Real stories · The slippers that ended cold feet

The Slippers That Ended Cold Feet

Warm from the first step, steady on the kitchen tiles, and still on my feet at ten o'clock at night — the Lorviannea slippers have ended the cold-feet season in this house, at least for one of us.

Our house, like most houses of its age, has a climate system best described as 'regional'. The living room is tropical, the hallway is brisk, and the kitchen tiles in January belong in a documentary about the Arctic. My old slippers — flat, flattened, five winters old — had long since surrendered.

The Lorviannea, from York Boutique — a British label I order from often — are a different class of thing. A soft fleece lining all the way round, proper cushioning underfoot that supports rather than squashes, and a real non-slip sole, which is why the kitchen tiles have lost their menace entirely.

They slip on without hands — no backs to crush, no fiddling — and the neat minimalist look means I answer the door in them without a second thought. Malcolm, who has strong opinions about 'house shoes', has asked where his are. He is getting a pair for Christmas and has not been told.

Warm at seven in the morning, warm at ten at night — and not one skid on the kitchen tiles since.

I'll be honest: I paused at the price, because slippers have always been the thing one buys cheaply and regrets annually. Then I counted the five winters of flat, cold, treacherous pairs that strategy bought me, and ordered. I did check first that I could send them back if they ran small — you can, within a fortnight, and the delivery's free. They're listed at £70 and sell for £34.95 because York Boutique sell direct.

They come in beige, brown, grey and black, in sizes UK 3.5 to 9, and they arrive looking like a present already — which, for every cold-footed person on your list, they rather are.