The weather may or may not play ball, but a spring bank holiday is a reason to kick back, get outside and get together with friends.
To help you make the most of the long weekend, we’ve rounded up some of our most-loved seasonal favourites. Whether it’s tools to spruce up your outdoor space, tipples to sip in the garden, a fake tan to jump-start your summer skin or fashion to take you from spring to summer, here are some of our favourite springtime products.
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Fogarty Cool Sleep 10.5-tog duvet, double
As we transition to May, and hopefully more reliably warm weather, it’s the perfect time to switch to a lighter duvet. Jane Hoskyn named the Fogarty Cool Sleep the best option for those who overheat at night in her roundup of the best duvets. It has a “sprinkling of special ‘phase change’ material designed to prevent overheating, while the 10.5 togs keep you warm”, she says.
100% linen duvet cover
100% linen pillow cases
When it comes to breathable bedding, “linen has the edge”, says Sally Newall in her guide to buying bedding. “It’s stronger and more breathable” than cotton and also hypoallergenic. “These qualities make it good for hot sleepers,” says Newall, and ideal for the hotter months. Interior designer Eva Sonaike recommends Piglet in Bed’s 100% linen bedding in our guide to the best bedding brands.
Peonies bouquet
Peonies come into season in late April, so why not treat yourself to a bunch to add some spring cheer to your home? This bunch from Bloom & Wild is particularly beautiful, and conveniently comes in letterbox-friendly packaging. Zoë Phillimore rated Bloom & Wild as the best letterbox flowers in her test of the best flower delivery services.
Lékué ice cube box
Whether you’re planning to have friends over or just want some ice for your weekend G&T, this ice box is far more aesthetically pleasing than your usual tray. “The abstract-shaped cubes are sharp and stylish, and were small enough to fit in my daughter’s water bottle this heatwave summer,” says Filter editor, Hannah Booth, in our first anniversary piece, where we recommended our fave Filter-approved products.
Travel
Tripp Holiday 8 cabin suitcase
Rated the best budget buy in Pete Wise’s review of the best cabin bags, this suitcase is the perfect size for a weekend getaway. It comes in several bright, summer-appropriate colours, and it aced Pete’s suitcase assault course test.
Trtl travel pillow
If you’re planning to go away and want to catch some winks during the journey, then a travel pillow will help you get comfy enough to drift off. This Trtl travel pillow was deemed the best for providing side support in Pete Wise’s test of the best travel pillows.
Blackout eye mask
Now that the sun is rising earlier, a blackout eye mask can be a godsend. Jane Hoskyn tried out popular sleep aids, and said, “I woke up in joyous disbelief at the nine (yes, nine!) hours of shut-eye I’d achieved” while testing this mask. It’s also handy for helping you get some sleep on a long journey or for taking on holiday, where you may fall victim to a cheap blind that lets in the light.
Inflatable travel bed
“When travelling anywhere with our small children – who are too big for a travel cot but too small for a single bed with no rails – we take an inflatable bed,” says Rose Stokes in her guide to everything you need for travelling with kids. This one “packs up small and inflates in less than a minute with its built-in pump, plus it comes in prints that kids are bound to love”.
Belkin BoostCharge power bank
Make sure you never run out of juice while out and about with a power bank. This Belkin option can charge multiple phones at once, and is even capable of charging a laptop at a respectable speed. It earned top spot in Pete Wise’s test of the best portable chargers.
Ocean Bottle reusable tumbler
If you want to take a hot – or cold – drink for the journey, but don’t want to compromise on taste, then this is the travel mug for you. “This cup provided a brilliantly pure coffee-drinking experience,” says Pete Wise, who rated this the best for taste when he put the best travel mugs to the test.
Drinks
East London Liquor Co gin
Looking for a new tipple for the bank holiday? Rated best all-round in Joanne Gould’s roundup of the best gins, she says it’s “a London dry, but with more of all the flavours you expect: more sharp lemony citrus, more piney juniper, more cardamom and angelica root spice”. Pop it in a G&T or a negroni and sip it in the sun.
