Last minute Christmas Shopping

If you still haven't done your Christmas shopping, then you had better get on with it! Get some last minute inspiration and offers from the pick of our retailers on these specially tailored Christmas shopping pages.



Stocking Fillers
For Gardeners & Gourmets
For Women
For Men
For Home Lovers
Christmas Books
For Kids

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE GOOD WEB GUIDE!

Win a festive 'Party Pack' from Martini Rosato and Pomegreat

The coming party season will see us all enjoy a cocktail or two but none so delicious as this new tipple, The Melograno, which combines the light, fresh taste of Martini Rosato with Pomegreat, the original pomegranate juice drink (which contains the juice of eight pomegranates in every 1 litre carton).

The cocktail was launched into the celebrity circuit and parties this summer, with the likes of George Clooney, Jude Law and Thandie Newton spotted sipping the drink during glamourous events such as Cannes Film Festival and the Monaco Grand Prix.

The handy Party Kit contains a bottle of Martini Rosato, a Pomegreat Original juice, a jug and glasses and a branded trinket. The Martini Rosato is complimented by the juice, helping to bring out the seductive notes of suitably festive spices like cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg, alongside the light aromatics of raspberry and lemon.

How to make the Melograno - fill a highball glass with ice. Add a single serve of 70ml of Martini Rosato and fill the glass up with Pomegreat pomegranate juice. Garnish with a lime wedge and add ice to taste.

To enter the draw to win, click here.

Giveaway of the Month: November-December

WIN £500 TO SPEND ON DESIGNER JEWELLERY AT ASTLEYCLARKE.COM

With Christmas not far away we’re turning to AstleyClarke.com for ingenious jewellery gift ideas. Discover fine Designer Jewellery gifts from £35 to £25,000. Its exquisite collection includes 1,000 pieces of contemporary and fine jewellery from over 50 internationally renowned designers.

All Astley Clarke jewellery comes delivered in elegant boxes and can be gift-wrapped in hand-printed Japanese wrapping paper, tied with an Italian blue satin bow. Until Christmas, Astley Clarke is offering Free UK next day delivery, same day London delivery and fast International delivery - making it the perfect place to shop for designer jewellery gifts. Shop online at www.AstleyClarke.com, call 0845 680 6848 or visit 6 Junction Mews, London, W2 1PN.

For a chance to win a £500 voucher to spend across the range, just enter CLICK HERE

Christmas Shopping Guides

Why does Christmas shopping always have to be so stressfuland expensive? The truth is it doesn't - well not when you've got one of our handy guides to help you find presents for all the family, and at discounted prices too.

Gifts for Her include jewellery, super fine cashmere blankets for travelling and more...

Gifts for Him include wine decanters, silver cufflinks, shirts and the finest darn pair of socks we've ever seen...

Gifts for Home Lovers include all candelabra's, scented candles, cushions, door stops and more...

Keep an eye out for more Christmas Gift Guides coming soon!

SimonSeeks wins The Good Web Guide Website of the Year 09

Simonseeks.com was picked as The Good Web Guide's Website of the Year 2009. The new concept travel site launched in June 2009 and now attracts over 2000 unique visitors per day, with numbers growing. Founder Simon Nixon talks us through the business.

Explain your business

Simonseeks is a new concept in travel websites, combining quality user generated content, in the form of detailed travel guides of approximately 800 words, and expert moneysaving tips with a comprehensive choice of booking options. Often described as the YouTube of travel, the site now features over 2000 guides written by celebrities, professionals and amateurs alike who share their favourite destinations and insider tips with the community.

What makes Simonseeks unique?

We are unique as we are the only user generated content website to share revenue equally and directly with our writers. This will encourage our writers to take an active interest in the quality and detail of the guides they write for us. This enables us to offer our visitors the very best travel guides free of charge, combined with expert consumer travel advice, moneysaving tips and booking options.

How do you make money?

The revenue comes from commission generated by people reading the guides, clicking through to travel partners’ websites and making a booking. Display advertising revenue is also generated. All the revenue from each guide is shared equally between the writers and Simonseeks.com and each author has a Simonseeks Paypal account and the revenue is generated is paid directly into this.

How much can contributors earn?

