Rather than check in a bag at the check in desks I’ve found a strategy of hanging on to it and checking it in at the gate when the offer of boarding in group 1 is offered as an incentive. I then adopt the “Life of Brian” line - “ and my wife is”as we both board in group 1 in plenty of time to find space for Mrs A’s voluminous handbag.
No need to be at the gate too early for this tactic - it may indeed be a variation of the German Deckchair Defence as proposed by an FT luminary 😁