With temperatures set to soar to 30c (86f) this weekend, the nation will be taking to the great outdoors in a bid to make the most of the sunshine while it lasts.
But it’s not enough just to grab your ratty old beach towel or fire up the rusty barbecue — this year you might prefer to soak up the heat like the glitterati.
From the most luxurious fashions to the jaw-dropping gadgets that will see you through the summer, BETH HALE and STEPHANIE CONDRON reveal how to soak up the rays — if you can afford the hefty price tags.
£2,900: PEAK TEAK
Sun lounger, Chaplins
This teak and stainless steel sun-lounger is beautiful — but would cost five figures for the whole family.
And you don’t even get to fully lower the back if you want to recline in style.
£2,900: PEAK TEAK: Sun lounger, Chaplins. This teak and stainless steel sun-lounger is beautiful — but would cost five figures for the whole family. And you don’t even get to fully lower the back if you want to recline in style
£195, CREAM OF THE CROP
Bellefontaine Switzerland’s Ultra Suncare cream, Harrods
A single bottle won’t go far — 45ml would be about 18 applications for face and neck. But it does have an SPF 50 and boasts of feeling weightless.
£195, CREAM OF THE CROP: Bellefontaine Switzerland’s Ultra Suncare cream, Harrods
£3,600: MAXIMUM IMPACT
Linen kaftan by Gucci, Net-a-Porter
This chic and cheerful maxi-length kaftan makes a stylish poolside cover-up. But beware getting it too wet … it’s dry-clean only.
£3,600: MAXIMUM IMPACT: Linen kaftan by Gucci, Net-a-Porter
£1,350: MONEY BAGS
Cotton canvas beach tote, Burberry
You probably won’t want to use it to carry your soggy beach towel.
But this understated tote (colour — sand, but only the kind you find in exotic climes), with its leather trim, is all about the barely visible designer label.
£1,350: MONEY BAGS: Cotton canvas beach tote, Burberry
£165 GOOD AS GOLD?
Crete de Fleur inflatable, Versace
The ultimate bling ring adorned with black and gold. But is it much different to the rings from the beach shop?
£165 GOOD AS GOLD? Crete de Fleur inflatable, Versace
£25,000: HAM IT UP
Petiole Hammock, hammacher.com
Sit by the pool and swing up a breeze in this most luxurious of hammocks, which hangs from a single polished steel pole. The design has won an award.
£25,000: HAM IT UP: Petiole Hammock, hammacher.com
£955: ICE FOR A PRICE
Silver-plated insulated bucket, Christofle
Silver-plated and doubly insulated, it is simple in design but you will struggle to fit more than one bottle of bubbly in it.
£955: ICE FOR A PRICE: Silver-plated insulated bucket, Christofle
£18,183: SPLASHING THE CASH
Zodiac Ovline Original Oval Pool, The Fun Company
This inflatable pool makes your average blow-up number look like a puddle, but you’ll need a big garden (as well as deep pockets).
It is 9.2 metres by 6.3 metres (30ft by 21ft), with the ring acting as a heating system. It needs 58,000 litres of water. Hope you’re not on a water meter.
£18,183: SPLASHING THE CASH: Zodiac Ovline Original Oval Pool, The Fun Company
£5,473: OH-SO CHIC SHADES
Dita sunglasses made from wood and titanium, Cettire
Forget wood and titanium, you would think these sunglasses by luxury Japanese eyewear brand Dita were made of gold, given that hefty price tag.
The wood, unspecified, does at least have a gold tone, and you do get a protective case. But, whatever you do, don’t leave them unattended by your sun lounger.
£5,473: OH-SO CHIC SHADES: Dita sunglasses made from wood and titanium, Cettire
£240: CRYSTAL CLEAR
VitaJuwel Via Diamonds water bottle, Selfridges
Stay hydrated with a New Age, plastic-free, gemstone- infused water bottle.
The diamond slivers and quartz are contained in an inner pod and ‘vitalise’ the water. It’s all about the ‘energy’, dah-ling.
£240: CRYSTAL CLEAR: VitaJuwel Via Diamonds water bottle, Selfridges
£4,480: IN THE SWING
Dedon Swingrest Hanging Lounger, einrichten-design.co.uk
Treat the family to this swinging sofa. The table even swivels so you don’t spill your drinks.
