"Pot luck" present for middle aged woman

[redskydarknight]

A group of friends I meet up with regularly have decided to do a "pot luck" for Christmas presents i.e. like Secret Santa, but you are not given a specific person to buy for, you just need to buy a generic present that will be assigned at random.

I hate these things with a passion because I can never think of anything to get, while everyone else seems to manage to get well thought out unique gifts.

So hoping someone has some good suggestions for me?
The group consists of women from mid 40s - mid 60s; and budget is max of £10.

Haven't rtwt so apologies if this has been suggested (although olive oil is a v well received present here by any adult)....

How about Orbital by Samantha Harvey. It's the Booker prize winner. Just under a tenner. Slim. Pretty packaging so nice to have on the bookshelf (if the receiver is not a reader). And kind of thoughtful - because it's new and cultural - without being too generic.

What do people do with all that olive oil?
The only thing I use oil for is for when I fry something 🤔

Chocolate, biscuits or wine! They can use it or share it.

Extra virgin olive oil - salads, dip bread in it. I wouldn't give someone a bottle of blended olive oil, which is what I like to use for cooking, although given how much it costs now they might appreciate it!

Yes, 'offended' is such an overused word. I don't think any of the gifts suggested would 'offend' anyone unless it was from someone who should have known the recipient had a real problem with it (nuts to someone with a nut allergy, wine to either a recovering alcoholic or an abstainer) type of thing.

Lush products might 'offend' my senses but not my sensibilities.

@Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g ah.... I hate oil on salads. I'm the person who blotts it off with kitchen roll if there's some on there !
I've never thought to dip bread in oil. Do you warm it first?

No don’t warm the oil and add balsamic vinegar to the oil - delish!

No, just dip it as is, instead of having butter. Needs decent bread.

Yes - my dd supplemented her gifts last Xmas with a raid on our stores and happily made off with a bottle of blended EV. Thats the sort of item that may be a stretch for a youngsters budget.

@SunQueen24 oh I hate balsamic vinegar 😂
@Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g I might try just the oil with bread though.

This is an excellent idea.

See, that book is a prime example of what different tastes people have. It would be charity-shopped immediately.

None of us reads these kind of books, we are either a bloody thriller, crime, historical or indie-romance book household.

I would still go for chocolate or wine.

Do all you women of a certain age not buy your own olive oil?

@Marsaala it's never occurred to me that it's anything other than a supermarket basic.....I think I've been buying the wrong type 😂
(see my posts above ^)

Yes I buy my own olive oil (incl the posh dipping stuff), socks, gloves, hot water bottle, books and basically everything suggested here.

I also buy my own chocolates, but they run out quite fast. So I say chocolates. Or nice biscuits.

Are presents supposed to only be things you wouldn't buy yourself? That doesn't leave much!

No, my DH does that.
But that doesn't mean that a gift of some other type wouldn't be welcome - like with wine, cheeses or chocolates, there's lots of different types and it's nice to try other varieties.

See, that book is a prime example of what different tastes people have. It would be charity-shopped immediately.

Or if you were spot on with it being something the other person would like, there's a fair chance they'll have bought it themself.
DH and I have more than once bought each other the same book.

Yes, if I run out of pretty bottles that I've picked up on holiday or have been bought as presents. Doesn't mean it's not nice to have some posher stuff sometimes.

Not going to get anything "posh" for a tenner.

Agree, I said that in an earlier post.

That's what we do 😊😊

I'm 71 but since I was about 40 I have appreciated Really Good Socks!

I get through lots of olive oil! Probably most of my meals start off by sauteing onion etc in olive oil. Or roasting veg, or anything else. Then salad dressings, dressing pasta. My granola recipe includes olive oil, some of my husband's bread baking. I use some groundnut too, but mostly olive.

@irregularegular I think my new year resolution for 2025 might be "embrace the olive oil" 🫒