The amount will vary depending on the standard of accommodation booked, for example, and the length of stay. The more informative, interesting and easy-to-read a particular guide is, the higher its rating will be and the more income it will generate for the author. A guide is also more likely to attract readers if it looks appealing and has photographs to illustrate it.

To read the full interview with Simon Nixon, click here

Website of the Year 09 - Winner Announced!

The Good Web Guide's first Website of the Year Award attracted over a thousand entries.

A shortlist of 25 sites was chosen and sent to judges including Emma Jones, founder of Enterprisenation.com, Sháá Wasmund, founder of Smarta.com, Liane Dietrich, MD of Linkshare.co.uk; Yanique Francis-Lalin, senior web analyst at Twenga.com, Nick Wills, founder of Beatsdigital.com and MD of Thegoodwebguide.co.uk, Arabella Dymoke.

The standard of the shortlist was very high and judges found it hard choosing a winner. In the end, Simonseeks.com, the new concept travel website which combines user generated content with expert moneysaving tips and a comprehensive choice of booking options was picked as the overall winner.

An awards lunch was held at Quo Vadis, Soho where Nick Trend, the editor of SimonSeeks, received a cheque for £1,000 and a selection of other fantastic prizes. For more details, click here.

Judge Yanique Francis-Yalin (Twenga) said of SimonSeeks, 'I especially like the way the user content is organised and that there are standards to ensure good quality content.' Meanwhile, Nick Wills commented, 'It's solid, executed well and could go a long way.'

Nick Trend spoke on behalf of the team at Simonseeks.com when he accepted the award saying, 'Everyone in the office is delighted and it is a huge boost to our confidence after many months of hard work!'

Runners Up in The Good Web Guide Website of the Year Award 2009 included: Songkick.com, which tracks artists, venues and festivals to ensure you never miss another gig; Findinvestgrow.com, which works with and supports young entrepreneurs; and Shiply.com, which helps visitors to find cheap courier services already making trips across the UK and Europe.

A big thanks to all those who entered the awards. Please do watch out for our Website of the Year Award 2010 - launching soon!

4 November 09

Website of the Year Shortlist Announced!

The Good Web Guide Website of the Year Award 2009 was geared towards small businesses and non-profit organisations. Over 1000 nominations were received. There was a high standard overall. One excellent site, YoungDebaters.com was submitted by Edward McGovern with the plea, ‘I am 13 and need to take the website further, but don’t have the money to do so.’

The sites ranged across a number of interests from forums and social networks, entertainment, travel, retail, information, property, services, food, parenting and gardening. The following sites have been shortlisted and all have something unique to offer, whether it’s an interesting concept, useful information or plain fun. The winning site will be announced online no later than 6th November 09.

To view the full shortlist, click here.

Win one of two £250 vouchers to spend online at ME & EM

ME & EM believes that if you’re not in work or party mode then you need clothes that you can look good in, but at the same time feel relaxed in.

Whether it’s something to sleep in, lounge around in, jump on a plane in, wear at the weekend, do the school run in or enjoy wearing on off duty days, ME & EM has a full range of fabulously comfortable and stylish clothing and accessories.

Following its recent re-brand, it has brought in a new range of luxurious new fabrics, sumptuous new colours and fabulously flattering new styles. It also has some great new brands, including Monica Vinader, Penelope Chilvers and LA Made. To find out more, visit www.meandem.com

And for a chance to win one of two £250 vouchers to spend across the range, just click on the link below. Entries close 16th November 09. Good Luck!

http://www.thegoodwebguide.co.uk/?PAGEID=12129

Win a leather Eaton handbag, worth £475 from Aspinal of London

Our giveaway of the month for September is a corker: a classically structured Eaton bag, worth £475 from elegant brand, Aspinal of London.

The Eaton has a luxe, vintage feel and is individually handmade by master craftsmen from vegetable tanned mock croc or smooth calf leather. It has two separate zipped pockets on the outside and a large middle compartment, perfect for daily essentials. The interior is lined in quality grosgrain, includes a handy mobile phone pocket and is finished with fine Italian hardware and Swiss made zip.

Available in black or navy. Entries close on 10th October 09. Enter the draw to win here.

We launch our Website of the Year Award 2009!

