Jigsaws for grown ups

[BeaLola]

I am trying to buy a couple of puzzles as a thank you gift for MIL dear friend who helps her out . Ideally I'm looking for 1000 pieces I think , no more than 2000 but a lovely scene or of flowers/garden - she apparently loves puzzles and completing them so I though nicer gift than a bunch of flowers - the only thing is I haven't a clue as to a good brand that would be lovely picture and a challenge and hood quality as it's not done thing I know anything about

The ones The Works sells are good.

Amazon is your friend here. DAunt loves a jigsaw, over the years I have got her flowers, a Lowry painting, her favourite Greek island etc

You could have a look here . Lots of choice, you can filter by topic and size.

I got some lovely jigsaw puzzles from George’s Whitstable online during lockdown:

georgeswhitstable.com/collections/jigsaw-puzzles-games

I recently got one for my mother, it was from my photo puzzle.com. I got pictures of my daughter and made a collage which is really easy to do on their website. I got her one for 1000 pieces and she loved it :)

I like Gibson, Galison, Ravensburger and House of Puzzles brands.

I get them for dh at hobbycraft.

Ravensburger are by far the best quality imo - the pieces are just much nicer and don't have that horrible paper backing.

Wentworth jigsaws, I love them. Www.wentworthpuzzles.com

Great pictures, made of wood and have 'whimsy' pieces (little character shaped pieces relevant to the bigger picture, eg cat shaped jigsaw pieces).

Another vote for George Whitstables. They have done really vibrant cheerful ones.

I love puzzles
Best ones I have are ravensburger, Gibson’s and jumbo (I think jumbo is the brand name)
Like pp said, the works have some lovely puzzles in now too
I think 1000 piece would be good if they like puzzles, anything bigger I do not have space for really I like 500 piece also as they only take couple of hours but 1000 are good as they do take an afternoon

Ooh, I was thinking of asking for a puzzle for my birthday next month. Great thread OP!

John Lewis do a 1000 piece Shakespeare one which is really good and a bit different

We love wasjigs. It's a puzzle as well, as you don't get the picture

I am not sure if it is still being sold but one of my favourites is The Magician which is by Jumbo. It is very beautiful and has shiny pieces in it it is 1000 pieces and takes a long time (more than an afternoon) but I got this a long time Ago and am not sure if it is still sold

Can anybody recommend one of the companies that makes jigsaws of family photos? I’d like to get one for my gran if I can find a version with decent quality pieces?

Waterstones always has lovely jigsaws in and sells nice brands (usually Gibson)

Another vote for Georges Whitstable (which I thought was my little secret, haha!) lots of lovely and more fun/modern designs.

Whilst we are talking jigsaws, has anyone got/tried one of those roll up puzzle boards? Are they any good? My finger keeps hovering over ‘add to cart’ when I see one, but would love to know if they are any good before I commit!

Thank you all for the fab suggestions

To start with I have ordered one from George's and had sent directly to her - hopefully it will go down well ? I am thinking it could be a good thing to buy MIL , maybe I should have a go to see if I like it ?

Have a look here: www.jigsawsuk.co.uk/

Such a lovely shop

The Colin Thompson book ones by ravens burger are good

@TheHalloweenFairy

Whilst we are talking jigsaws, has anyone got/tried one of those roll up puzzle boards? Are they any good? My finger keeps hovering over ‘add to cart’ when I see one, but would love to know if they are any good before I commit!

I really struggled with the roll up one! My sister got me a flat one for xmas a couple of years ago it is much better for me But I know some people like the roll up ones so you might be ok if you have already ordered it!

Roll-up ones are rubbish

I have a folding cardboard one that does the job OK - I slide it under the sofa when I'm mid puzzle www.johnlewis.com/ravensburger-'puzzle-handy'-jigsaw-storage/p3031185

TheHalloweenFairy As other people have said, the flat ones are far better than the roll up styles. Make sure it’s large enough for whatever size jigsaw puzzles you prefer. I bought one off Amazon called Puzzle Mates, not the cheapest but had the best reviews. It’s really easy to use and means you can move it around as it’s like a huge art file.