£4,480: IN THE SWING: Dedon Swingrest Hanging Lounger, einrichten-design.co.uk
£675: TWINKLY TREAT FOR TOES
Crystal-embellished leather slides by Miu Miu, Net-a-Porter
Slide your tootsies into crystal-embellished leather. The base is still rubber.
Just remember to remove them when you go for a paddle.
£675: TWINKLY TREAT FOR TOES: Crystal-embellished leather slides by Miu Miu, Net-a-Porter
£599: IT’S FAN-TASTIC
Purifier humidifier fan, Dyson
Get a blast of fresh air even when it’s sweltering outside.
It cools, humidifies and purifies, and ‘automatically detects particles and gases’, as well as temperature and humidity levels, then diagnoses and reports them. Sounds whizzy.
£599: IT’S FAN-TASTIC: Purifier humidifier fan, Dyson
£4K: LET US SPRAY
Röshults garden shower, Chaplins
Forget cooling off with a sprinkle of the garden hose, the glam crowd have garden showers. This one has a ‘rain effect’. Remember: you’ll need plumbing!
£4K: LET US SPRAY: Röshults garden shower, Chaplins
£1,850: FORKING OUT
24-piece cutlery set, Christofle
Watch your guests’ surprise when you pull out this golden egg at the barbecue. It’s stainless steel with rose-gold plating.
£1,850: FORKING OUT: 24-piece cutlery set, Christofle
£3,277: TOP TABLE
Table tennis table, Chaplins
This isn’t just for ping pong. The net detaches so you can dine out after a game. Comes with paddles and balls.
£3,277: TOP TABLE: Table tennis table, Chaplins
£405: PERFECT POSING
Beach towel, Louis Vuitton
This monogrammed number measures 150 cm by 90 cm (59 in by 37 in) and is nothing fancier than pure cotton — but it is perfect for showing off.
£405: PERFECT POSING: Beach towel, Louis Vuitton
£465: TWO DEAR
Dolce & Gabbana bikini, Net-a-Porter
The price tag is hardly itsy-bitsy — but that’s no surprise given it is made by the house of bling.
£465: TWO DEAR: Dolce & Gabbana bikini, Net-a-Porter
With a sizzling few days ahead… here’s how to throw an ice party in your back garden
By Beth Hale for the Daily Mail
The start of summer was a gloomy-skied washout, and in recent days some of us have even been tempted to nudge the thermostat back on.
But now, as the summer holidays start in earnest, it’s finally time to dust off the sunglasses and reach for the sunscreen as – if the forecasters have got it right – we’ve got a sizzling few days ahead.
Temperatures are expected to hit as high as 30C in parts of the UK tomorrow, matching popular hotspots like Majorca, Menorca and Ibiza, which will be some solace for would-be holidaymakers now those regions are back on the Government’s amber list for travel.
But how will you keep cool and collected as the mercury soars?
While it will probably be too busy at most British coastal haunts for you and your family to cool off with a relaxing dip in the sea, fear not, for it’s perfectly possible to take it freezy in the comfort and privacy of your own back garden.
Here, BETH HALE shows you how to have an ice time chilling outside…
The start of summer was a gloomy-skied washout, and in recent days some of us have even been tempted to nudge the thermostat back on. Here, BETH HALE (pictured) shows you how to have an ice time chilling outside…
BLOW UP AND CHILL OUT
A water balloon fight is guaranteed to bring your temperature down a few degrees, but there are even better (and less raucous) ways of using those balloons.
Turn the aqua in them into ice and they will make fantastic giant ice balls to float in the paddling pool or for the children or to hand to guests who need to cool down. Just make sure they don’t start throwing them!
All you need to do is make some space in the freezer, fill some balloons from the tap and wait for physics to take its course.
INDULGE WITH AN ICEBREAKER
Want to have something cool, refreshing and icily impressive on hand for guests? Something a tad more chic than a hastily-bought bag of supermarket ice?
Why not indulge in a vodka luge ice sculpture from which to serve drinks.