We have spent nearly ten years researching and reviewing the best websites across a range of topics and this year we’re launching our first Website of the Year Award, aimed at small businesses and organisations. There will be only one winning site, picked by a team of qualified judges. If that's your site you will win:

• £1,000 to spend on their website plus an advertising campaign on thegoodwebguide.co.uk during 2010 worth £500.

• A press release prepared by Kenyon Communications on the subject of their choosing, with full media distribution, worth £500.

• A full SEO audit and follow up consultation with SEOptimise, worth £750.

• A Vistaprint Custom Business Kit to help build their brand and market their business like a pro, worth £178.

• Professionally taken portraits of the website founder(s) and/or team worth £350, by award-winning photographer Dave Watts.

To find out more the awards and how to enter, just click here.

Kelly Hoppen talks interiors with The Good Web Guide

Renowned British designer, Kelly Hoppen is the pioneer of a simple but opulent style that has permeated interior design. She has designed apartments, houses and yachts for an international list of clients and also undertakes commercial comissions including houses, restaurants, offices and aircraft interiors. Her latest project, however, is the one that she considers to be her most successful yet: the renovation of her own Notting Hill home. This 2,500 square foot classic Georgian townhouse features her trademark neutral colour scheme throughout and took just five months to complete.

So where does Kelly get her inspiration? What are her interior dos and don'ts? And how can those who can't afford her get the Kelly Hoppen look? The Good Web Guide steals five minutes with the designer herself.

Read the full interview here

Win a new summer wardrobe of clothes from Kew, worth £250!

Congratulations to Mrs Johnson, who won £500 to spend on jewellery at Leblas in last month's draw. This month, we've got an equally fabulous giveway from Kew, which is donating a £250 spending spree on its classic clothing as its prize.

Kew’s gorgeous range of summer styles and accessories is made with the attention to detail and quality that you’d expect from a sister brand to Jigsaw. With up-to-date classics and trend driven pieces in natural fabrics – there’s something in the range for everyone. Check out the full range at http://www.kew-online.com/.

Enter the draw here before 20th August!

Summer Birthday Present Ideas

Just posted our new shopping feature for July and August - Summer Birthday Present Ideas has exclusive offers and discounts from a number of our top retailers, who have hand-picked gifts for friends and family and provided a welath of inspiration.

To see the full range of offers and present ideas, just click here

Brixton deli-owner, Rosie Lovell talks good food & friendship

Five years ago, after finishing her History of Art degree at Edinburgh University, Rosie Lovell set up Rosie’s Deli Café in Brixton market. Since then she has welcomed an eclectic mix of hungry customers from across the globe and counts Basement Jaxx amongst some of her most enthusiastic fans.

Between juggling orders, serving up her famous scrambled eggs, going to gigs and taking time out to recover from a brain haemorrhage that nearly killed her two years ago, Rosie found the time to write her first book, Spooning with Rosie: Food, Friendship and Kitchen Loving, which is published by Fourth Estate this June.

Read our interview with Rosie here
Read our review of Spooning with Rosie here

Win £500 to spend on any piece of jewellery at Leblas

A rare bird in the world of jewellery design, Leblas combines traditional techniques, modern design and sustainable practices in the creation of its beautifully made selection of rings, necklaces, earrings, bracelets and specially commissioned pieces. This year, it is proud to have won the accolade of Coutts New Jeweller Award 2009, part of the annual Coutts London Jewellery Week (8th-14th June 09).

There’s 15% off across the range for visitors who enter goodwebguide at checkout when ordering at www.leblas.com. To enter the draw to win £500 to spend on Leblas jewellery, click here.

Our new shopping pages

As you know, Thegoodwebguide.co.uk re-launched earlier in the year with a whole host of new features. One of our favourites is on the Shopping & Lifestyle channel where we can now produce image-driven shopping features from a selection of our top recommended websites.

This month, we've got two new shopping features running with a wide selection of discounts.

Father's Day

From quality cufflinks and tasteful ties to shaving kits and special Father's Day hampers, you can't fail to find your Dad something for June 21st. Click here for more.

Get Fit for the Sun

From fitness equipment and sports clothing to beach wear, body moisturiser and spa days, this feature helps you to look and feel your best this summer. Click here for more.

