Utterly Inessential Shopping List
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The Utterly Inessential Travel Shopping List: Everything you need for winter sun or hitting the slopes
Last week's Country Life showed you all the best places to travel for a holiday now that the summer is over, from swimming with horses in Montego Bay to curling up in a chalet in Courmayeur. Now that you've booked your trip, Alexandra Fraser shows you all the things which may make your journey a little bit easier, a little bit more luxurious and a little bit utterly inessential.
By Alexandra Fraser Published
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The Utterly Inessential Kitchen Shopping List: Antique copper pans, lemon-coloured cookers and the sort of stool you'd imagine Hemingway sitting on
Sure, you could go down to Homebase, Ikea or B&Q. But where would be the fun in that?
By Toby Keel Published
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The Utterly Inessential Shopping List: A pet candle with a secret, an American culinary road-trip and the inevitable waterproof
In this week of Utterly Inessential, we take a look at a few things we may (but probably wont) need to get through the cold weather.
By Alexandra Fraser Published
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The Utterly Inessential Autumn Shopping List: Cheese subscriptions, cosy blankets and everything else you need in the run up to winter
Cuddle up under a blanket and put Friends on in the background; the winter lists are back and better than ever.
By Alexandra Fraser Published
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The Utterly Inessential Shopping List: Everything you need for the last weekend of summer
Alexandra Fraser rounds up the last few things you absolutely don't need this summer, as we reluctantly turn towards autumn jackets, broken brollies and 'do you have any tables inside?'.
By Alexandra Fraser Published
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The Utterly Inessential Bank Holiday Shopping List: A few simple pleasures to indulge in over the historic August long weekend
It's the weekend we've all been waiting for since Christmas. In three short days, everyone in the UK (except the parents of young children, God bless you) will wake up at 7am, glance at their phone clocks and peacefully drift back into their downy pillows with large smiles on their faces. It's here, it's really here – the August bank holiday.
By Alexandra Fraser Published
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The Utterly Inessential Beach Shopping List: From ocean-inspired drinks to a Dragon paddleboard for the entire family to enjoy
Bored of being in the office? Well, this weekend is your chance to drop everything and jump on a train down to our gleaming coastline. Alexandra Fraser rounds up a few of the utterly inessential things that you should probably, potentially, but definitely not absolutely, bring with you.
By Alexandra Fraser Published
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The Utterly Inessential Shopping List: Solid chocolate ice cream, a trackable passport cover and a £7,000 silver ice bucket
In this week's round up of utterly inessential items to amaze and beguile, Alexandra Fraser takes a look at a solid chocolate ice cream cone, the world's most expensive (probably) ice bucket and the ultimate solution to losing your passport in the airport.
By Alexandra Fraser Published
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The Utterly Inessential Shopping List: A chocolate subscription, Highgrove's sugar bowl and an in-home bowling alley
Forget about the big things. You can keep the necessities. Don't tell us about the must-haves. Alexandra Fraser takes a look at a few little luxuries which, in a world too full of strife and woe, will help ease your way through life with a smile on your face.
By Alexandra Fraser Published
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The Utterly Inessential Outdoors Shopping List: How to grow your own drinks garnish, a water bottle that keeps ice for 24 hours and a quacking picnic blanket
The Great Outdoors is wild and mysterious, and often doesn't offer many opportunities for snacking. This week Alexandra Fraser has complied a list of handy products which correct this grevious oversight, making your next foray into the outside world that much more simple, luxurious and tasty.
By Alexandra Fraser Published
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The Utterly Inessential Henley Shopping List: From this weekend's Regatta to next week's fabulous Festival
We've rounded up all the utterly inessential products that you absolutely do not need (top hats for Ascot aside) to enjoy this summers season of festivals, shows and races. This week: Henley Royal Regatta and Festival.
By Alexandra Fraser Published
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The Utterly Inessential Shopping List: Slip-free shoes for swimming fun, the hidden delights of Canadian wine and Godiva's legendary Croiffle
As the wettest June on record draws to an end (slowly), we turn our faces to the sun and have a look at some of this summer's most exciting new finds.
By Alexandra Fraser Published
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The Utterly Inessential Ascot Shopping List: How to safely navigate one of British society's most draconian dress codes
We've rounded up all the utterly inessential products that you absolutely do not need (top hats for Ascot aside) to enjoy this summers season of festivals, shows and races. This week: Ascot.
By Alexandra Fraser Published
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The utterly inessential Glyndebourne shopping list: A rug, a picnic basket and a £26,000 bangle...
We've rounded up all the utterly inessential products that you absolutely do not need (top hats for Ascot aside) to enjoy this summers season of festivals, shows and races. This week: Glyndebourne Festival.
By Alexandra Fraser Published
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The Utterly Inessential Hay Shopping List: All you'll need to thoroughly enjoy 'the Woodstock of the mind'
We've rounded up all the utterly inessential products that you absolutely do not need (top hats for Ascot aside) to enjoy this summers season of festivals, shows and races. This week: Hay Festival.
By Alexandra Fraser Published
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The Utterly Inessential Chelsea Shopping List: What you'll need for the famed Flower Show, from chic sunglasses to an obligatory brolly
We've rounded up all the utterly inessential products that you absolutely do not need (top hats for Ascot aside) to enjoy this summers season of festivals, shows and races. This week: Chelsea Flower Show.
By Alexandra Fraser Published
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The Utterly Inessential Royal Baby Shopping List: A pram fit for Balmoral, marine-issue wellington boots and the phenomenon of the baby sleeping bag
Let's face it, when it comes to our little ones, we are all inclined to go a little bit overboard.
By Alexandra Fraser Published
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The Utterly Inessential Marathon Shopping List: The ulitmate survival kit, headphones to drown out the pain and a marathon where one can run with wine
This week on Utterly Inessential, we admire those who take part in one of the world's biggest fundraising events as much as we balk at the concept of entering ourselves.
By Alexandra Fraser Published
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The Utterly Inessential Shopping List: Spring scarves, wonderful wine for your Easter lamb and Godiva's £10,000 Easter egg
As we leave the snowdrops behind and welcome the bluebells, we turn away from the world of wellies and jackets and towards a softer, lighter world, filled with silk scarves, wonderful wines and £10,000 Easter eggs. You know, just the normal things.
By Alexandra Fraser Published
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The Utterly Inessential Easter List: Bunny headphones, a terrific toothbrush and eggs, from scotch to cheese to (of course) chocolate
What ho! It's time for our regularly scheduled decadence to receive its regularly scheduled seasonal edit. This week we're considering everything that springs (get it) to mind when we think of Easter and all the shopping it entails. Think food. And lots of it.
By Alexandra Fraser Published
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The Utterly Inessential Shopping List: A bag to save lives, your house as a map and why the time might have come for fizzy red wine. Really.
This week on Utterly Inessential we bring you a selection of products to browse while you consider what happens when people need neither a house nor alcohol they can actually, reasonably drink, and thus decide to sink enough money to buy the house which owns the estate on which my dream house sits on into a breakable bottle of whisky.
By Alexandra Fraser Published