Gifts for Someone Who Has Left London

The best gift for someone who has left London is something from their own part of it. Londoners rarely miss "London" in general. They miss a postcode, a café, a walk, a particular kind of grey afternoon. Choose a gift that names the detail and you will have chosen well.

Work out which London was theirs

London is really a collection of villages that happen to share a transport network. People are loyal to their own, and north and south of the river can feel like different countries.

Before buying, find out:

• Their area. Not "London", but the neighbourhood they would actually say.
• Their places. The café, the market, the park, the pub.
• What they complain about missing. With Londoners, complaints are a reliable guide to affection.

Neighbourhood keepsakes

• An illustrated print of their area by an independent artist. Many London illustrators draw individual neighbourhoods, high streets and even single shopfronts.
• A book of local history or photography covering their part of the city.
• Something with the neighbourhood name on it, simply and originally lettered. Our own London designs are being drawn around this idea.

A note of caution: transport roundels, Tube map designs, football crests and royal imagery are protected. Unofficial versions are common online and best avoided. Either buy the official product or choose something original.

A taste of home

Ask a Londoner abroad what they miss and food arrives quickly in the answer: proper tea, a specific biscuit, the right brand of something ordinary. A box of everyday British groceries can be a better present than anything luxurious, because it is what they cannot buy where they live now.

Check the customs rules for the destination country before posting food, as some items cannot be sent abroad.

Small daily comforts

The most successful gifts are used every day.

• A sturdy mug and good tea. Simple, and it works.
• A tote bag for the weekly shop, wherever that now happens.
• A good umbrella or a rain-themed joke gift. Londoners abroad are often secretly nostalgic for drizzle.
• A subscription to a London magazine or newsletter.

For printed clothing or bags, read how to judge a print-on-demand T-shirt first. The same checks apply to totes and sweatshirts.

For Londoners with two homes

London is home to people from everywhere, and many Londoners abroad are missing two places at once. If your friend is a Sri Lankan Londoner, for instance, a present that nods to both will land twice. See our guide to Sri Lankan gifts for diaspora friends and family for ideas.

The short version

Name their neighbourhood, not just their city. Send something they can use daily. Add a note with a memory of a day you spent there together, and it will mean more than the object itself.