Our homes may be providing us with the safety and security we need – and there truly is no better place for us to be – but being able to escape from the uncertain and bewildering realities of current lockdown life offers a much-needed bit of sweet relief, whether it be through the pages of a favourite novel, the alluring locations of a film, the exotic taste of a freshly-cooked dish, or scent of a faraway land.

Nothing evokes the senses, or has the power to transport, more than scent. The part of our brain that processes smell also stores our memories, which means that when our noses detect the scent of something we have stored with a memory, that memory is triggered. It may be the smell of vine-grown tomatoes in your grandfather’s greenhouse, the salty tang of the ocean on your first trip to the seaside, or the scent of your favourite childhood meal; the scent and memory will forever be closely entwined.

This is the reason that my favourite way to switch off, unwind and escape is simply to light a scented candle, because it offers a dreamlike conduit to another time and place. Now perhaps more than ever, I appreciate this transportive quality of scent. When enjoying a nice long warm bath I like to have a candle that evokes a sense of the tropics burning nearby, so I can close my eyes and imagine I’m laying in the ocean, the sun beating gently down, a man selling freshly-cut coconuts a few yards up the beach. When I’m curled up on the sofa reading a book I like to burn a candle with a scent that closely matches the setting of my novel, further transporting me into it’s pages. And when I’m sat at my desk working (ok, kitchen table as the bf has stolen the office) I like to have a gently floral scented candle nearby and imagine the smell is wafting in from my garden through an open window. In reality we’re four floors up, overlooking a car park, without even as much as a balcony for outdoor space.

So I thought today I’d round up a selection of candles and other home fragrance products designed to help you create your own escape, to a setting of your choosing, whether you dream of rambles along a blustery Nordic coastline, saying aloha to a chilled island vibe, or simply pottering in a garden, bursting with the fresh, sweet scent of springtime.

Just pick your destination below..