The Hiho's Team Picks for Christmas with Emma!

Well! Can you believe it? Christmas Day is officially this week and we are getting incredibly excited for the big day. As of today, there are only 5 days until Christmas, meaning that today also marks our last Hiho Christmas picks with the Hiho Team. 

Today, we asked Emma. Emma is our MD and dreams up what we do as a brand, always keeping our main aim of ensuring that we’re delighting you in mind. To find out what she chose as her Christmas top picks for 2022, why not carry on reading below. 

WHAT IS YOUR TOP PICK FOR SECRET SANTA (UNDER £50) & WHY?

Our detailed snaffle ring - it’s a really elegant design and hard wearing!  
We redesigned this one recently, adding a strap and buckle to the shoulders of the ring to make it a bit more unique, and customers are absolutely loving it, so I’m confident putting this one on my pick list!

WHAT IS YOUR TOP PICK FOR THAT SOMEONE SPECIAL (£50 to £100) & WHY?

Our snaffle clip bracelet sits beautifully on your wrist on its own, or is a great starter bracelet for a stack of snaffle bracelets.
This is another of our bestselling bracelets and customers tell us that once they put it on, they never take it off, so it’s very true to our brand promise of taking you from mucking out to going out.
I love that you can choose from full silver, or add a touch of individuality with rose gold or yellow gold plating on the bit - and then personalise it even more with an engraved message.

TOP PICK FOR A PERSON WHO HAS EVERYTHING & WHY?

This one has to be our exclusive Cherry roller bangle, because it can be personalised to suit the person you are buying for, starts at £105 but you can add sparkly CZ roller beads,  solid gold rollers or even roller beads with diamonds to make your own gorgeous statement piece.
I am still wearing one of our very first cherry rollers as it’s one of the 4 bracelets I always wear.  Andrew (Mr Hiho) changed the beads for me when we launched our letter beads, so now I have my sons initials on my cherry roller, which makes it very special for me.

TOP PICK FOR SOMEONE WITH GREEN FINGERS & WHY?

This one just has to be one of our bee necklaces, the gardener’s friend and a wear every day piece.  

It also has real meaning for me, as we’ve run quite a few Hiho & Co customer days now and one of our key messages from that is to encourage people to “Be all you can be, for you and no-one else, run your own race and that, my dear, is enough”. 

The bee has been our emblem for this and appeared on a number of pieces of jewellery as a result - the bee doesn’t worry about what others think, it just gets on with the job in hand and does it as well as it can.  We want to encourage our customers to do that too and feel confident in themselves.  

At the last Hiho & Co day, we asked all the attendees to help us pin down what country values are - and we came up with a hashtag #countrykind - meaning that we are people who live in the country but also that we will be kind and support each other whenever we can.

I know that Rachel from Rachel Collins Photography and Melanie from Mackenzie & George, who host the customer days with me, are also keen that between us and our customers, we can help people find a supportive community out there when they need it.

TOP PICK FOR THE PONY-MAD & WHY?

Our adjustable Hoof ring, very popular with all ages and a great Hiho starter piece, especially as it is a bit more flexible in size.

I’m also very excited about our upcoming Thelwell jewellery as we hold the licence to produce official Thelwell jewellery.  We’re just launching a silver shetland, but we’d love to hear any ideas you have for more Thelwell themed pieces.

If you haven’t heard of Thelwell, just pop it into google and take a look - absolute tongue in cheek cartoons that demonstrate horsey mishaps that you will recognise from your own equestrian life I’m sure!

TOP PICK FOR A HORSEY DAD & WHY?

Our Cherry Roller cufflinks, unfussy jewellery and the unique design gives a nod to horsey Dad status, which should never be underestimated - even with a fear of horses, some of the Dads can be totally relied upon to turn up with Mum as team support, groom and patient ringside flag waver.

TOP PICK FOR A COUNTRYSIDE LOVER & WHY?

The wheat sheaf collection, it is gorgeous and so dainty with such a huge and amazing meaning behind it by supporting the RABI charity.  You can’t live in the country and not recognise the hard work and huge contribution that farmers make to the rural communities, so we’re really pleased to be able to support them.

TOP PICK FOR A PERSONALISED GIFT & WHY?

Our heart clip bracelet is a super cute addition to anyone’s jewellery box, perfect for any occasion and a great accompaniment to any outfit! And when personalised it is even more special!

ANY PARTICULARLY SPECIAL OR JUST FAMILY FAVOURITE SWEET CHRISTMAS TREATS?

Chewy Chocolate chips cookies - textured on the outside and soft and gooey on the inside. An absolute delight!

ANY PARTICULARLY SPECIAL OR JUST FAMILY FAVOURITE CHRISTMAS RECIPES - SAVOURY!

As a child, I remember my Mum doing a huge spread for Boxing Day, it was almost a bigger event than Christmas Day. So, when we were all cooped up for the first lockdown Christmas, I decided to do a Boxing Day feast and it was a big hit with the family - a grazing table that you return to throughout the day is the way forward it seems, as it’s been requested again this year.

So I’d like to share my hummus recipe, easy to do and useful for any parties or movie nights!

Ingredients

1 can of chickpeas – drained and rinsed
The juice of 1 lemon
3 cloves of crushed garlic
2 tablespoons of olive oil ( I add one tablespoon at first and then add more if needed)
5 pieces of sun-blushed tomato (you can find these on deli counters)
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
A bit less than a tablespoon of chopped dill
Half a teaspoon of sugar
Salt and pepper (I add some at the beginning and then adjust to my taste at the end)

Method

Place all the ingredients in a tall sided jug or bowl and whizz with a stick blender until smooth (a food processor will do the same job).  If it looks too coarse for your taste add a little more lemon juice and olive oil.

Serve in a lovely bowl (this is my favourite of the moment – a lipped bowl from www.barringtonpottery.co.uk) and garnish with a couple of pieces of sun-dried tomato, herbs and a drizzle of olive oil.  If I manage to keep the hungry boys away from it, this lasts for a few days in the fridge.