How to stay warm in winter when fuel is so expensive? It’s a much-discussed issue. Part of our mission at Granny Gets a Grip is to come up with solutions that are both practical and beautiful, so we have some helpful answers.

We are told to ‘heat the person, not the room’.

We all love a warm environment - even if you don’t need to be as warm as toast, everyone knows how very much less pleasant it is to be too cold in a cold room than to be just right - but heating is now very expensive.

Luckily, manufacturers have come up with a number of products (non-edible!)  that when popped in the microwave for a few minutes retain joyous heat for up to two hours, at almost no cost. Whether it’s soft, fluffy slippers or slipper boots; neck wraps; heat pads to strap around your midriff, or ones that just rest on your lap, all of these exist in many forms - the world’s your oyster gratin.

Of course, some people still don’t have a microwave. We were, after all, brought up in the Dark Ages, when microwaves were considered frightening and designed to zap us with their evil rays. But help is at hand!

We all have plug sockets, and we’re very keen to stop the smart metre spinning round and showing us how very expensive our beloved blow heaters are, so instead you could buy a mini electric blanket or a fleecy electric throw - even one big enough for two of you to snuggle up together on a sofa. Obviously there’s less moving around if you are fixed near a socket, but most of us spend hours in the same place anyway, watching TV or working at our screens.

We’ve road-tested most  of these, and have shared our favourites:

Microwaveable slippers

These are heavenly - made of that fake fur that seems impossibly soft. A few minutes in the microwave and a few hours of warm feet - at almost no cost. The filling that keeps warm once microwaved is flax seed. Be aware: the flax seed obviously makes the slippers heavier than normal, and, most importantly, it needs to dry out first. So you will need to microwave them and let them cool a few times before using, and don’t put them on if they are still damp! They come in a luxury version, with softer, higher quality fur for only £5 more, or as a boot to prevent draughty ankles...

Microwaveable hot pads for your lap, or wraps around your back or your neck

The Hotties brand has lovely lambs wool squares for your lap - we slip them under our waistbands for support front or back, or rest our toes on them if a bit chilly. And there’s a tartan back wrap with straps, into which you can slide a hot microwaved pad (included) so you can be warm on the move, inside or out, and one size really fits all.

Lots of people like a neck wrap, and we have several that retain heat for a couple of hours after being popped in the microwave. There are colourful velour ones, luxury fur ones (slightly shorter), or more elegant wheat bags neck wraps that can also be heated in a conventional oven (low heat!). Why not have a look at them all and see which you prefer...

How to Stay Warm in Winter with Electric blankets  that go beyond the bedroom

But what if you don’t have a microwave? You can still wrap up warm - inside and outside the bedroom. Try electric blankets, throws or mattress toppers. There’s nothing cosier than snuggling up on a sofa with a warm Nordic throw, or putting a small heat pad on your lap as you work at your desk. Go luxe with the lovely soft fur version, which is also slightly bigger, or retro, with the Not A Hot Water Bottle, an electric version - without the scalding hot water that then goes cold! And of course, at the end of the day, the joy of an electric heated mattress topper cannot be overstated. Who needs to heat a bedroom, when your bed is toasty?

No wires, no zapping: more traditional ways to stay warm in winter

Not everything has to be plugged in or microwaved. There are, of course, the more traditional ways to keep warm - which don’t require any energy at all!

• Pure wool throws,
• lovely cushions with sheepskin as back supports,
• alpaca bed socks
• and our ingenious long hot water bottles...

So beat the chill and stay warm for less.

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