Scrub-a-dub-dub takes on a new meaning
When it comes to hand scrubs, you have to believe the hype. They leave you with baby soft skin and this particular one smells incredible. Is it necessary? No. But neither are office dogs and I have it on good authority that our Features Editor's black labrador is the highlight of people's (my) week.
Bergamot & Blood Orange hand scrub, from £15, Tam Mason, www.tammason.co.uk
Because it's the worst thing you could ever lose in the airport
You need it, your mother needs it, my mother needs it and so on. Hadoro Paris have created a passport cover with a built-in Bluetooth tracker, enabling you to use your phone to find your passport. Now if only I could find my phone...
Passport cover from around £225 from Hadoro Paris, www.hadoro.com
Because people that rich don't know where their fridges are
There's not much to say about a £7,000 ice bucket... bottoms (and stocks) up, I guess.
Sterling-silver ice bucket, £7,000 from Theo Fennell, www.theofennell.com
Nigel the owl strikes again
This wonderful notebook celebrates Ettinger's 85 years of producing beautiful leather goods. Only 85 of these lovely notebooks have been produced, featuring illustrations of the idiosyncratic Nigel the Owl. The paper books inside are crafted by Royal Warrant-holding Barnard & Westwood and 15% of the proceeds will go to the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust.
Chestnut Ettinger X Rory Dobner notebook, £265 from www.ettinger.co.uk
A new take on 'chocolate ice cream'
Mr Whippy got down on his knees and thanked the geniuses at Choc on Choc when they created this fine example of confectionary. Layers of milk and white chocolate and pieces of fudge abound and (the best news yet) it's solid.
Please form an orderly queue.
Chocolate Ice Creams, £18 for a set of two from Choc on Choc, www.choconchoc.co.uk
Do these still work
If you have a pool, you simply need a proper parasol under which to drink cocktails and laugh candidly without a care in the world.
Etta parasol (2m/6½ft), £399 from East London Parasol Company, www.eastlondonparasols.com
Credit: Picasa
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
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
The Utterly Inessential Wimbledon Shopping List
We've rounded up all the utterly inessential products — posh tennis gear, in other words — that you absolutely do not need
The utterly royal shopping list, from beautiful winter flowers to hand-made suits that defy disposable culture
For one week only we've transformed our regular utterly inessential shopping list into an utterly royal shopping list, to coincide
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The Utterly Inessential Wedding Shopping List: From beautiful bouquets to romantic getaways
As the excitement of last night begins to fade into memory, we hold dear in our hearts those who are
The Utterly Inessential Polo Shopping List: Everything you'll need for The Hurlingham Polo International Day and beyond
Looking ahead to this Saturday, Alexandra Fraser rounds up all of the Utterly Inessential items you may desire to attend
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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
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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
Credit: Leo Acker/Country Life Picture Library
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
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The utterly inessential shopping list: A gold Ferrari, your very own private island and a stunning timepiece to watch
Forget about the big things. You can keep the necessities. Don't tell us about the must-haves. Alexandra Fraser takes a
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If the future of Ferrari is electric vehicles, then it is our future tooIt's widely believed that Ferrari will unveil its first electric car this year. It's the signal that the internal combustion era is coming to an end.
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Gaze over Cap Ferrat in this four-bedroom French villaIgnore the wind and the rain. Imagine yourself in this hillside home with some of the best views the Mediterranean can offer.
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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.
