde Pilcher is one of my favorite British authors. The Shell Seekers is the one most people know, and Winter Solstice, set in Scotland in the darkest weeks of the year, is a lovely choice for Christmas. Bill Bryson’s Notes from a Small Island is a funny, affectionate look at Britain by an American who went on to make it his home, and it is the perfect book for anyone who has ever tried to understand a British railway timetable. Katherine May’s Wintering is another favorite. She writes from the Kent coast about the cold, quiet seasons of life and how to rest through them, and it is the book I press into a friend’s hands every December.
For the Beatrix Potter fan, a boxed set of her little books is a gift for every age. If your Anglophile has walked the Lake District, a book about Hill Top, the farmhouse where she wrote, will bring it all back. Round out the shelf with a book about the royal family or a beautiful book of the English countryside.
For the friend who loves British history, a good biography of Queen Victoria or Queen Elizabeth II, a sweeping book of English history, or a book about country house life in the early 20th century makes a perfect gift for the long winter evenings. And Downton Abbey fans will love The Official Downton Abbey Cookbook, with recipes from both upstairs and downstairs.
Afternoon Tea at Home
An Anglophile and afternoon tea go hand in hand. For something really special, pop over to Fortnum & Mason for a tin of tea, a mug or one of their hampers, which are about as English as a gift can be. My Emma Bridgewater mug is one of my favorites, and it would make a lovely gift paired with a tin of tea, a box of shortbread and a jar of lemon curd. Add a pretty tea towel, and you have afternoon tea in a hamper.
The British Brands I Love
I bought my first Barbour jacket more than twenty years ago, and it has been on muddy walks, to the farmers market and on more trips than I can count. If you want to give one gift that lasts, this is it. Holland Cooper makes beautifully tailored tweed and country clothing with a little extra polish, and Joules is cheerful and colorful, full of prints, stripes and wellies.
For the home, I love to shop Oka, with its blue and white, rattan and the kind of English country house style that never goes out of fashion. And Floris has been making fragrance on Jermyn Street in London since 1730, so a bottle of their scent or a beautiful bar of soap is a gift with nearly three centuries of history behind it.
A Little Bit of England for Christmas
Christmas crackers are a British Christmas tradition, and they make any table feel festive. Pull one with the person sitting next to you and out tumbles a paper crown, a little trinket and a terrible joke. A red telephone box ornament makes a sweet stocking stuffer, and for the cook, a Christmas pudding to set alight at the table is a bit of holiday theater.
Gifts for the Walker
So many of my favorite days in England were spent walking. For the Anglophile who loves the countryside, an Ordnance Survey map of the Cotswolds or the Lake District is a wonderful gift, especially if you circle a walk you took together. Add a good pair of wellies and a flask for tea, and they are ready for the next walk, pub at the end included.
Until Next Time
I hope you found something here for the Anglophile on your list. For more ideas, see my Francophile gifts and my gifts for book lovers.
Tell me: are you a tea room person or a pub person? And is there a corner of England you keep going back to?
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I am an Anglophile and have been to England 3 times and Scotland and Ireland once each. I’ve walked in the Cotswolds and the Lake District. Stayed at an inn next to Beatrix Potter’s Hilltop. I subscribe to English Home and love their style of decorating with colors and prints. My Ancestry DNA shows I’m mostly from that area so that must be why I’m drawn to it. I adore afternoon tea and scones with clotted cream and jam but also love the whole pub vibe and quaintness.
Good morning,
I just returned from 2 weeks walking through the Yorkshire Dales from Grassington, Hawes, Dent, Masham and Clapham. Climbed to Malham Cove in the rain ( a bit scary)
Hugged sheep, ate scones, drank endless cups of tea, and stuffed an entire extra duffle with yarn, scarves and digestives. I miss it already
Sandy, I would love to know more about your trip! Did you organize it yourself? Go on a tour? What was teh route, where did you stay and what was your favorite part of the trip. I would love to know more!
Hugging sheep would be a highlight for me! I miss it all the time, and would love to live there.
I was born in Scotland so tartan was a way of life. I was “Ralph Lauren” far before the latest trends. What I love about today’s trends is how prefectly everything comes together. I’m both an Anglophile and Francophile so I suppose that makes me a FrAngophile :-). Some corners of the house lean Anglophile, while others lean Francophile, and some are Americana! I suppose it’s a bit of world travel within my four walls.
I’ve yet to visit the Cotswolds. It’s a bucket list item for me.
I’m also loving the new trend of creating a Beatrix Potter garden so the books help the creative process.
Such fun!
Debbie, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Scotland. The first time I visited I cried, I felt as if I was home. It is such a beautoiful place that I am sure that many people feel the same way. Where were you born in Scotland?
You absolutely were RL before there ever was a RL!
I am sure that your house is lovely with bits and bobs from your homeland, your travels and everywhere in between.
The Cotswolds are lovely, I hope that you are able to check that off your bucket list.
As for Beatrix Potter, what an amazing and accomplished woman she was. I love learning all that I can about her. Currently in my front beds I have a relative of PEter rabbit that is decamating whatever it can.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Hi Elizabeth, I was born in Edinburgh. I came to the US when I was 5. I’m a bit embarrassed to say that it took me 56 years to become a US citizen! I had visions of moving back when I was in my 20’s. But then I met my husband, had children, life happened. Years later, it wasn’t until I travelled to France a few times, and Scotland a couple of times, that I realized America was always going to be my home. I love Scotland, the villages and little shops, the pubs, I love Paris, the cafe’s and old buildings, the culture and art, but I’m truly in love with America. I will say, if you do go back to Scotland, you’ll need to go for the Tattoo festival. It’s magical.
Debbie, one more thing, can you share some of your Scottish holiday traditions please?
Will need to come back to this post and click on all the links (on my work lunch break atm). In high school my dream was to live in England. I travelled to England with my sister (only a holiday) and my sister could not believe how I knew my way around without a paper map (this was 1994 so no Google maps). I mastered their pounds and pence on the first day. She told me you have definitely lived here in a previous life. I still remember the taxi ride to the airport on our last day and I was crying.