5 of the best… candles to cosy up with this winter

So, here we are spending a lot of time in our homes again…

It seems there’s a bit of a consensus emerging that we should collectively press fast forward on the rest of the year and just get stuck into Christmas early. I’m very much a mince pies in November gal on any given year, so I have to say that I’m wholeheartedly on board!

In that spirit, here’s five scented candles to help you sink into the festive ‘hermit life’ early.

Spruce by P.F. Candle Co., €26,50 at pfcandleco.eu

‘Dense forest floor, sunshine and snow’. It may not quite be socially acceptable time to put up the Christmas tree yet, but this spruce in a jar will suffice for now. Also potentially great if you’ll be making do with an artificial tree.

Portable Fireplace by D.S. & Durga, £60 at osmology.co

With it looking increasingly likely that we’ll be denied visits to boujie-er relatives for our yearly fireplace fix, this is one for those of us who’ll be making do with curling up beside ‘Fireplace for your home’ on Netflix. ‘Smokey pinewood burning alongside cedar and oak ash’.

The Rainy Days in Lake District by Lola James Harper, €40,00 at lolajamesharper.com

Even if your outlook is more neighbour’s overflowing recycling bin than the ‘permanent grey skies and huge open fields’ of the Lake District, what better way to appreciate your own home than the feeling of being warm and dry inside while the rain pours outside your window? Inspired by a few days walking in the ‘evergreen land’ of the Lake District, this candle includes notes of ylang ylang, red thyme, nutmeg and black pepper.

Spiced Orange by Soomish, from £12 at soomish.co

‘Top notes of orange infused with a warm base of cinnamon, nutmeg and clove’ – this candle will evoke drinking gluhwein at the Christmas markets we won’t be going to, and the panettone that we (or at least I) very much will be consuming in excess at home.

Elementary by Earl of East, £20 at earlofeast.com

A blend of leather, tobacco leaf and amber inspired by ‘the grandeur of old London’, this scent is designed to transport you to an aged leather armchair in an opulent wood panelled room in a Victorian town house (…perhaps with a certain 19th century mystery novel in hand). Sounds like an ideal place to hideout right now, even if it is only via the power of imagination.