FRIDAY BARGAINS: Bunches of flowers

I try to avoid buying flowers online or using Interflora, if possible. Last year I was all set to send my mum a bouquet for Mother’s Day. Then I went on the Interflora website and got all moody when I saw the prices. Was it me, or were the tariffs all pumped up for the Mother’s Day weekend? I worked out for the cost of sending a half-decent bunch of flowers, I could fund the 500-mile round trip to go and see her. So I did that instead.

Since then, I’ve discovered Bunches. It’s a family-owned company; from their Nottinghamshire base, they send flowers around the UK. The flowers are sent in pretty boxes, by first class post or overnight courier.

Although there are plenty of lavish floral displays on offer, Bunches also provides a number of thrifty options. Their best value bouquet, ten stems of mixed colour carnations (above), comes in at £9.99 – apparently the price hasn’t changed since 1990. If your intended recipient is a bit of a snob and disparages the humble carnation (like me!), go for the £16.99 bunches of orchids or Asiatic lilies (these are the jazzy colourful lilies, as opposed to the funereal ones).

The prices include delivery, and all orders are sent with free chocolates.