Del Maguey Mezcal Vida
Tequila is the new gin, however. Gould rated this mezcal, which “has bags of tropical fruit flavours and notes of ginger and cinnamon that give it a lingering fiery finish”, highly. She tested 40 different tequilas and mezcals and awarded this one the title of best smoky mezcal. She recommends mixing it with fresh pineapple juice.
Moderato merlot-tannat cuvée révolutionnaire, 0.5%
If you don’t drink alcohol, or would rather not spend the weekend with a sore head, you needn’t deprive yourself of a glass of wine. Gould tested 75 low- and no-alcohol alternatives to find the best on the market. “A decent red wine is probably the hardest to find,” she says. “No one will mistake this Moderato for a fully fledged merlot, but it does have the characteristic dark fruit notes of that grape, and its structure puts it firmly on the wine spectrum.”
Firebrand Brewing Co Shorebreak hazy pale ale, 0.5%
Or if beer is more your thing, this hazy pale ale also gets Gould’s seal of approval. “When summer finally arrives, you’ll be hard pressed to find a better drink to enjoy on the beach than this Cornish IPA,” she says.
Garden
Spear & Jackson bypass secateurs
Good weather plus a long weekend can mean only one thing: it’s time to get gardening. Make quick work of all the tasks on your list with a trusty pair of secateurs. Matt Collins, head gardener at the London Garden Museum, pruned and cut with 19 different models to find the best secateurs out there. This pair was his best budget pick, and our readers’ favourite.
Einhell GC-EM 1600/37 lawnmower
Mowing less frequently is one of the ways you can create a more eco-friendly lawn. But when it’s time to give it a spruce-up, find the best lawnmower for you by checking Andy Shaw’s test of the big hitters. This Einhell model was rated the best budget pick.
Kärcher K 2 Classic pressure washer
Get that patio spick and span and clean off your garden furniture now that you’re likely to be spending more time outside. This Kärcher pressure washer is Andy Shaw’s best budget option from his guide to the best pressure washers. “Considering the low price, you’re still getting a surprisingly effective cleaner,” he says, and its compact size makes it well-suited for those who just need it for the occasional clean.
Hori hori garden knife
A great all-rounder tool, Niwaki’s hori hori knife is a favourite among gardening pros. It can be used for weeding, planting and all manner of small gardening tasks.
Outdoors/exercise
La Sportiva TX5 men’s walking boots
Make the most of the long weekend by enjoying the outdoors. If you need some dependable hiking boots, look no further than Paddy Maddison’s favourite pair from his roundup of the best men’s walking boots. “A durable, comfortable and aesthetically pleasing pair of boots that can handle anything from light hikes to multiday treks,” he says.
Lowa women’s Innovo GTX mid boots
Sian Lewis’s guide to the best women’s hiking boots left her impressed with the Lowa Innovo GTX boots, awarding them the top spot. “These sturdy-looking boots are surprisingly lightweight, and are warm enough to feel comfortable through British winters, but just about breathable enough to use in summer,” she says.
Babolat Counter Origin padel racket
If you haven’t heard of padel, then we can only assume you’ve been living under a rock. “According to the Lawn Tennis Association, only 15,000 British players picked up a padel racket in 2019 … but by the end of 2024, that figure was more than 400,000,” says Tim Danton in his guide to the best padel rackets. If you’re keen to give it a go, this Babolat racket was his favourite.
Owala FreeSip water bottle
Owala’s lightweight, leakproof and triple-insulated FreeSip water bottle is the perfect companion for your next workout. A favourite among Gen Z, it comes in a range of aesthetically pleasing colourways, and triumphed in Zoë Phillimore’s test of the best water bottles.
HayMax allergen barrier balm
To guide those who can’t come into contact with pollen without getting a runny nose and itchy eyes, Jane Hoskyn tried out popular hay fever remedies to find the ones that really work. She found that this balm, made of beeswax and seed oil, can act as a pollen barrier to prevent symptoms when applied to the nose.
