Some spring flowers...
Jealous of the flowers your friends got on Valentine's Day? You're an independent person – get your own. Send them to yourself at work. Fill your home with bouquets. You're worth it.
This gorgeous bunch, from Lavender Green Flowers, is just the ticket to herald in Spring. Sure you could pick a few flowers from your local field (as is the nature of utterly inessential), but for a special occasion, it's nice to enlist some professional help.
The Midsummer Night’s Dream, from £65 from Lavender Green Flowers, www.lavendergreen.co.uk
A cup of tea or two...
Afternoon tea is a rare, wonderful gift in life and it's back in its best season. If you're after something a little different from the traditional tea and cupcakes, try the Queen of Hearts afternoon tea at the Taj.
Truly tasty and beautifully put together, it's definitely afternoon tea royalty, especially for those who are fans of a rich, chocolatey cake. If you fancy an ordinary (ha!) jasmine tea, it runs all year round.
Come on, England
Sometimes, you want to demonstrate an awareness of the current major sporting event occurring in the world right now, to show you're in the know and woke. Sometimes you have so many teams that you owe allegiance to that you just can't bring yourself to wear one country's colours.
Sometimes you stride into a Very English Bar full of Very English Rugby Shirts and dive to the floor in your gold and green when the screen shows the trophy being carved 5 minutes before end of play. C'est le vie. And we're all living it.
Whether you're watching in the pub or escaping to the seven seas, a Whale of a Time deck shirt is always appropriate.
Padstow Deck Shirt Blue/White, £59.95 by Whale of a Time Clothing, www.whaleofatimeclothing.com
Our weekly tipple...
Sipsmith are experts on easy gin cocktails. When you catch your next glimpse of sun, try this one out for size:
Muddle some basil leaves in a shaker
Add ice, 10ml of sugar syrup, 15 ml of lemon juice and 50 ml of Sipsmith London Dry Gin
Shake well and double strain into an ice-filled glass
Garnish with a basil leaf if you’re feeling fancy
A little slice of wonderfully ridiculous
'I love my marmite and it deserves all of the silver lids!' – anonymous Country Life staff member, 2020
Just please, for the love of all that is holy, do not throw it in the damn bin.
Silver Marmite 125gm lid, £145 from Theo Fennel, www.theofennell.com
This week's issue of Country Life magazine
If it's good enough for Posh and Becks, it's good enough for you!
The Utterly Inessential Valentine's Shopping List Part II: Pink gin, heart-shaped earrings and a dog bed for the true love of your life
Every year, we round up the top gifts one could possibly give without going over-the-top-crazy for Valentine's Day. Fortunately, this
Credit: Theo Fennell
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
Six perfect Christmas gifts for gadget lovers
Dreaming of a tech-filled Christmas? Here are six gadgets to hit the spot.
Credit: Catherine Fitzgerald
The Utterly Inessential Shopping List: Boat Race boots, beautiful benches and better-late-than-never bouquets
Whether you're Oxford or Cambridge, white or dark chocolate, or flowers or champagne (always both), you're sure to find something
Credit: Choc on Choc
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
The Utterly Inessential Red Shopping List: No-holds barred options for Valentine's Day — or anyone who just really likes red
Credit: Boundary Project
The Utterly Inessential Shopping List: Gifts to make him fall at your feet, a delightful decanter and all the Valentine's experiences a happy heart could hope for
The chill of February is ill-fated to be accompanied by a day dedicated to those lucky few among us who
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Dawn Chorus: A Blue Plaque for Marc Bolan, holidaying in the Caribbean with Francis Ford Coppola and a history of the National Gallery in 25 picturesPlus the best of the property pages, and how the railways will save the countryside.
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Game, set, match: 12 of the world’s most beautiful tennis courtsFrom Italy to Indonesia, when it comes to hotel amenities, a picturesque tennis court will always trump a 24-hour gym. So, before you book your next holiday, take a look at our pick of the 12 best.
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Seven perfect Christmas gifts for people who just love beautiful, functional thingsWilliam Morris famously said to have nothing in your house that you don't know to be useful or believe to be beautiful. These things do their best to hit both targets.
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Christmas gift ideas for menFrom fathers to brothers to lovers, we run through some smart ideas for Christmas presents for the men in your life.
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Perfect Father’s Day gifts for dads who deserve itThere are many ways to show your dad that you love and appreciate him. There's breakfast in bed, an offer to mow the lawn, a big hug and the offer of the last biscuit. Or you could just buy him something that he definitely doesn't need, but we're pretty sure he'll want.
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The Utterly Inessential Wimbledon Shopping ListWe've rounded up all the utterly inessential products — posh tennis gear, in other words — that you absolutely do not need to enjoy Wimbledon, but would probably fancy having anyway.
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The Utterly Inessential Mother's Day list: 16 gifts guaranteed to either surprise or delightIs your mum the sort who's happiest with what she knows — or one who loves a surprise?
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The Utterly Inessential Shopping List: Supercharged home Wi-Fi, smart headphones and a mobile phone literally anyone can useOur Utterly Inessential Shopping List returns with some technology that is far cleverer than we are.
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The best weekend bags and finest holdalls that (rather a lot of) money can buyGoing somewhere nice? You might be soon, so here's Hetty Lintell with her pick of the finest holdalls and best weekend bags you can buy.
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Best smart speakers for non-techie people: What to expect, what you'll love and what doesn't workSmart speakers are no longer the preserve of tech geeks and millennials — these handy speakers are, and (as we'll discover) particularly handy for those living in the countryside. We've looked at some of the main contenders to see which one comes out on top: Google Nest Audio, Amazon Echo Studio, the Apple HomePod Mini, and the Audio Pro G10.
