Big boys’ toys, trips & tips

Curious Questions: Were the Wright Brothers actually beaten to it by a farmer from New Zealand?

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 enjoy this summers season of festivals, shows and races. This week: Ascot.

The Utterly Inessential Father's Day Shopping List: Swim shorts made from plastic fished out of the ocean, old fashioned tumblers and the monogrammed socks you never knew he needed

There 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. On the other hand, there's a bunch of things that he probably doesn't want, definitely doesn't need, but we're sure he'll appreciate nonetheless. Happy Father's Day.

The Utterly Inessential Hay Shopping List: All you'll need to thoroughly enjoy 'the Woodstock of the mind'

The newest addition to the Rolls-Royce fleet? Not a car, but a rather incredible Champagne chest

For the places that their famous cars cannot go, Rolls Royce have created the perfect dining companion, perfectly paired with the offerings of Jay-Z's own Champagne house.

Toyota Hilux review: Forget three men in a boat — three men in a double-cab 4x4 pick-up truck is the true test

Our correspondent and two fishing friends find the refreshed Toyota Hi-Lux is more than a match for New Zealand’s rocky terrain and a mountain of gear.

Abarth Rivale review: 'With the exhaust on full Tom Jones-singing-Burning Hell mode, you’d have to be dead not to be having fun'

It might look like something from the ‘Looney Tunes’ cartoon series, but the new, smartened-up version of the pint-sized Fiat 500, the Abarth Rivale, is a hot hatchback.

Wooden loo seats: Why they're more desirable than their plastic counterparts and how to get your hands on one

No downstairs cloakroom is complete without a wooden loo seat. Jane Wheatley investigates why burr walnut is always preferable to plastic when it comes to sitting pretty.

Is English whisky becoming a worthy opponent for its Scottish rival?

We’ve all heard the hype about English gin and sparkling wine, but those with an eye on the future should look to whisky, says Rupert Ponsonby.

The Utterly Inessential Shopping List: A bag to save lives, your house as a map and why the time might have come for fizzy red wine. Really.

This week on Utterly Inessential we bring you a selection of products to browse while you consider what happens when people need neither a house nor alcohol they can actually, reasonably drink, and thus decide to sink enough money to buy the house which owns the estate on which my dream house sits on into a breakable bottle of whisky.

The lost wonder of Concorde: A marvel, an inspiration and a 23 miles-a-minute gentleman’s club

Fifty years ago, Concorde first took flight and became a British icon. It was ahead of its time then – and still would be today, reflects James Fisher.

The Supercar Event where you can have a ride, instead of just peering through the window

The Utterly Inessential Shopping List: The Ministry of Defence's watch of choice, the perfect gift for the perfect puppy and our weekly wine blast

Another week has gone by in which producers and purveyors of goods have asked themselves not 'what does the world need?' but a far greater question: 'What does the world absolutely not need, but still whimsically wish for?'

Jaguar's ice driving academy: Thrills, spills and (almost) taking out photographers under the Northern Lights

Learning how to drive on snow and ice could save your life. It's also bloody good fun, as Adam Hay-Nicholls discovered driving Jaguars in sub-zero conditions through the Swedish wilderness.

Curious Questions: Did a double decker bus really jump over Tower Bridge?

London's most famous bridge is 125 years old in 2019, but for all the marvellous facts there's only really one story anybody wants to hear. Is it true that a double decker bus once cleared the gap as the bridge was opening?

Bentley Continental GT review: 100 years on, Bentley still making the ultimate hybrid of sports car and limousine

Over the past decade and a half the Bentley Continental GT has become the most-successful model in the company's history. As the Crewe-based firm hit their centenary, Toby Keel takes a look at the latest iteration of their flagship model.

Curious Questions: Why does nobody know where Christopher Columbus is buried?

He's one of the most famous human beings ever to walk the planet, but the final resting place of the Genoese explorer Christopher Columbus remains shrouded in mystery. Martin Fone, author of 50 Curious Questions, investigates.

The Utterly Inessential Shopping List: Scarves aplenty, whisky candles and some charitable cushions

In a world infested with 'must-have', 'don't miss' and 'buy now', one list stands alone as the voice of reason: this list, where everything is both entirely marvellous and completely unnecessary. Welcome, dear friends, to Utterly Inessential.

The Utterly Inessential Shopping List: Step back in time with nightshirts, port and good old fashioned dice games

In a world plagued by 'must-have's and 'buy now's, one list and one list alone strives to bring you the 'must-never-have's and 'please lord never buy this's. Welcome, dear friends, to Utterly Inessential.

The utterly inessential shopping list: An iPad/Alexa hybrid, a wire reindeer and a £145 air freshener

At this time of year more than any other, rampant consumerism is an inescapable fact of life. So don't fight it: plunge in headfirst and enjoy our latest utterly inessential but entirely marvellous shopping list.