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The utterly inessential shopping list: A pair of swim trunks with your name on them, the chair fit for a yeti and a very special sausage roll

Alexandra Fraser Alexandra Fraser

A new year, a new you and a new list of utterly inessentials to purchase. 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.

Happy New Year wonderful shoppers and welcome back to our totally inconsequential but entirely fabulous shopping list.

After the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season money can be a little tight and I know we’re all going to be very careful with what we spend our hard-earned money on for the next eleven months. That being said, here’s a list of ever-so expensive, fairly frivolous and of course, utterly inessential items. Enjoy.

Entry January 4th: Attempt to pay rent

ARTICHOKE DIARY EMMA BRIDGEWATER

My first purchase of 2019 (made on the 2nd because, being a dutiful holiday observer, on the 1st of January I elected to neither leave my flat nor open my curtains) was a diary to keep track of all the plans I naïvely made on the evening of the 31st. If you’re going to get a diary (and you really ought to), why not get one as neatly organised as your fridge? Described as ‘illustrated with vegetables month after month as neatly as an allotment plot with row upon row of produce’, this is one to buy.

Emma Bridgewater Artichokes A5 Diary now £7.95, www.emmabridgewater.co.uk.

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Two for the price of fun

Oak and rope candle

I know what you’re thinking. £70 is a lot to pay for a single candle. I agree, which is why this is a double-wick scented candle and really, is £35 a wick too much to pay for 60 hours of warm, glowy candle fun? Probably. The answer is probably.

Double-wick scented candle, £70, from www.theoakandropecompany.co.uk.

It may not be the season for it but…

customised shorts swim Blueprint

Winter has well and truly settled in now which means most swimwear has gone on sale. This particular item hasn’t and we have to assume it’s because the quality is so incredible that you should really be paying 20% more, not less, for the privilege of having your own photo proudly displayed on your swim trunks.

The question isn’t whether you will buy these (you obviously will) but what picture you will choose to grace the lower portion of your body; the options are endless, from a stunning photograph captured from your private helicopter to a simple screenshot of your bank balance.

customised shorts swim Blueprint

I should mention that the sight of these has reminded me that my other half is currently sunning it up in the Caribbean while I’m sitting in good old England just about downing peppermint tea to stay warm…. please note that the rest of this column will be written in that same mindset.

Personalised Swim Shorts for £385, www.bluemint.com.

Yeti another chair

‘Wild Chair’ in Yeti beige and weathered oak by Timothy Oulton

For some reason, I feel drawn to the fluffy chairs out there on the interweb – maybe it’s because they remind me of the ski chalets I’m not currently at (or more likely, the comfortable bed that I’m not currently in).

Timothy Oulton

My latest sedentary offering is the ‘Wild Chair’ from Timothy Youlton, perfect for curling up in by a warm fire. Just don’t get too close to the flames.

‘Wild Chair’ in Yeti beige and weathered oak by Timothy Oulton, £2,250 from www.timothyoulton.com.

Winter warmer for a warmer winter

Ciroc black raspberry vodka

Personalisation is a craze that stays with us into 2019 and what better way to beg forgiveness for the Christmas present you forgot to buy than with a personalised bottle of this wonderful wintery liquor?

CÎROC Black Raspberry, £35 plus £10 for personalisation, from www.getitinkd.com.

The wait is, indeed, over

I am not a vegetarian (or indeed a vegan) but I happen to date one so I cant help but be delighted that he now has another option for breakfast on the go. And what right-minded person could possibly have a problem with greater choice being made available for those who, for whatever reason, choose not to eat meat?

Yes, what right-minded person could possibly take issue with such a thing?

The vegan sausage roll from Greggs costs either 95p or £1, depending on the location of your local branch. www.greggs.co.uk.

If you purchased our entire shopping list you would have spent a quaint £2,748.95 and I’d really like to know what you bought your loved ones for Christmas. For purely academic purposes. Happy vegan eating.