Unique! Local! A treat you wouldn’t mind keeping for yourself. I’d say that’s all the er, boxes, covered by this brilliant new postal gift box business. And what genius lifesaver has come up with this must-have service? Meet Ellen, a native Devonian, a woman who understands the need for a quality pressie in a hurry. She came up with the idea while living and working in Australia, struggling to find lovely things for friends back home.

In late 2022, having returned with her partner and two young children to the Teign Valley, she determined to do something about it. Inspired by the coastal lifestyle and the idea of bringing a little sparkle to locals’ letterboxes, she tracked down the best companies from Devon, Cornwall & the West Country, and set about curating a unique online range of gift boxes, foodie hampers and letterbox gifts.

The brands Ellen has chosen are all Muddy-approved and topnotch, such as scented Clovelly Soap and St Eval candles, stylishly wrapped bars of Josh’s Chocolate and boxes of Foxcombe Bakehouse biscuits. Boxes are zoned into helpful categories: ‘For Her’ and ‘For Him’, hobby and occasion gifts (ranging from £15-£45), plus welcome hampers and corporate gifts for businesses. Pop the one you want in your online basket, then they’re thoughtfully packaged and whizzed off to your giftee within 24 hours.

When she’s not creating sparkling gift ideas, Ellen is an environmental consultant, so it’s no surprise she takes care to keep her business sustainable. Her picks are all plastic-free, packaging is wood wool and recycled cardboard, plus a tree is planted for every box sold with help from West Country based environmental organisation Ecologi and donations made to her chosen local Cornish charity, Beach Guardian.

So, whose birthday/anniversary/Christmas present can you tick off your always-long list? Get scrolling here, and let me know if you need my address, won’t you?