Best gifts for shoot hosts – we’ve researched some which will be welcomed

What makes the best gifts for shoot hosts?

The best invitations to shoot are really those that can’t be bought. Maybe you’ve been asked to a select private shoot? (Read our tips on what to expect on your first shoot day.) If so you’re going to want to bring a gift that nobody else has thought of. So we’re asked around, scratched our heads and come up with a few ideas for the best gifts for shoot hosts that will be well received. Remember that the best gifts are those which show that a lot of thought has gone into them. We’re found ideas in various price brackets too, from just £12.50.

It’s always worth planning ahead. So it’s well worth ordering well in advance of your shoot day so you know your present will arrive on time. (You might also like to read our advice on tipping on a shoot.)

Personalised Vintage Map Placemats from £90 for six 

Best for personalisation

Material: Melamine
Styles: Six different styles of map
Size: 29 x 23cm

These table maps (matching coasters are available too) are created from vintage maps. You simply put in the postcode of the shoot when you order them and they will be created in the style of your choice with the relevant area featured. You can order six minimum or more as you wish.

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Pheasant carafe £98

Best for serving water or wine

• Material: Handmade, mouthblown glass
• Capacity; 1.75L
• Care: Handwash
• Size: Height: 22.5cm, width: 13cm

This hand engraved carafe is an ideal way of serving tap water at a shoot lunch or decanting wine so it can ‘breathe’. For £15 you can personalise the carafe with the name of the shoot. This is a gift as decorative as it is useful.

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Silver Hammered Champagne Bath £95

Best for chilled drinks

• Material: Hammer finished silver plate
• Care: Clean with dry cloth
• Size: H 17 x W 21.5 x D 21.5 cm

We think that this is a gift that looks much more expensive than it actually is. It’s both elegant and practical. Perfect for chilling bottles on a hot day, either soft drinks for elevenses or something strong later on at the shoot lunch. This wine cooler is robust and roomy and will hold several bottles on ice.

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10 Field Sports Notecards £12.50

Best small gift

• Material: 350gsm textured stock
• Colour: Grey, mustard yellow
• Size: A6 size (148x105mm)

It’s part of shooting etiquette to send a thank-you note after shooting. The envelopes are beautifully lined with a rural scene and the stationery, 10 notecards and matching envelopes, comes packed in a decorative mustard yellow box. If the host is a friend and you want to make a gesture, we think these cards would make the perfect small gift.

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Hand-made coffee espresso cup £12

Best for reviving espressos

• Material: Ceramic
• Capacity: 125ml
• Handmade in Stoke-on-Trent
• Microwave & Dishwasher proof

After the shoot lunch many Guns are in need of a reviving coffee before they venture back out onto the field or drive home. These cups mark the occasion of the day perfectly with a partridge design which is why they’re on our list of best gifts for shoot hosts.  Why not buy your host a set?

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British Bird Nesting Babushka Dolls £35

Best for hosts with children

• Hand-painted
• Decorative
• Birds fit inside one another, largest to smallest

If your host has young children (and even if they don’t) these British bird nesting pieces make a decorative addition to a bookshelf. A barn owl, green woodpecker, magpie, robin and blue tit feature.

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Blue Hare Napkin Gift Set £45

Best for shoot lunches

• Six in a box
• 45 x 45 cm
• Cotton fabric
• Printed by hand
• Machine washable

A handmade, screen printed rustic napkin gift box with six screen printed illustrations of blue hares.

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Set Of Four Stainless Steel Cups And Case £99.95

Best for robust use

• Material: Stainless steel, calf leather case
• Colour: Brown leather
• Capacity: 70ml
• Dimensions: 10 x 7 x 7cm
• Care: Wipe with damp cloth

These cups are perfect for handing around a nip of bullshot, damson vodka or sloe gin. They pack up easily (so can be kept in a large pocket) and won’t shatter if they are dropped on the ground. We think every shoot should have a set (or two, or three).

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Horn beaker £24.95

Best for natural lustre

• Material: Sustainably sourced horn
• Size: 12cm
• Care: Handwash only

In keeping with the theme, these natural horn beakers will hold wine, soft drinks or wee nips of something warming. They are charming to look at, timeless in design, will play their part during elevenses and would also look good laid out on a table.

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Abbeyhorn Stag Antler Bread Knife £69.95

Best for slicing crusty loaves

• Material: Deer antler, stainless steel.
• Size: 30mm by 130mm.
• Care: Handwash only

Put this knife on the lunch table by the bread and it will almost certainly be admired. (If you’d like to know how to make an antler handle knife see our instructions here.) Superstitious types think that giving a knife as a gift is unlucky, but you can get around this by taping a penny to the knife, which apparently takes the bad luck away.

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Finally – a gift that will be cherished

Pet portrait by Joanna Miln from £225

You’ll need a bit of forward planning for this one. Joanna Miln is a talented animal portraitist who can work from a good quality photograph. If you arrive with a specially commissioned portrait of your host’s favourite working dog, you’re sure to be remembered for all the right reasons. Time to organise a sneaky photograph of said gundog so that you can get the wheels in motion.

Contact Joanna Miln here

This article was originally published in 2018 and has been updated.