Review: John Lewis outdoor LED lighting

My garden wouldn’t get within a mile of Chelsea. It is a plain square of grass with a few flowering weeds, some rotten apples (currently) and the usual detritus that accompanies children (trampoline, slide, residential complexes built for ants from sticks, grass and probably cat poo). Imagine my green-fingered delight then when I was asked to review some of John Lewis’ latest outdoor LED lighting. Goodbye wasteland, hello fairy dell!

The traditional lantern

Arrrr! Holding this lantern aloft I have been a scary pirate and a fisherman so with the kids it’s safe to say it’s popular. This battery operated lantern has 21 LED lights (non-replaceable – I guess they last a long time) and mimics the style of a good old-fashioned lantern that you might see aboard ship (ahoy there). It’s not smooth and slick by any means – bits move, twist and go up and down (intentionally) as if it were a 50-year-old lantern that had been dragged into the 21^st century and pimped with LEDs. That is, it looks authentic. This does lead me to wonder how long it will stay looking good – here you need to trust John Lewis’ tradition of quality.

Although the LEDs are on an adjustable dimmer switch, you couldn’t eat your ship biscuits and drink grog by the light of this lantern. It’s not enormously bright, but, as decorative rather than functional lighting should do, it casts an acceptably bright glow with no danger of turning your garden into a landing strip. (Believe me, I have neighbours who have to turn away 747s …)

The rattan line lights

To me, ‘rattan’ evokes images of basket weave bathroom furniture, the cracks in the weave dusted with old talcum powder. Fortunately, these rattan line lights are far more appealing than that. Think glamping in a yurt; think secret garden; think … well, in my case, think ‘these are a darned sight better than our faded butterfly lights that have endured several winters and wet summers and have now seen better days’.

It took a couple of days in the garden to get these 10 solar powered LED light ‘balls’ up to their full strength, but once they were I was pleasantly surprised by how attractive they are. As with the lantern, they are not exceedingly bright but, really, you don’t expect more from decorative lights. They have a pretty glow and an equally pretty shadow. I was slightly concerned that the rattan balls would become rattan pulp after a couple of days in the garden but they seem to have survived the last few days of wind and rain in tip top condition.

I did wonder though what to actually ‘do’ with these lights. Whilst the total length of the lights (including the wire leading to the solar box) is 10.7ft, the length of the lights themselves is only 4ft. This isn’t quite long enough to make a real feature of them (for example, wound along a decking area or draped in a tree). John Lewis – I like these lovely lights very much but I would have preferred them to be longer. More balls please!

These products were sent to me free-of-charge and I was asked for nothing other than an objective review. The products are not currently available on the John Lewis website but keep your eyes peeled for them in the outdoor lighting section!

Little Waitrose at John Lewis Watford – win £150 of vouchers

There are few shops that I can say hold memories for me. (Or at least pleasant ones – my mum will remember the unfortunate incident in Cresta Cards that cleared the shop.) As a child I remember wandering around the John Lewis (or Trewins as it was in Watford in those days) haberdashery department marveling at the rainbow walls of cotton reels. John Lewis was where my big brother had his first grown-up job. I shopped for my wedding list there and then three years later was back buying for my first baby and wondering who could afford a Silver Cross pram. I shall resist any mention of the Royal Baby … And, of course, there was many a time I got my boobs out in the baby department.

For both old-timers like me and the yet-to-be-converted, the great news is that the John Lewis store at Intu Watford (formerly the Harlequin Centre) has just got even better. Not only are there 4 glorious floors of whatever you fancy to peruse – you can now tickle your taste buds at the same time because John Lewis’ tastiest family member, Little Waitrose, has moved in with its big brother. 5,500 square feet of John Lewis has been converted into the new Little Waitrose space giving you the chance to shop for your favourites whilst enjoying everything John Lewis has to offer.

Convenience is all. Little Waitrose is the ideal place to choose something for dinner, pick up a snack or top up your regular food shop. Alongside fruit, vegetables and deli products you can find fresh meat and fish counters and a bakery. Get some flowers if you need to say sorry to someone. Choose from the wide range of wines and beers if you want to celebrate something. And for the more mundane days when not much is happening and you’ve been neither insulting nor successful, you’ll find store cupboard essentials from washing powder to cereal. Why go anywhere else? Happy days.

To celebrate the arrival of Little Waitrose at John Lewis in Watford I’m giving you the chance to win a fabulous £150 worth of John Lewis vouchers (which can be spent in any John Lewis, Waitrose and Little Waitrose or online). For your chance to win please see below. Good luck and happy shopping and eating – both at the same time, marvellous!

TO ENTER
To enter please scroll down and leave a comment telling me how you’d spend the vouchers. Of course, if you don’t want to tell me and just want to say “hello” that’s fine – I’m just being a nosey-bones. Either way, you’ll be entered to win.

THE RULES
Entries from the UK only. Just one entry per person. No entries accepted after 5pm (GMT) on August 31st, 2013. The winner will be chosen completely at random and will be announced here on September 1st as well as contacted individually. If the winner doesn’t respond within 5 days then an alternative winner will be chosen.

Disclosure: A big thanks to the John Lewis Partnership for giving me the opportunity to offer these vouchers.