Kitchen Essential

The kitchen should, ideally, be a warm and friendly place, somewhere full of activity, busy, and comfortable so that family or friends will naturally gravitate there to chat or eat or even to read or work. For some, the traditional farmhouse kitchen with its central table is the ideal; while others prefer a clear and uncluttered space in which to prepare and cook food and a separate area for eating and relaxing. With young children, you will need a corner out of harm’s way but where you can keep an eye on them; you will also want a clear view of any outdoor play area.

Since food is handled in the kitchen, it, more than any other space, must be toxin and pollution free. Hygiene is obviously important, but there is no point using products that leave surfaces with a “sparkling clean” shine disguising a residual slick of harmful chemicals. Many safe, natural alternatives are available. Ventilate the kitchen and food storage areas, fit an extractor hood over the cooker, and consider a heat-exchange system. Filter tap water at the supply or in a filter jug, and avoid plastic containers for food storage. Use natural materials for flooring, cabinets, and surfaces and decorate with natural paints. Make sure work surfaces are brightly lit and make maximum use of daylight.

Every culture has a different appreciation of food and different rules for preparing, cooking, and serving it, but all cultures require a rapport with the kitchen and with the ingredients. The sight of fresh food, herbs, and the culinary tools in daily use creates an emotional reassurance that is as important as the physical elements of the kitchen. Healthy diets that contain plenty of fresh fruit, vegetables, and salads, as well as pulses and grains bring more colour into the kitchen and determine the layout and arrangement of work spaces. The traditional larder extends the possibilities for preparing and storing home-grown food and preserves, and you can feast your eyes on pots of fresh herbs and sprouting seeds on the window sill and even grow salads and vegetables in a greenhouse window. Don’t hide gleaming pots and pans and handsome tools away in cupboards: hang them around the kitchen along with strings of onions and garlic and bunches of dried herbs.

The natural kitchen is a family room with a separate but not isolated cooking area. As well as storage, preparation, cooking, and cleaning centres, there are deep drawers with large bins for recycling paper, plastic, metal, glass, and organic matter for composting. A large, walk-in larder for bulky items is supplemented with a small refrigerator/freezer for perishables. The wooden units, furniture, and dresser are polished with beeswax, and the work- tops are clay tile set in mortar,with an inset wooden chopping block and a marble slab for pastry making. The large central roof light increases illumination, while bright artificial light is directed on to work surfaces and low-level light on to the kitchen table. Full-spectrum and low-voltage halogen lights are used throughout. An extractor hood is fitted over the cooker. A filter water jug removes some pollutants.

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