The love klaxon has sounded, and the countdown to Valentine’s Day is officially on.
Celebrating February 14 can be a divisive thing; some reject the notion of making an effort on a single day, but we say why not use the day as an opportunity to go above and beyond?
Of all the holidays, it can feel like Valentine’s is engineered solely towards women, what with the abundance of bouquets, lingerie and beautifully decorated boxes of chocolate. In fact there are so many female-centred options around that Google has found searches for men’s gifts are actually higher and outnumber searches “for women” by 3.5 to 1.
Top line: shopping for men can be hard.
To that end, we’ve whipped up the last Valentine’s Day gift guide for men you’ll ever need. From new fragrances that will finally kick that decades-old Old Spice to the curb to generous hampers that will leave him stuffed full of love and plenty more besides, we’ve got lots of brilliant ideas guaranteed to have him beaming this February.
Shop our edit now - you can thank us later.
The Mr Fortnum Bag
At some point, we’ve all been guilty of buying our beloved a gift that we secretly know we’ll benefit from too. This year, make it all about him with Fortnum & Mason’s gift bag, packed to the zip with gourmet morsels and suave sips to make him and his taste buds feel truly cherished.
The pale blue picnic bag includes a bottle of Speyside Single Malt 8 Year Old Whisky, a box of Single Malt Scotch Whisky Chocolate Truffles, some coffee and crumbly Salted Hazelnut Shortbread to snaffle all to himself.
Buy now £100.00, Fortnum & Mason
Harry’s Full Skin Care Suite
Good skincare is a year round thing, but this Valentine’s you can use your gift to introduce him to new products. Harry’s is one of the top names in men’s skincare, and this gift set is the perfect thing to revive his grooming kit. All the essentials are here, from day and night creams to a refreshing face wash. There’s even targeted solutions for occasional blemishes.
Buy now £42.00, Harry’s
Damselfly So Much Love Candle
Want sweet, not soppy? Australian candle brand Damselfly offers cool home fragrance in buckets with gently scented options housed in stylish holders. We like the So Much Love For You, scented with notes of vanilla, pear and citrus. Chic and to the point.
Buy now £43.20, Harvey Nichols
HonestBrew The Taster Case
A boozy Valentine's gift is sure to go down a storm, and for the craft beer aficionado who's always on the lookout for new serves to add to their repertoire, HonestBrew has you covered. The Taster Case is a great mixed selection of six beers from stout to pale ale and promises an evening full of discovery. Just add some snacks, and you're good to go! Who needs a lobster dinner?
Buy now £14.71, HonestBrew
Jawbox Rhubarb and Ginger Gin Liqueur
A gin to take pride of place in his drinks cabinet, this spirit is bursting with juicy notes of rhubarb with the sharpness of ginger added to bring balance. Made in Belfast, the 20 per cent gin works wonderfully with a mixer or as part of a gin-based cocktail.
Buy now £22.89, The Bottle Club
Personalised Toblerlone
Posh boxes of chocs are all good and well, but when it comes down to it, corner shop favourites like Toblerone still hit the spot. The supersize version has been given the Valentine’s Day treatment, wrapped in pink packaging and printed with a QR code on which you can create a bespoke poem for your Valentine with a little help from London-based poet Shaquille-Aaron Keith. Flavours come in the original milk chocolate version as well as White, Dark, Crunchy Almond, and Fruit & Nut. No cheese, all sweet.
Buy now £17.00, Toblerone
Cartrwight & Butler Whisky Gift Hamper
Warm his cockles this February with a hamper designed to ignite his inner foodie. This beautifully-presented crate puts Dalmeny Centernary Scotch Whisky in the spotlight with sweet and savoury snacks as the supporting cast. We’re talking whisky-spiked fudge, shortbread, onion chutney, cheesy nibbles and more.
Buy now £95.00, Cartrwight & Butler
Xbox GamePass subscription
Give your giftee access to over a hundred games at their fingertips. This GamePass has been likened to Netflix, but for games. Pay a monthly subscription to open up a library of games with no additional costs.
It’s available for Xbox and PC and includes big name titles as well as those set to launch like Halo Infinite, Forza Horizon 5, Age of Empires, and many more.
Buy now £10.99, Xbox
Le Creuset Cast Iron Heart Casserole, Cerise
For the man who has nailed his culinary skills over the last two years, this Valentine’s is an opportunity to encourage his talents even further. Le Creuset is the last word in luxury cookware, and with good reason: not only does it look the part, but it’ll practically last a lifetime too. We can’t help but swoon over this heart-shaped casserole dish (’tis the season, after all) but if it’s too much, there are plenty of other shapes and colours to choose from too.
Buy now £190.00, John Lewis
Comme des Garçons PLAY x Converse canvas high-top trainers
If his wardrobe could do with a bit of smartening up, Converse’s Comme des Garçons collab is just the ticket. The iconic trainer is given Cupid’s kiss with the CdG red heart-shaped logo on the outer shell. Sure to put a spring in step.
