One of the loveliest things during these strange, scary times is to give your friends a gorgeous treat – not forgetting yourself, of course. These charming linen bags, each with three products wrapped in pretty tissue paper, fit the bill perfectly. (And speaking of ‘bill’, the Wellness Sets are an incredibly good price - £20 for three products that would normally notch up £41.)

We discovered AlaraApothecary a couple of years ago at one of those big shows. In fact, we sniffed it out like truffle-hounds, following a trail of honeysuckle fragrance until, round a corner, we happened on Alara founder Funmi Lampejo. 

A practising pharmacist in the West country, Funmi’s longtime special interest is everything to do with skin and she drew on plant-based recipes and remedies still used in Africa and mainland Europe.

Funmi’s formulas are mostly natural ingredients with the minimum of synthetic chemicals – and no parabens, sulphates or MI (methylisothiazolinone), which is a common skin irritant. The products are blissful to use and highly effective – in fact, Sarah is just stroking fragrant Honeysuckle Body Oil on her always-tending-to-dry legs this very moment.

So – the Wellness Sets come in three fragrances: Honeysuckle (Sarah’s all-time favourite for wafting away), Rosa (scented with delicate tea rose and warm creamy vanilla) and Citrus Burst (fresh and tangy, sweet and soft). Each contains a luxurious 50ml pot of body cream, body oil in 100ml pump, and 100ml body cleanser.

A very dear friend is just going into hospital, so we’re ordering for them now!

£20 each – buy here

Prize Draws