They are a hard couple to get hold of but WE did it! Kicking off our Gifting To Know you interviews we have Jamie & Jools telling us about all their favourite gifts from their childhood to what they are really wanting for Christmas this year! Meantime, we’re loving Jamie's new book Jamies America.

What is the best present you had as a child?

Jools: It was an orange fluffy dusty bin. I must have been about 8years old and I loved it – we used to sit with it empty it and fill it up again with a load of old junk. It was friendly and looked cute but it was quite hard to cuddle as it was (obviously) a bin.
Jamie: I had a Darth Vader-shaped head made of plastic which when you opened it was full of all the tiny plastic characters. I would spend hours either walking around with it on my head or take the characters out, line them up and shoot at them. Hours of fun. I really loved it.

What is the best present you have ever received?

Jools: The bracelet I was given by Jamie when Poppy our first daughter was born. It’s so beautiful and I have never taken it off.
Jamie: The Go Kart Jools bought me for my 30th. She gave me 2 – one in blue and one in pink so we could race each other. I always turn it over as I try to go through the pond, which is not how it’s meant to work, but we have a laugh and we have good fun – and that’s what it’s all about

What is the best present your children have received?

Jools & Jamie The girls were given iPods. Poppy’s is pink and Daisy has the Yellow one. They either sing along to Hannah Montana or listen to The Secret Seven.
Petal is only still little but she was given a beautiful framed picture from Belle & Boo. Sadly it arrived with a smashed frame as my friend hadn’t packed it up properly. It’s at the framers now, but will soon take pride of place in the nursery. I really love stuff like that.

What is the best present you have ever given?

Jools Probably to my mother. I brought her a silver mini, which I brought from my first pay check when I had written Minus 9 to 1
Jamie: As you know I travel a lot and I am away sometimes for weeks on end. I miss Jools and the girls so much and so send my wife flowers every Friday (she would say it’s is the best gift in the world) always with a different message. You have to keep the romance alive and even though this has been going on for years it never fails to impress her.

What was the last present you gave? And to whom?

Jools: I brought my Godson a great push-a-long WOW toy for his 3rd birthday, apparently he plays with it non-stop, which is just what we like.
Jamie: While I was away filming in the Sates I went to a Navajo reservation and managed to get the girls some fantastic Indian Fringe Boots which they wear all the time.

What’s the best thing you have never received (but have always really wanted)?

Jools: I have never owned a Chanel bag and it’s something I’ve always wanted
Jamie: A lie in!

What is the best present you bought for yourself?

Jools: I buy Jewellery from Solange Azgury in Westbourne Grove I think I went in there once and went a bit mad. I saw this Porcelain bird perched on a gold ring in a magazine and hunted it down . It’s not something I have done before or have done since.
Jamie: My Purple camper van! Kitted out with cooker and Cath Kidston curtains, the original Love Wagon

What do people tend to buy you?

Jools: Candles, which I really really love – I can never have enough.
Jamie: Socks seem to be quite a regular occurrence but they are really beautiful and you can never have enough. People probably find it hard to buy for me – the other thing they tend to buy are old recipe books which are fantastic. It’s like my night time reading. Brilliant!

Better to receive or better to give?

Jools: Always to give. Always.
Jamie: Well it’s always nice to give but you can’t beat a bit of receiving.

It’s coming up to Christmas is there anything you’d like to see in your stocking this year?

Jools: Yes, I want one of those old fashioned pedal bikes with a basket.
Jamie: I never want anything. I am lucky enough to have most things so I just want to have Christmas at home with my gorgeous girls, friends and family. For me that is what Christmas is all about.