Kitchen Essential

Candles add elegance and romance to a table setting and throw a gentle light which is flattering to faces, flowers and food.. Light a formal dinner with several candlesticks or use one or two Candles for a more intimate romantic occasion.

The colour of the candles should be matched to china, linen and flowers and can be varied to suit different occasions. Red, white and green are ideal at Christmas, combined with holly, poinsettias and other festive items. A meal in springtime is brightened by daffodils and narcissi arranged with yellow, white and pale green candles. Try other colour combinations for different effects.

One kind that is available features a sherry-type glass with a wick and float and a special liquid that burns with a red or green flame.

Candle and Flower Arrangements

Candles and flowers look very attractive together and different arrangements can be suited to different seasons or to special festive occasions. For example, for autumn, fruits and vegetables can add a very effective touch, particularly such things as polished green or red peppers, avocado pears or aubergines. Arranged subtly with rich foliage, warm, glowing, flower colours and amber-coloured candles, the overall effect is of well-being, warmth and natural goodness.

For a christening, create a soft effect with pale blue or pink delicate flowers arranged with soft ferns and gypsophila. Choose pale pink, blue or white candles and add gently trailed furled white, pink or blue satin ribbons.

To create these arrangements you will need patience, inspiration and all sorts of useful materials — pin holders, Plasticine, florists’ tape, wire, oasis, etc. The secret is in experimenting and practising until you find out what works and what gives the best overall effect.

Candle Shapes

Tall tapered candles are the most elegant and versatile in arrangements. They burn slowly and are very well suited to large arrangements or to stand on a buffet table or sideboard. Tall, very slim tapers, often called ‘flower lights’, suit delicate holders or Scandinavian-style flat candelabra. With several burning at once the effect is of a crown of light that is quite beautiful. Be careful about the positioning of these as they are not suitable in situations where food is to be handed over or round the table because of the danger of burns or damage to the candles or holders.

Chunky candles are not so elegant and therefore best used on less formal occasions or children’s parties. They are sturdy and solid and burn very slowly, and children like them because they are often made in interesting shapes, such as cones, decorated pillars, animals and characters from favourite books and films. There are also novelty candles made to look like ice-cream sundaes and suchlike, which are great fun. Always position them in a place where they cannot be knocked over by children.

For parties, or special flower and candle arrangements, there are all sorts of fairy lights which burn for hours in their own holders and give a glow rather than a direct light. Small candles or night-lights can also be placed inside coloured glasses or large brandy glasses.

Floating candles are very pretty and have the added charm of the reflection in water of the flame.

Candle Holders

Holders that take one or two candles are usually called candlesticks, and multiple candle holders, candelabra. Most people associate candelabra with a large multi-branched object but there are simpler, more modest designs. Some, less than 12 cm (4³/4 in) high, are suitable for the dining-table but larger ones look particularly good on a sideboard or buffet-table.

It is important to choose candle holders that suit the decor and the table setting. Small Scandinavian-style glass holders will look lost and out of place on a large formal dinner-table set for twenty-four people. Equally a pair of tall silver candelabra will not suit a family dinner-table set for Sunday lunch. Try to match the size and style of holders and candles to the occasion, decor, table size, and the position they are to occupy. Decide also whether one or two candles are enough, or whether you need more than this.

When you are arranging the candles make sure they are firmly fixed. This may mean shaving a little wax from the butt end to ensure that it fits the holder, or you may need to wind paper or card round the butt if the holder is a little too big.

Finally, some candlesticks are improved by having fresh, dried or silk flowers wound round the base. Rings of silk and dried flowers are available in the shops, and these slip over the top of the holder. Alternatively, fresh flowers may be wired and wound around the base of the candlestick or fixed winding up it. This is particularly effective if modern, plain-coloured, porcelain candlesticks are used, as the flowers soften the rather austere effect of the china.

Candle Safety

Be very careful that candle holders are able to support the weight of the candles and that arrangements are not top heavy and liable to fall. Make sure that candles are not standing on wobbly tables or in a position where they are likely to be jogged in a crowded room. If you stand candles on a buffet-table against a window or wall, make sure they are well away from curtains and the wall itself. If part of a flower arrangement, make sure that any foliage is well away from burning candles.

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