This is the shop that you go in when you havent got a clue what to buy someone as they have some…read moregreat gifts. They have loads of cards too some handmade. Buy your wrapping paper here aswell and youve done it all in one shop. I could spend hours in here and the shop staff are lovely.

Evolution is a fabulous place to shop for unusual gifts. Everyone has friends and relatives that…read moreare hard to shop for and this is the perfect place to get gifts for them. The atmosphere is really relaxed and peaceful. It is full of Buddhas and Incense sticks and scented candles and novelty candles. They have little sets of candles that spell out I LOVE YOU and HAPPY BIRTHDAY as well as for the festive season candles that spelt out HAPPY NEW YEAR and MERRY CHRISTMAS. They also have a large selection of hand made jewellery as well as ethical begs and accessories. I bought Christmas presents for my best friend there - A glas wall plaque saying PEACE and a gorgeous incense stick holder in the shape of the Buddha. Another great accolade to this store is the friendliness of the staff. They are helpful but not intrusive. They say Hi to you as you enter but in a pleasant polite and friendly way as opposed to being in your face. As the asistant carefully wraped my gifts, we chatted about the holidays and the weather and as I left she wished me farewell and welcomed me back again. I can't wait to visit again - even if it is just to browse.

What a beautiful little shop, down a cobbled street in the lovely town of Leek. This place is the…read moreperfect venue to buy cute gifts and knick knacks for anybody from 1 to 101. I have to mention the owner in this review, she is super duper sweet, and on my few visits, she is very helpful and smiley. This place not only is a lovely shop, but it also holds regular crafty workshops, from crotchet and knitting to dressmaking. These are all reasonably priced and range from beginners level to expertise. They encourage the ladies (and gents) to drink tea, eat cakes and have a natter whilst doing so. I also believe that Bibelots also has something called crafty matters, which are opportunities for people to meet up and socialise whilst making and creating in the beautiful Bibelots environment. This little shop supports the community and does it in style. I really loved the totally locally feel, and I'll be back as soon as I can.

From the owner: Bibelot is the areas only authorised Cath Kidston stockist - we carry a large range including bags…read moreand accessories, homeware, toiletries, bedding, books, stationery and umbrellas. Alongside Cath Kidston we also stock bags & accessories from Disaster Designs, toys from Maileg and much more! Bibelot are proud to support British designers and manufacturers, we stock a selection of homeware, jewellery and cards including Poppy Treffry, Tatty Devine, Love Boutique and Laura Sherratt Designs to name a few. We also stock a variety of gorgeous locally handmade items. We also have a fantastic haberdashey and craft room upstairs - we stock a large range including yarn, fabric & fat quarters, ribbon, buttons, jewellery findings, books and craft kits from names such as Rico, Rowan, Stylecraft, Tilda etc. We run a range of craft workshops including sewing and crochet, full details can be found on our website.

Just off the A38 is the Barton Turns Marina, set in sizeable grounds which are part of the National…read moreForest, the many fishing lakes and collection of mature trees, make this a good place to go for a stroll, rain or shine. It is particular popular with anglers, and there is a small caravan site just after the entrance. The Marina itself is quite sizeable, with the space for many narrow boats to moor either temporarily or permanently. Nearest to the spacious car park is the Waterfront, a large pub with outdoor seating overlooking the marina, it is a popular place, with regular live entertainment. Adjacent to this is a Garden4Less, a garden centre and on the other side Toys of Yesteryear, a toy shop, housing a toy museum. There is also one of the top 10 coffee shops in the country here, the Apple Tree, which also has a speciality delicatessen. There are a number of fashion stores including Blue Harbour (high end women's fashion), Sophia's and Start and Tremayne (Handbags etc). There is an impressive art gallery - Gallery 3, adjacent to a large and popular Thai restaurant: Siam Corner; as well as the Butcher, the Baker and the ice cream maker, a great place for specialist food ingredients, which also provides groceries for the mooring narrow boats. There are even shops on narrow boats, including an estate agent, a bookshop and ceramic painting boat for the children. The pick of the bunch is probably Brauz, a gift shop where you are likely to find that present for the person who has everything. Barton Marina is a great place to wile away a few hours.

A Lovely place to visit if the weather is good but also loads to look at and do if weather not that…read moregood see my full review and photos at http://www.kevinsimon.co.uk/?p=2810

It is long overdue that I write this review. The Heart of the Country is simply a potpourri of fun…read morethings to do for folks of all ages. In terms of value - unless you decide to buy a meal, drinks or goods from the various stores and restaurants it is free! Even the parking is free. Everyone seems to be friendly and welcoming. There are walks too, especially nice for the kids. And yes all the eating and drinking places are good to excellent!

