Valentine's Social Enterprise Gift Guide: Give with Love

Nobody wants the same old box of supermarket chocolates and a tired bunch of petrol-station roses on Valentine’s. And when London offers such a huge array of mission-led brands and charities with amazing products and even more amazing purposes, there’s really no excuse! We’ve rounded up a few recommendations for independent social enterprises to buy from this week that are sure to send your valentine swooning.

You can’t go wrong with a classic

Valentine’s wouldn’t really be Valentine’s without some gorgeous (ethical!) flowers and a box of chocolates, preferably heart-shaped. Here’s what we like:

Petalon Flowers

Carbon neutral delivery, a tree planted for every 100 orders and 5% of profits donated to help bees: what’s not to love?! Flower farming can be highly intensive and irresponsible, so putting the planet at the heart of your flower choice is essential.

For Valentine’s Day, choose between two gorgeous bouquets (‘Hungry Eyes’ and ‘Dance with Somebody’) – and if you’re apart, you can add a personalised message, too.

Image from Petalon’s website picturing their Valentine’s bouquet ‘Hungry Eyes’

Luxury chocolates

Harry Specters provides award winning chocolate boxes whilst providing training, employment and support for young people with autism. Their chocolates have one multiple awards as well as improving the lives of hundreds of young people.

Order a box just for Valentine’s, or, for a bigger gift, check out their chocolate subscription.

For dairy free options, try out larger social enterprise Divine chocolate, which is the only Fairtrade chocolate company owned by chocolate farmers. We love these 70% chocolate hearts.

Image from Harry Specters website picturing their chocolates

A feast for lovers (or self-lovers!)

Make the most out of Valentine’s in lockdown by treating yourself to nosh from some great local makers in London (yes, we are including ourselves in that!) and have a relaxing day, whether that’s with a partner or on your own.

Breakfast in Bed

We can’t harp on enough about our Breakfast Pack. Two of our famous handmade cinnamon buns from local micro-bakery Sumeria Bakehouse (hand-formed and taking 48 hours to make!) plus a artisan sourdough baguette and a bag of coffee from our friends at HAVEN Coffee. The coffee is organic, Fairtrade and single-origin and, like us, HAVEN Coffee supports refugees.

It’s perfect for two (as it contains two buns) but if you’re apart from a loved one, well… more for them! The baguette will also freeze wonderfully if you don’t manage to eat it, or it can be brought back to life after a day or two by sprinkling with water and popping in a warm oven for a few minutes.

Use code VALENTINE from Friday 5th – 12th to get 15% off orders for delivery on Valentine’s Day (Sunday 14th).

Our Breakfast Pack in partnership with HAVEN Coffee

Dine In with Fat Macy’s

Who wants to cook on Valentine’s?! Forget soggy pizzas or below-par curries and try out a 3-course heat-at-home meal which also supports young people in temporary accommodation to move into their own homes.

Our partners and friends over at Fat Macy’s Ebury restaurant have created a wonderful Dine-In box for Valentine’s evening, even including a wine pairing from sustainable Borough Wines and a curated playlist! The Middle Eastern inspired menu offers a meat or vegan option.

We are proud to partner with Fat Macy’s and provide their bread!

Photo from Fat Macy’s website of their Valentine’s menu