You can never have too many mugs. In my kitchen I have a couple of nice sets, and plenty of individual mugs. Some were holiday purchases, others were designed by the children. Here we focus on individual must-have mugs.
1. Personalised map mug
First off is this personalised map mug. The idea is that you type in your postcode and you get a mug with a map of that postcode from 1945-48. Some postcodes aren’t available (Nothern Ireland, Isle of Man and some Scottish postcodes), but many are. We think this would be a great gift idea. The cost is £11.99 from the Museum Selection.
2. Set of three Lowry mugs
Also available fom the Museum Selection is this set of three Lowry mugs costing £31.50 . Each one details one of Lowry’s works from ‘Ferry Boats’, ‘Coming Home From The Mill’ and ‘Waiting For the Shops to Open’. The mugs are 4″ tall, bone china, and dishwasher and microwave safe.
3. Rubik’s mug
Here’s one which fits in to the retro category. The Rubik’s mug, from no. 1 gadget store, just looks like a Rubik’s Cube. It has a curved lip for easy drinking and to reduce spillage. The price of the mug is £8.99.
4. Classic years birthday mugs
I suppose you could describe these mugs as being designed for the person who has everything. They are a great idea for a present. You simply type in the year you want on the mug and you receive a retro designed mug detailing key events from that year. The classic years birthday mug costs £10.99 from the Gone Digging website.
5. Emma Bridgewater partridge and pheasants mug, set of two
We couldn’t have a top ten of favourite mugs without having at least one Emma Bridgewater design. John Lewis sells this set of two partridge and pheasant mugs for £39.95. The earthenware mugs come in a quirky gift box.
6. Chelsea roses crush mug
From Cath Kidston we have this Chelsea roses crush mug costing £6.50. The colours of the flowers, as well as the backdrop, is very much Cath Kidston and it is a little bit bigger than most mugs – great for when you want to sit down with a large warm drink.
7. Peacock fusion mug
This peacock fusion mug, £35 from Bouf, is rather unusual. One half is in a Western design, the other half is in an Eastern design – a kind of East meets West you could say. In between drinking from it I think you would spend quite a bit of time studying it.
8. Royal Worcester fine bone china set of St Ives windbreak
This Royal Worcester fine bone china set of St Ives windbreak mugs costs £60. The style is very typical of Royal Worcester and a beautiful scene.
9. Edinburgh Castle bone china mug
Jacky Al-Samarraie has designed this Edinburgh Castle bone china mug, which features the iconic Edinburgh landmark. Jacky uses simple silhouettes and blocks of vibrant colour in this unique range, where the picture is screen printed. You can buy the mug from The Art Rooms for £12.50.
10. Bone china ‘Magnolia’ copper Winnie the Pooh mug
Mugbug.co.uk is a site worth taking a look at. We particularly liked this bone china ‘Magnolia’ copper Winnie the Pooh mug. On it Winnie is sketched, having some bother with a pot of honey. The price is £8.99.
By Jackie Cosh