Buy now £130.00, Selfridges
Oculus Quest 2
The demand for virtual reality gaming shows no signs of wavering. The ultra-immersive experience takes the player into the heart of the action and on the forefront of the next generation of technology.
The Oculus Quest 2 is one the most sought-after headsets due to the high resolution display, super fast processor and the responsive Oculus Touch controllers. You can pair it with the app - no console or computer needed - so you can get gaming as soon as you put the device on.
Buy now £299.00, John Lewis
Penhaligon’s Constantinople
A fragrance inspired by the tale of two cities may be the perfect gift for your bundle-of-contrasts Valentine. Warm and sweet with enough grounding earthiness, the unisex scent is a complex compilation for special occasions. Cute bow too.
Buy now £185.00, Penhaligon’s
Aqua Nueva gift card
They say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, and both will leave full to bursting following a visit to the swanky Aqua Nueva in the West End. The warmly low-lit restaurant excels in Spanish cuisine, and there’s plenty to share tapas-style or enjoy alone - whatever takes his fancy. Don’t miss the melt-in-your-mouth short rib and Galician-style octopus: they’re real showstoppers.
Gift card values start from £50 and you can opt to have a presentation voucher delivered (although email options are on standby if needed).
Buy now £50.00, Aqua Nueva
Teac TN-5BB
This really is a lovely piece of kit, with a deep, warm sound. Opening the box unearths an array of bits and bobs, even down to a set of washers, should there be the need to rebalance any of the sturdy legs if the turntable is laid on an uneven surface.
The deck is a good two inches of thick shiny black, into which are sunk two retro buttons - one controls the power and rpm (including a 78rmp option) the other the automated lifting and lowering of the tone arm.
No more manual dropping onto the entry groove. Instead, you can line yourself up to drop straight onto your favourite track. What’s more, the tone arm lifts itself up at the end of the record (though doesn’t return to its starting position) and stops the record spinning.
The inch-thick synthetic glass platter is driven by a rubber band around its circumference. The tone arm is an S-shape brushed steel and aluminium. It’s all very special.
As too is the sound. Courtney Marie Andrews’s come through strong yet tender, but without compromising the gently strummed acoustic guitar or brushed cymbal. The only thing that seems less defined is the bass, which is perhaps a bit muted.
Switching to Jackson Browne’s Late for the Sky, the Teac TN-5BB again showed its ability to pick out separate voices in harmonies, to an extent that it’s like discovering previously unheard features of music you’ve enjoyed for decades.
For a final challenge, to the Americana soul vibe of Frazey Ford’s U Kin Be The Sun, which she fabulously recounted live at Union Chapel only a month or two ago (before Omicron had us seeking safety at home).
Let’s Start again, a blissed-out ballad, has the late-night groove accompanied by Ford’s extraordinary voice. Purple and Brown has the bass guitar to the fore, with whispered harmonies atop. Golden, the most joyful track on the album, comes out more human than the same track when streamed on Sonos a minute later. If you live for music, start saving now for this fabulous piece of kit.
Buy now £1599.00, Teac
Coravin Pivot
For the man who loves nothing more than unwinding with a glass of vino, this clever wine preservation gadget is the tech he needs in his life. The Coravin Pivot allows him to enjoy as much or as little as he likes without committing to drinking the entire bottle. The rest will stay fresh beyond the cork for up to four weeks, where the next pour will taste as good as the first.
Not only does the Coravin Pivot preserve wine, but it aerates it too. Genius.
Buy now £120.00, Selfridges
Champagne Lanson and Biscuit Boutique Lovebox
Keep him sweet this Valentine’s with the treat of bubbles and indulgent bon bon biscuits covered with an eye-catching pop-art print. Champagne Lanson has teamed up with the Biscuit Boutique to create the offering this year which contains a mini 20cl bottle of rose champers and nine delicious biscuits. We think the statement design is perfect for woo-ing your menfolk. They deserve it.
Buy now £45.00, Biscuit Boutique
Belkin BOOST CHARGE PRO 3-in-1 Wireless Charging Pad with MagSafe
Tech his bedside manner up a notch. Belkin has teamed up with Apple to create a device that can charge multiple devices at once. The wireless charging pad has room for an iPhone 12 and up as well as an Apple Watch and AirPods, all held securely with MagSafe technology. It also folds down for trips. The night-time essential he needs.
Buy now £129.95, Apple
Camden Town Brewery Lager Lover Gift Pack
Three cheers for Camden Town Brewery who is answering calls for the perfecrt Valentine's gift for lager lovers with this bundle. It includes a unisex organic cotton branded shirt (in sizes XS to 3XL) as well as four cans of the Lager Lover, a beer made especially for February 14.
Buy now £34.00, Camden Town Brewery
