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My favourite kitchens

January 8, 2012 16 Comments Filed Under: Uncategorized

I’m always in the kitchen at parties. I’m always in the kitchen at home too and not just because I’m a cook. The heart of a home, the kitchen is the warmest room of the house, to the point that builders often don’t install a radiator. The internal gravity of a house pulls you towards the kitchen: where you hang out with your mother after a day at school, where you unwind and offload after work. It’s a refuge identified with nurturing and sustenance where we learn to cook not by lessons but by lurking next to the stove, absorbing it all despite ourselves. It’s also the quiet space at the party, where you might actually manage a conversation. Many of my most productive ‘business meetings’ are held cradling cups of tea on the stools next to my Aga, just as people are drawn to a campfire. Professional kitchens are grey sterile places; a landscape of stainless steel, wipe down, hose down surfaces. Some domestic kitchens ape this. 
Whenever I visit a stately home or a castle, I give a passing glance to the four poster beds, the wall tapestries, the panelling, the gilded furniture: I’m most interested in ‘downstairs’, marvelling at sculleries, the lack of fridges, of range cookers that require fuel, at stacks of extravagant serving dishes. TV sitcoms primarily trolley between the living room and the kitchen with perhaps an end of show scene in the parent’s bedroom. One of the charms of The Good Life was the amount of time Tom and Barbra spent in their suburban farmhouse kitchen, surrounded by yellow 70s pine. This is part of the appeal of American shows like Everybody loves Raymond and Roseanne. What’s your favourite kitchen? Do you like sleek modernity, the mess hidden behind cupboards? Or do you prefer a country style kitchen? Here are some of my favourites which influenced the style of my kitchen:



Minnie Mouse’s house in Florida:

I love her fridge full of cheese. I love the rounded 1950s styling. I love the surrendered wife note.
This isn’t a toy it’s lifesize

  1. Call Mickey
  2. Mousersize
  3. Make a box lunch for Mickey
  4. Have a nutritious low fat breakfast
  5. Call Mickey
  6. Tend to the garden
  7. Bake a cake for Mickey
  8. Go to recycling center
  9. Call Mickey

Minnie is environmentally aware and health conscious but a rather co-dependent wife! 

Ma Larkin’s kitchen:
Ma Larkin of The Darling Buds of May had a classic 1950s post war kitchen. Perfick!

Monet: not a bad artist and bloody good kitchen designer.
1950s GE kitchen in Mamie pink:
Downton Abbey kitchen:
The series wasn’t actually filmed at Highclere Castle (must go visit) where the programme is set as the kitchen is too 20th century. It was rebuilt at Ealing Studios.
Sophie Dahl’s kitchen:
This caused controversy as it turned out it wasn’t actually her kitchen but belonged to a photographer, Paul Massey. People at Harper Collins told me her real kitchen was very similar in style. Go on Soph, show us!
Elvis’ kitchen: typically dark and 1970s. Fitted kitchens with formica tops. Mock tudor cabinets. The 20s Tiffany lamps which were again fashionable in the 70s. The dark patterned fitted carpet (carpet? in a kitchen?) like a Camden Town pub. I remember when my parents got fitted carpet. It was a big deal. We couldn’t believe that it went right to the sides, covered all the floor and was stapled down permanently. Horrible.
and of course my kitchen!

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Comments

  1. Catherine

    January 8, 2012 at 8:11 am

    I really like the batchelor pad kitchen in The Ipcress File – row upon row of beautiful copper pans, and and one of Len Deighton's Observer food strips cut out and stuck on a post.

    Reply
  2. theundergroundrestaurant

    January 8, 2012 at 10:15 am

    Great suggestion. I can't find any photos of it however.

    Reply
  3. Aoife @my home

    January 8, 2012 at 10:49 am

    I love this post! I love looking at other people's kitchens. Can't wait to see yours soon. Ax

    Reply
  4. Gerry Snape

    January 8, 2012 at 3:11 pm

    super post!

    Reply
  5. Carolyn

    January 8, 2012 at 6:05 pm

    Love your pot-stand. I imagine it to be like a giant "pick-up-sticks" game: remove one from the wrong place and it all topples over!

    Reply
  6. theundergroundrestaurant

    January 8, 2012 at 6:11 pm

    It's mostly ok. Architects love it. All that gear in so little space they exclaim.

    Reply
  7. HelenSparkles

    January 8, 2012 at 6:48 pm

    I like David & Sam Cam's kitchen actually. All the pans on open shelves etc. Don't like anything else about them… http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/jan/13/david-cameron-kitchen

    Reply
  8. Jenny

    January 8, 2012 at 10:06 pm

    Charming. Lovely post

    Reply
  9. Lianne Marie Binks

    January 9, 2012 at 3:30 am

    Your kitchen is amazing – I LOVE it. Mine is tragically awaiting to unleash its potential – this year, after The Wedding of Doom, we shall be at last getting round to renovating it and I think I come up with a different design every day. So this entry was just further fuel to the fire!!! I keep thinking I should give in and have one of those people from the soul-destroying adverts come in and design one "for" me. But that thought is just too hideous to bear.

