Kitchen Essential

At its most basic, the kitchen is the engine room that drives the long food processing chain. This stretches from the farmlands and oceans that produce our food to the landfills, rivers, and seas that take the eventual wastes and rubbish. But the chain does not start with the food growers and processors — it starts with you. For it is what each individual consumer decides to buy that ultimately determines the produce — and the price — from the growers and the food industry. The purse is very influential and we, as consumers, have both power and responsibility for making choices. Continue Reading »

For many people a country walk at Easter is a good old tradition. It gets you out into the country and you are able to enjoy the fact that spring has arrived to the full. Also, Easter is a traditional time for visiting; relatives or friends come to stay for a couple of days for a short holiday with you, or the children are back home again. If you want to surprise your guests, then maybe this idea will appeal to you — round off your Easter walk with a rustic, country Easter celebration.

What to do:

Create a mossy dell on your table! A moss arrangement stands in the centre, which you can design with the help of the whole family. All of you can also bring together the other components and prepare them. Continue Reading »

The table illustrated here is not just a still life; it is a compilation of a small selection of things which are used as decorations for various tables in this book. This should give you a fewideas about the many accessories whichsurround you in your house.

Every container, every sculpture, pretty stones or shells, decorative ribbons or marbles can provide you with ideas for table decorations. Don’t be afraid to use simple, everyday items from house and garden, or even foodstuffs. What about wire, pieces of cloth, sand, old pots or flasks, balls, candles, mirrors or even toy cars? What is wrong with a large cabbage or asparagus as a replacement for, or addition to, flowers? Why not use fifty sharpened pencils for an accountant’s fiftieth birthday party table? Or why not put brown leaves on the table, when we enjoy them so much outdoors in autumn? Continue Reading »

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. Continue Reading »

With the integration of the kitchen into the living space, kitchen design involves smart storage and good lighting. Texture and pattern arevital design elements as they provide style and warmth to your look.

Natural light promotes the true colors of food, and neutral tones of white, cream and palest yellow provide an excellent backdrop for the earthy colors of vegetables and fruits. Light colors suggest cleanliness and spaciousness, while bright colours, although dramatic and electrifying, are less appetizing in the kitchen as they are inclined to cast a light that discolors food. Continue Reading »