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. Continue Reading »

Thoughts of an attractive table setting usually start with a freshly laundered tablecloth which is carefully spread over the table. Sometimes that’s as far as the table decorations get — which is a shame, because with a few tucks and a bit of imagination, just a tablecloth on its own can provide your table with an effective “outfit”.

There are a few basic rules which will help you to make the most of your tablecloth.

The tablecloth must fit the table.

This makes sense, because nothing is more detrimental to the effect of a table than a cloth which is too small. On the other hand, your guests won’t enjoy fighting to disentangle their legs from acres of cloth hanging down from the table. It should still be possible to sit comfortably at a fully clothed table. Continue Reading »

This invention is older even than the ancient Romans, who prized the product of melting sand, limestone and soda, and the attractive shapes and practical containers which could be made from this refined material.

Glass is found today in almost all walks of life, and it is hard to imagine life without it. The range of drinking vessels extends nowadays from cheap moulded glass to hand-blown, engraved designer glasses.

The differences in quality depend on the composition of the glass as well as on the way in which it is produced. The use of different raw materials and the melting process are decisive in determining the quality of the glass. Good-quality glasses are usually hand-blown, the sides are engravedand they don’t have a seam. On the other hand, moulded glasses are rarely as clear as hand-made ones, they have a small bulge at the rim and usually have a seam on the stem or foot. However, they are much cheaper than blown glass, and therefore much more practical for many uses. Continue Reading »