No vodka is actually required, as even water will taste that bit more exciting when it comes whooshing through a tube inside your very own bespoke ice sculpture.
Icebox make chilly creations to order, pick up oodles of variations on ice balls, cubes and pillars on www.yumbles.com/icebox where you can also snap up a luge for £174, or go to www.theicebox.com for a host of bespoke creations.
All you need is a table to stand it on, enough glasses for all your guests and a few gallons of your drink of choice.
Want to have something cool, refreshing and icily impressive on hand for guests? Something a tad more chic than a hastily-bought bag of supermarket ice? Why not indulge in a vodka luge ice sculpture from which to serve drinks
FROSE AND SLUSHIE SHANDIES
If an ice cube or two isn’t enough to stop you sweating, why not whizz up a delicious ‘grown-up’ slushie or frozen cocktail?
These fruity, boozy, and most importantly frosty combos are all the rage, the trick being to throw ice in a blender together with your drink so that the crushed ice and ingredients are combined like a slushie rather than separate as in a traditional cocktail.
For a tasty treat, we poured a few slugs of prosecco into the blender, along with a shot of vodka, a squirt of lime juice and a handful of sweet strawberries, then add ice cubes and pressed ‘blend’.
If an ice cube or two isn’t enough to stop you sweating, why not whizz up a delicious ‘grown-up’ slushie or frozen cocktail?
Adorned with a sprig of mint and a cut strawberry, you can slug away on a drink that will stay cool until you hit the bottom. Then refill!
Also the height of sophistication this summer is a glass of frose – as the name suggests, a frozen rose wine.
Freeze the wine into ice cubes, combine with a couple of strawberries or raspberries and a dash of sugar or syrup in the blender, and get whizzing.
For beer drinkers, you can even try the same with shandies – a favourite Down Under, where there is no doubt they know how to deal with the heat.
To make, just freeze equal amounts of lemonade and beer into ice cubes and blend.
And fans of that summer favourite Aperol spritz can also get in on the action by mixing Aperol, prosecco, soda and shaved ice together in a blender.
SWITCH BAKES FOR ICE CREAM CAKE
Who wants to bake when the sun’s out – frankly even firing up the barbie is too much effort when it gets to a certain temperature, never mind slaving over a hot oven.
So if you’ve got sweet-toothed guests to feed, why not serve up a slice of ice cream cake in place of afternoon tea?
You could make your own, but all that churning and effort is as bad as baking for working up a sweat… So like me, you could cheat and pick up one from Iceland (TGI Fridays raspberry ripple sundae ice cream cake is perfect for children, £3) or head to a local ice cream parlour and browse their chiller cabinets.
PERFECT YOUR OWN POPS-ICICLE
Supermarket freezer bare? For a healthy and impromptu take on a popsicle, simply throw some fruit and yoghurt in the blender, pour it into silicone lollipop moulds and get freezing.
At times like this, it can even make a cool substitute for breakfast,
All you need is a set of lollipop moulds – try Amazon Prime if you’ve not already got some – your soft fruit of choice, a tub of yoghurt or even fruit juice. No need to add sugar, so it’s a relatively healthy treat.
A COOL TREAT FOR FEET
Recreate a small scale Finnish sauna and plunge pool experience on your patio.
While the Fins sit in a sauna before throwing themselves full-bodied into the snow outside, you can sunbathe before plunging your feet into a sub-zero foot bath.
You could go low-key and dip your feet into the kids’ paddling pool, or since your frozen cocktails have rendered the ice bucket redudant, I suggest you fill it with shards of ice, let it melt a little and see if you’re feeling brave enough to plunge on in with your pedi!
All this requires is a towel, a bucket, plenty of ice… and nerves of steel. You can even share the love by providing individual icy foot buckets for each guest.
FROM SUMMER GARDEN TO WINTER WONDERLAND
Sometimes all you need to chill out is a flight of imagination, so why not conjure up a wintery scene that might just trick you and your garden guests (or at least the children) into thinking its 30 degrees cooler?
While it won’t actually change the temperature, a snow machine will make for an unusual party attraction and help transport you (psychologically) to cooler climes.
There are many models available to hire or you can pick one up on Amazon from around £80.
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