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.
Burgers and spice and everything nice
Although the weather is shocking today, tomorrow and Saturday, hope is on the horizon for a sunny Sunday and a bloody good BBQ.
It may be easier to wack sausages and chops straight out of a packet and onto a grill, but a little Turkish Aleppo Pepper, Shichimi Togarashi and Turkish Sumac are sure to add a bi of bang to your barby.
BBQ Trio from Rooted Spices, £13.50, www.rootedspices.com
Just a spoonful of royal flare
No, you don’t need a Highgrove sugar bowl. But don’t you want one?
Royal Gardens sugar bowl, £14.95, Highgrove Royal Gardens, www.highgrovegardens.com
For the real feel, get it three sizes too big
There’s just something about a hotel-style bathrobe that says ‘I’m going to sit on my bed clad in white towelling fabric for three hours watching TV and miss my dinner reservation’, something which just happens to be one my of favourite activities in the entire world.
Hotel velour robe, £65, Tielle, www.tielleloveluxury.co.uk
Cheese, Chocolate and Country Life: The Wonderful World of Subscriptions
The future truly is having things delivered to your door to minimise human interaction throughout the day. For three months, you could be the lucky recipient of nine chocolates filled with seasonally-flavoured ganache – bon appetite.
Time for wine
According to our wine expert Harry Eyres, ‘Once upon a time, Sauvignon from the Loire had to be Sancerre or Pouilly-Fumé.’ This is no longer the case.
Le Grand Ballon Sauvignon Blanc Val de Loire 2018, from an estate on the Cher near Chenonceaux, has ‘attractive, blackcurranty ripeness and satisfying texture, as well as crispness.’
Le Grand Ballon Sauvignon Blanc Val de Loire 2018, £8.99; www.waitrosecellar.com
Bring the carnival to your home
No one needs a home with its own bowling alley, cinema room and cross bedroom motif, but someone is going to get one.
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