Bargain alert 🚨the Sienna Hoodie Blanket is just £12 right now

Price on writing: £15 £12 | Buy now from Amazon

As the winter chill sets in, many of us are looking for effective and inexpensive ways to stay warm at home. Enter the Sienna Hoodie Blanket. As the name suggests, it's an ingenious combination of a blanket and a hoodie that will envelope you in cosy warmth. Plus, unlike other keep warm solutions like the best electric blanket, it doesn't use any energy and you can wear it freely around the home all day.

With the cost of living crisis, blanket hoodies have been big business this year thanks to their ability to heat up the wearer without having the heating on full blast. Much like the best women's slippers, they're also not just practical, as their cosy properties mean they are a fantastic gift, particularly if you have someone who's tricky to buy for.

Mumsnet users have been snapping up the Sienna in their droves this year, with hundreds buying the popular blanket hoodie – judging by the praise it's received on our Talk boards, it's not hard to see why. "It is the nicest, warmest thing I ever owned" is just one of the rave reviews it's garnered. But, at a fraction of the price of its alternatives, is it really that high quality? MNHQ decided to extensively put the Sienna through its paces to see Here's what we thought...

What we love

• Super soft and cosy

• Amazing value

• Comfy, oversized fit

• Great for working from home on chilly days

• Dries quickly after washing

• Large pocket

What to know

• Threads can come a bit loose with heavy wear

• Not a vast range of colours/patterns like the Oodie

Sienna Hoodie Blanket: what is it?

A giant, fleecey blanket that you can wear, the Sienna has the Mumsnetter stamp of approval and has been selected as one of our picks for the best blanket hoodie.

With a Sherpa fleece lining, elasticated cuffs at the bottom of the sleeves for extra insulation, and a large enveloping hood, it's specifically designed to be oversized to maximise its comfy qualities. You can also pick up an extra-long version if you want the bottom of your legs covered too.

First impressions

Unpacking it from of the box, my immediate impression of the Sienna was just how cosy and oversized it was. The plush grey outer fabric was super soft, but it was the Sherpa fleece inside that really sold its comfort factor before I'd even put it on.

Admittedly, it wasn't the most exciting design (I went for the Charcoal Grey colour), but as I'd only be parading it around the house, comfort was the key feature for me over a fun design.

Lately, snuggling up with my best hot water bottle hasn't been keeping me as warm as I'd like, so I was excited to try the Sienna for more coverage and, hopefully, warmth.

Related: The best heated gilets, tried and tested

Fit and design

I've now been using the Sienna for two months and can wholeheartedly say I am delighted with it – it's super warm, cosy and has also been ideal for working from home on frosty days. In fact, I've often found it can become a little too hot on milder days or when the heating is on. However, like many others, my household is trying to reduce our central heating usage and the Sienna has been a godsend for keeping warm when it's off – it's certainly helped with getting out of bed first thing on that front.

The oversized fit is ideal – I'm quite short and it comes to just below the knee on me. Personally, this the ideal length, as it doesn't restrict freedom of movement too much as I fear the longer, ankle-length version would, but still keeps the majority of the body covered and warm. I do find the sleeves a little too long, but they can easily be pulled up if needed.

Overall the quality is great, but I did find some of the thread came loose around the pocket and the lining at the bottom. It's still intact and useable so it hasn't been a real issue, but I'd be disappointed with this had I paid more for the blanket hoodie. But, at £20, it's something I can easily overlook.

The biggest drawback of the Sienna is the lack of design options available. It is available in seven colours, but that's not a scratch on the surface of what you can get from the Sienna's biggest rival, the Oodie (we've tested this also - don't miss our Oodie review to compare). With Oodie you do have a lot more design choice – their blanket hoodies feature everything from avocados to chicken nuggets, otters to corgis – but they are significantly more expensive, with prices starting at £54.

Does it wash well?

I confess I was a little apprehensive about washing the Sienna, fearing it would lose its softness in the wash. I also love wearing it so much that I wasn't keen to part with it, even for a just a day. However, the instructions were clear and I was pleasantly surprised that it came out still fluffy and soft.

The Sienna is machine washable at 30°C, and I chucked it in the machine with a regular load of washing. It washed well and dried quickly on an airer, even in a cold house, so I didn't have to wait too long to get back into it (luckily my dressing gown was on standby during drying time!)

Our verdict: Sienna Hoodie Blanket review

I love the Sienna Hoodie Blanket. It's soft, warm and cosy, and I've used it every single day since it arrived. With over 20,000 five-star reviews on Amazon, it's a huge hit amongst wearers and it definitely helps if you're trying to keep the thermostat down more this winter too.

If your budget does stretch to it, the Oodie is better quality and you can pick up a vast range of fun patterns from there too. However, not everyone can splash out £60+ on a blanket hoodie and, at just £13, the Sienna offers fantastic value. It'd make a great gift too – I'm certainly giving it as a few Christmas presents this year!

About the authors

Natasha Gregson is a Senior Content Editor at Mumsnet and oversees all home and kitchen content on the website. With numerous years of editorial experience under her belt, her work has also been featured in prestigious national publications like The i Paper and Stylist Magazine, and she's written on a wide range of topics.

Natasha can't get through the day without her trusty (read: essential) coffee, so she's on a mission to find the top kettles for Mumsnetters, investigating and testing out different models and brands. She's also worked extensively on other home content for Mumsnet and has edited features on the best kettle descaler, most efficient hot water dispenser, and smallest travel kettle, so she knows a thing or two about selecting the top kitchen gadgets.