Real stories · Malcolm's new favourite

Malcolm swore his old jacket was fine — this fleece-lined one ended the argument

Malcolm has finally stopped pretending he isn't cold — that's what this jacket did. I'm 67, my husband Malcolm is 68, and every winter we have the same performance: he takes Winnie out in a jacket older than our marriage, insists he's 'fine', and comes back with his shoulders up round his ears and his hands too cold to undo the lead. Men of his generation treat being warm as an admission of defeat.

What I wanted was a jacket warm enough that he'd never have to admit anything.

Then I found the Torvellanor from a British label called York Boutique — a sturdy navy jacket with a button front, two chest pockets, and the whole of the inside lined in thick, tan sherpa fleece, right up through the collar.

The lining is what wins the argument. The fleece runs all the way up into the collar, so the warmth sits exactly where the wind gets in — at the neck — which is why he doesn't need the scarf he would never have worn anyway. Outside it's a proper sturdy jacket; inside it's frankly a blanket. He put it on, said nothing, and has reached for it every morning since. From Malcolm, that's a review.

Fleece all the way up through the collar — which is why the warmth sits exactly where the wind gets in, no scarf required.

I'll be honest: I paused at £49.95, even at half the usual £100. Then I counted the walks — two a day, every day, all winter — and it suddenly looked like the cheapest warmth in the house.

It has since done every morning round, the frosty allotment, and one trip to the tip that Malcolm volunteered for, which has never once happened before. The postman asked where it was from. I did check before ordering that I could send it back if the fit was wrong — you can, within a fortnight, and the delivery's free — so the only risk was Malcolm liking something I'd chosen, and he's coped.

If there's a man in your house who's also 'fine' in a jacket older than the dog, do have a look. The Torvellanor is rated 4.7 out of 5 by more than 330 customers, it comes in five colours, in sizes S all the way to 5XL — and the navy goes first.