Beauty
Essential Parfums discovery set
Essential Parfums’ “aim is to democratise creative perfumery”, says Sali Hughes, who recently spotlighted the brand for its beautiful scents at a fair price. This discovery set comes with four 10ml scents, so you can try before you fork out for a 100ml. They’d also be ideal for taking on holiday. Or if you want even more options, they also do an affordable set of 11 2ml samples.
Vichy Capital Soleil hydrating SPF50
Protecting yourself from the sun’s harmful rays doesn’t need to be a chore. Find a sun cream you love so much you’ll be excited to top it up. Sali Hughes’ extensive guide to the best sunscreens will help you find the right one for you. She says this Vichy one is an “extremely easy, comfortable SPF spray with an attractive (and subtle) golden tone. Everyone I offer it to loves it”.
St Tropez self tan body serum
Or you could get instant, safe summer skin. “St Tropez’s feather-light serum blends niacinamide with a collagen-enhancing complex to feel super hydrating, and gives a beautiful, natural-looking finish,” says Danielle Wilkins in her test of the best fake tans. She rated this one the best option for mature skin.
CeraVe intensive moisturising lotion
Winter may be harsher on our skin, but we’re more likely to expose it to the masses during summer. Avoid visibly dry knees and keep your skin looking hydrated with this intensive moisturising lotion. It was Sarah Matthews’ favourite in her test of the best body moisturisers.
Fashion
Albaray drop waist dress
Jess Cartner-Morley thinks this should be your next holiday dress. “I love how generous the fabric of this dress is – it has a real swish as you walk – and that the shoulders and back will work with any bra,” she says in her April fashion edit. It’s an all-rounder that would work just as hard in the UK as it would on the cobbled streets of a European city’s old town.
Wool blend boucle jacket
A light jacket is a godsend for the temperamental spring weather. Fashion assistant Charlotte Gornall rounded up some of her favourite spring jackets for all-weather occasions. Readers especially loved this versatile boucle jacket.
Uniqlo baggy jeans
“Matthieu Blazy’s Chanel effect is coming for the high street,” says Chloe Mac Donnell. His latest video campaign starring Margot Robbie, styled in a tweed jacket, straight-leg jeans and a chain-link bag, has created a “specific outfit formula that is proving to be consumer catnip”. Mac Donnell highlights these Uniqlo jeans and this Mango tweed jacket as affordable high-street dupes to achieve the look.
Leather medium cross-body bag
“Leather bags for under £100 are hard to come by on the high street, but John Lewis has come up trumps with this chic shoulder bag,” says Melanie Wilkinson in her guide to the best spring wardrobe updates.
Boxy poplin shirt
“Cropped, boxy T-shirts have been around for a couple of seasons, and now shirts are being given the chop,” says Peter Bevan. He recommends this shirt from Weekday to achieve the look in his roundup of men’s spring wardrobe updates.
Levi’s 502 taper jeans
A good pair of blue jeans is perfect spring attire. “Oversize dressing has been the cool-guy MO in recent years, but the slim fit is back on the up,” says Peter Bevan. He suggests going for jeans that look as if they fit properly, rather than skinny jeans, just like this tapered pair from Levi’s.
Uniqlo ribbed vest
Channel Michael B Jordan in Sinners by sporting a ribbed vest. “Tank tops usually reappear in summer, but I predict we’ll be baring arms even earlier this year,” says Peter Bevan. “Uniqlo’s are my favourite.”
Cotton-blend half-zip jumper
Even warmer spring days transition into chillier evenings, so don’t pack away your jumpers just yet. This half-zip knit is an extra layer that doesn’t feel too wintery. “The ribbed construction feels premium, while the dropped shoulders keep it intentionally relaxed – without forgoing timelessness,” says Peter Bevan in his guide on how to wear a quarter-zip.