Enjoy!

Talking business with NotontheHighStreet's Sophie Cornish....

In April 2006, Holly Tucker and Sophie Cornish started Notonthehighstreet.com, an online showcase and shop for small UK businesses. Since the website’s launch, Holly & Sophie have watched Notonthehighstreet.com grow to include over 800 small UK businesses and today they receive 300 applications for membership each month.

It provides a much-needed community, a source of information and marketing support for the best of Britain’s small creative businesses - 97% of which are run by women. In a mark of their success, last October, Holly & Sophie were invited to a business focused question and answer with the Prime Minister.

So what makes a successful small business? Why are so many women running them? And what was it like meeting Gordon Brown? The Good Web Guide talks to Sophie Cornish…..

Read the full interview here

Photo credit: Founders of notonthehighstreet.com, Sophie Cornish and Holly Tucker. Photographed by Rankin, for BT Business Essence of the Entrepreneur 2008

Win one of two £250 vouchers to spend on contemporary art at Arty Prints.

Arty Prints provides customers with a one-stop shop for high quality fine art prints, posters, framed and canvas art from many of the world's leading artists. There are over 70,000 artworks to choose from, which range in price from under £10 to £500. With such a wide range of styles and prices, Arty Prints makes it easy to find something special, whether it’s a budget piece to brighten your home or an exclusive piece for the office.

To enter the draw, click here. Entries close 8th June 09. Good luck!

Our chairman at The Good Web Guide, David Teale launched his latest online venture this week, My School Book Club. which aims to make the best children’s books more accessible and affordable to kids, parents and teachers, and eliminate the negatives (ie the organisation and paperwork) of current school book clubs.

Schools across the country are being encouraged to register in order to get their own school website for free. Parents can then order discounted children's books directly from the website earning their school 20% in free books each time they make a purchase online. It's a great site, colourful and easy to use with a fantastic selection of books available - and we're not just saying that because he's our chairman.....

To read our review of My School Boook Club, click here
To read our interview with David Teale, click here

Introducing our new columnist...

We're delighted to announce that founder of Enterprise Nation (enterprisenation.com), Emma Jones has joined The Good Web Guide as a columnist on our Money & Property channel.

The UK's largest website for home based business, Enterprise Nation provides information and inspiration through its homeworking news, views and feature profiles.

Continuing along this theme, Emma's column will give weekly advice to small businesses (like many of those found on The Good Web Guide) covering a variety of topics including the art of selling, advertising, marketing, outsourcing, new trends and much, much more. This week's column talks about developing niche business.

To read The Good Web Guide's full review of Enterprise Nation, click here.

Two brand new channels

The relaunch of the new and improved GoodWebGuide took place at the end of March, with a clearer design and layout, improved navigation, wider pages, an interactive facility through which visitors can now write their own ‘mini reviews’ of recommended sites plus two BRAND NEW CHANNELS.

Entertainment & Culture
This channel helps you to find out what's on when and recommends the best blogs, books and films of the month. We've reviewed countless websites covering sport, museums & galleries, music, reading, writing, theatre and more. Watch out for monthly dispatches from our roving reporter, Rulwynn Mann.

News & Information
This channel provides a huge variety of web resources covering news, consumer advice, legal information, reference sites, genealogy, research services and more. Catch up on the headlines or look up family members, find a job abroad or at home or discuss current affairs come an evening with some like minded souls. It's all there when you need it.

Just use the Index down the left hand side of each page to browse the full list of reviews.

April Prize Draw

Win one of two £250 vouchers to spend on luxury bath linen and accessories at Balineum.

Only ten days left to enter the draw at Balineum, which designs and sells elegant linens and accessories for your bathroom. Its fabric shower curtains are designed to be a two-part shower curtain and combine premium cotton and linen curtains with a waterproof liner. Meanwhile, its luxury 820 Anatolia towels are heavy and absorbent; or choose a lighter weight towel from the Syrie collection, hand-woven using organic Egyptian cotton. Don’t forget the newest addition to the Balineum collection, the Braga Bath Mat, which is handwoven with an elegant floral design and is oh-so-soft underfoot.

To enter the draw or receive a 10% discount across the range click here