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The Utterly Inessential Sales Shopping List: From Britain's finest shops to refreshing your house in the name of charity
Utterly Inessential is back with the things which you‘d rather have received for Christmas itself, but have resigned yourself to purchasing in the January sales.
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A secret communications tower in a WWII prison, transformed into a swish home with a frankly ludicrous dressing room
Once an early warning system for a nearby American air base, The Water Tower is now the furthest possible thing that it could be from its previous occupation.
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Country Life's quirkiest features of 2019: The dog who summoned the armed police, the bus that jumped Tower Bridge and the likelihood of death by coconut
The best thing about being a magazine with such a wide readership is the truly eclectic mix of articles that we're able to deliver to your doorsteps. Here are our favourites from the past year.
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Country Life's best dog stories of 2019: Adorably loyal terriers, political pooches and the dog who ate Christmas
Here at Country Life we (unsurprisingly) discuss a lot of four-legged friends. Here are our favourites from 2019.
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Country Life's best Instagram posts of 2019: Gorgeous interiors, stately homes and the lamb that broke the internet
One of Country Life's crowning jewels is our carefully-curated Instagram feed, displaying the Best of Britain twice a day, every day.
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The ultimate guide to choosing, preparing and cooking a perfect Christmas turkey
The star attraction of a Christmas dinner is unfortunately often the thing that goes the most wrong. Read our top tips to avoid disaster and present a turkey cooked to perfection.
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The Utterly Inessential Shopping List: 10 things which under no circumstance should you ever, ever purchase
At the end of 2019, we look back on the crème de la crème of Utterly Inessential, mulling over what we thought then and whether our opinions have softened much. Spoiler: They haven't.
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Best Grade II listed country houses for sale
These beautiful listed country homes stand in the heart of some our most beautiful countryside.
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Four glorious gatehouses for sale, from under £325,000
If owning your own stately home is out of reach, living in the gatehouse can offer much of the charm at a fraction of the price, as these lovely homes demonstrate.
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London's iconic red bus at risk and 6,000 year old chewing gum gives clues into our DNA history
Cuts to industry subsidies and an increase in fares has left bus use at its lowest point ever, while DNA extracted from ancient 'chewing gum' allows scientists to decipher the genetic code of a Stone Age woman.
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County Life Today: What do the election results mean for the British countryside?
Today we take a look at what the Conservatives plan to do to help preserve our environment, discuss why exactly Friday the 13th is a portent for doom and look at the best photographs of dogs at polling stations yesterday.
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My Favourite Painting: Robert Dalrymple
'Our West Highland terrier stood in for the cat; Anna put on a big hat, but, to my regret, I never got round to buying a spotty dressing gown.'
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Coworth Park at Christmas: The ultimate festive, helicopter-accesible staycation, under ten minutes from central London
A gem in the middle of a beautiful estate, Coworth Park boasts incredible food, beautiful rooms and, for those in the mood for a little airborne adventure, a startling proximity to London.
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Country Life Today: British farmers want to lead the fight on climate change
Farmers want to take action to battle climate change and many are already doing so, while we also pay tribute to former England cricket captain Bob Willis.
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The former Chelsea home of the creator of Mary Poppins that’s practically perfect in every way
The former home of P. L. Travers, one of the 20th century’s most influential authors, is sure to be snatched up faster than you can say supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.
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Ten stately homes which became hospitals during the First World War
To mark 100 years since the end of the First World War, The Royal British Legion draws our attention back to those grand family homes which opened their doors to wounded soldiers from all over the world, as well as their own boys at the front.
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The Bell at Stow: A beautiful bolthole full of Cotswolds charm, masterfully combining a rustic pub and a stunning boutique hotel
Alexandra Fraser continues her tour around the British countryside and discovers a hidden gem.
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A drink for all seasons: Five drinks for any given mood this Friday
Not sure what tipple tips your fancy tonight? Read our guide.
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The Utterly Inessential Cosy Shopping List: Wrap up warm, winter is almost here
Teeth chattering? Legs shaking? Can't feel your fingers? Winter is finally here (almost), and so is the cosiest edition of our weekly shopping list to date.
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Margot, Covent Garden restaurant review: A delight from carpaccio to tiramisu, plus a recipe for their venison tortellini
Dinner in London can sometimes be a bit of a rush, but it's worth taking the time to enjoy Margot to its fullest, as Alexandra Fraser discovered on a visit to Margot.
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The Utterly Inessential Shopping List: How to throw a smashing last-minute dinner party
What do you do when you've forgotten that you invited the entire bridge club round until T-24 hours?
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Country Life Today: How Instagram has supported local pumpkin patches all around the world
Today's round up recounts how Instagram's prevalence of pumpkin photographs has boosted growth in local pumpkin farms, how a herd of goats saved a presidential library and discusses whether poor weather will affect the December vote.
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The beautiful railway station which became a stunning Northumberland family home
In another life, Low Akeld House served as Akeld Station. Now it's a wonderful family home with two holiday rental properties and a rich history.
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A beautiful Georgian property with eight incredible luxury holiday lets, offering a home and a business in one
A beautiful Georgian home with a portfolio of incredible holiday lets comes to the market in quite possibly the best two-for-one deal we've seen this year. Alexandra Fraser takes a look.