The pear tree creperie is a small French restaurant specialising in you got it crepes. It is…read morelocated in a small crafts place which is called the heart of the country village. Now me and my sister are obsessed with pancakes anyway so when we heard about this place we decided we had to go and find it. So Saturday off we went in the car and found it. Mouths watering at just the thought of pancakes they had a lot to live up to but they managed it and this creperie is such a little find I think I will go there more often now I know where it is. The address is as follows; Heart of the country village Swinfen Near Lichfield Staffordshire WS14 6QR Now in terms of location it is a great place as it is right by Lichfield city centre which is a great place and as it is practically just off a main road it is quite easy to find. I can't really tell you much about the actual craft village as we didn't go around as this was purely a pancake hunting trip only. It did look very sweet though with lots of furniture, garden and even a bridal shop. The actual creperie is tucked away and has an inside and an outdoor area. Outdoors the wooden tables and trellising around is very pretty. Inside and you get a very French feel about the place. The tables have plastic covers which looks very sweet and the decoration is very nice with antique looking things which is nice. The furniture is all a nice wood and everything just looks nice. The menu is lovely with lots of sweet and savoury crepes on offer. I went for a sweet maple syrup one because I really fancied it but they do so many different ones such as cheese and ham ones, pear and chocolate sauce and ones with alcohol which they light at the table which looked great. The prices are not to bad with the cheapest being about £2 and the most expensive being around £6. Drinks were around £1.20 each. The pancakes did not take long to come out and when they did they were massive and they gave us a lot of maple syrup so they do make sure you get full from them. I noticed people having savoury ones with salads and they looked yummy and definitely filling enough to have for lunch or for tea. The crepes were cooked to perfection and I have to say I couldn't have done any better. They taste so nice that when you have eaten one you always want another. Even though I felt quite sick when I had eaten it I still would have had another if my sister would have let me but she dragged me out of there which I am glad of. The craft village is very sweet and the car park is quite big so you will always be ok to park. I think the creperie is lovely and well worth the visit especially if you do take a look around and then maybe go visit Lichfield to finish off your day. I am going to visit again as it was nice and the food is cooked to a high standard. There are plenty of staff there who are all very friendly and I think that you will have a good time. It might be worth mentioning as well that you can reserve tables there as it does get quite busy and as we left there was only 1 table left. What a little find in the middle of the country. Wonderful! Thanks for reading. xxx P.S .Thsi has been posted on other sites but always by me katygriff

Stumbled across this little hidden gem whilst out with my local walking group.. We just managed to…read moreget our group of 16 in the conservatory where they serve delicious cakes and tea/coffee etc. (The fresh cream Victoria sandwich was to die for).This is a newish business still developing (Nov '15) but they have some lovely craft items for sale as well as refreshments. Highly recommend.

Pretty on the Inside is a great find in Rugeley. They sell a variety of items including great…read morethings for your bath, crystals and essential oils. There is also a therapy room where you can try Hypnotherapy and other therapies such as reiki.

From the owner: Pretty on the Inside is an Aladdin's Cave of Unusual Gifts & Treats, specialising in bath bombs and…read morefairy garden accessories!

Great littleshop,truly selling this and that!! Candles,crystals,woodcarvings, buddhas, jewellery…read more Everything you can think of right down to washing up liquid!!. Nicehelpful ladies,verycheerful. Would definately recommend

Woodlander is pricey, but it specialises in novelties and little presents. Located on the posher…read moreend of Ashby's shops - which includes a couple of clothing boutiques, a flower shop and a deli - it stocks a lot of Cath Kidston, Radley and Alessi, with large sections for homeware like photo albums, scented candles and kitchen utensils. They keep some natural-style cosmetics and bath products around - a lot of Crabtree and Evelyn, Burt's Bees and some kind of Lush knockoff with tiny bath bombs. Overall their stock is aimed for the average middle-aged, middle-class Ashbeian, and it all tesselates into one 'Woodlander' collection rather than many different brands and styles. I can imagine a Woodlander Christmas, or a family building their home with Woodlander pieces - there's just enough variation to please different crowds and still fit a loose aesthetic. Atmosphere-wise, it's just OK. It looks nice, it's quiet and staff generally leave you alone. However, I find myself patronised or just treated oddly by staff every time I buy anything or ask questions - I'm a sixth former and I don't come from a wealthy background, so I'm not really their target market, but I'd like to be able to shop normally. I've sometimes found myself being watched, as though I'm going to steal or break something - not the kind of service I like! I rarely visit, even rarer buy things - it's difficult to find anything that costs less than £10 or so, and I'd rather go somewhere more welcoming - but I've bought a quirky coaster, gift tins of glow in the dark stars and Jelly Belly candles here for Christmas presents, and all were really well-received. I'd come here again if I needed a present in a pinch, or if I just wanted some inspiration.

Just on the fringe of Ashby town centre, Woodlander is gift shop containing a wide variety of…read moreitems, perfect for when you're looking for that something special for a present. It has wide variety of bags including Radley and Kipling, which my wife finds endlessly fascinating. The cookware section although small contains a wide variety of kitchen gadgets, some of which you never knew you needed! The giftware section is brilliant for birthdays, weddings and christenings, or a gift for the person that literally seems to have everything! The staff are friendly and helpful, and have a good knowledge of their stock. Woodlander may not be the cheapest, but if you are looking for a quality present, it is difficult to beat.

Delightful! One of my favourite shops. I can always find the perfect card or gift. Worth a special…read moretrip everytime.

I 'popped' in to Fat Cat the other day for a look around, but left after mooching for about an…read morehour, spending £40 and having a coffee in the lovely Skinny Kitten cafe that's attached. I only left as I had to collect my daughter from school! A really lovely Aladdin's cave, full of beautiful gifts. I'm going to be a regular I think!