    Reply
  10. The Little Dinner Lady

    January 9, 2012 at 1:25 pm

    Love your kitchen, and great post. I am obsessed with kitchens and cooking in other peoples, as mine is teeny weeny, but it's amazing how you can adapt.

    Reply
  11. Chris Grogan

    January 9, 2012 at 8:47 pm

    Love the little glimpse of outside through your open door. Overheard at our local Arts Trail which displays art in Saltaire village homes

    Him "Have you seen anything you like?"
    Her "Yes, the kitchen"

    Reply
  12. theundergroundrestaurant

    January 9, 2012 at 9:12 pm

    Helen:Yes quite like Sam and Cam's open shelf approach. They've got taste and the money to display it!
    Little Dinner Lady: sometimes a small kitchen is better!

    Chris: hehe. That's the sort of thing Brian Sewell gets really snotty about, people choosing art to go with the colour of their sofa!.

    Reply
  13. Lemon

    January 9, 2012 at 9:59 pm

    Oh, this is a wonderful post. I also very much like the Monet kitchen, I've been thereto several times, the entire Monet house and garden are great. And of course, your kitchen is beautiful and cosy, too! But I also very much liked your living room and garden when we were there for the Pasta dinner last year.

    Reply
  14. AmericanChristianityX

    January 24, 2012 at 10:13 pm

    I have to say, I like your kitchen the most! I have just fallen in love with it!

    Reply
  15. AmericanChristianityX

    January 24, 2012 at 10:14 pm

    I have to say, I love your kitchen. Afte seeing that picture I have just fallen in love.

    Reply
  16. Anonymous

    April 11, 2014 at 2:35 pm

    oh my gosh, Monet's kitchen is amazing! love the colours and patterns!

    Reply

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MsMarmiteLover aka Kerstin Rodgers.

Chef, photographer, author, journalist, blogger. Pioneer of the supperclub movement.

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Kerstin Rodgers/MsMarmiteLover
Got the sewing machine out last night and hemmed t Got the sewing machine out last night and hemmed the top of these toile de jouey curtains in my summer house shed. The days are lengthening a little which brightens up my mood. Self care= trying to get up and washed. Trying to leave the house once a day. Keeping my hands busy. Finding small ways to be creative. #coronaloner #sewingmachine #curtains #shedsofinstagram #sheshed #springiscoming #supperclub #stayingsane #selfcare #lockdown3
Pasta aglio olio. I’m turning into a vampire. I Pasta aglio olio. I’m turning into a vampire. I get up later and later every day. I’m living in a twilight world- dim skies, getting nothing done. Next week it’s my birthday and every year I’m at my lowest ebb just before my birthday. Lockdown on your own is tough. My motivation, my mojo has disappeared. #lockdown3 #coronaloner #pastadinner #nofilter #january2021 #januarychallenge #selfemployedwomen #single #aquarius #0degrees
On the heath on Sunday. Must. Walk. More. #coronal On the heath on Sunday. Must. Walk. More. #coronaloner
Tonight’s lockdown dinner with my bubble. Proper Tonight’s lockdown dinner with my bubble. Proper pesto alla genovese with trofie, small boiled salad potatoes, steamed green beans (good tip: steam the beans in a colander plopped on top of the potatoes or pasta), good quality pesto sauce ( mine from local microbakery @seansloaf ), good olive oil (@pomoragoodfood), torn fresh basil, a few pine nuts. This turns this student dish into a balanced meal of carbs, veg and a little protein.  It’s cold outside, I’ve lit the fire. Covid rages in Kilburn high road in north west london. The rate is 1 in 30 london wide but I feel it’s higher in this poor inner london area. We have a high BAME population who are particularly vulnerable. It’s a little bit anarchic on my high street: cars perched on kerbs waiting for hijabi women, braving pound shops and Aldi . We are all covered up now. In winter masks keep your face warm, but you have a choice between safety and being able to see. I’ve not managed to prevent the inevitable steaming up of my glasses when wearing a mask. Nothing works.  #january #londonwinter #pestopasta #pestoallagenovese #vegetarian #pasta #trofie #supperclub #covid_19 #lockdownlife #lockdown3 #bubblegang
Galette des Rois, made yesterday in 12th night. Mi Galette des Rois, made yesterday in 12th night. Minus Crown and king as I cannot find either. This one is made with Tonka bean. Plus homemade puff pastry (well worth the effort). According to ike delorenzo at The Atlantic:  The tonka bean, a flat, wrinkled legume from South America with an outsize flavor that the US government has declared illegal. Nonetheless, it proliferates on elite American menus. The tiniest shavings erupt in a Broceliande of transporting, mystical aromas.
The taste of the tonka bean is linked strongly to its scent. "Scents," I should say, as the tonka bean has many at once. I register the aromas of vanilla, cherry, almond, and something spicy—a bit like cinnamon. When served cold—say, in tonka bean ice cream—the taste is like a vanilla caramel with dark honey. When warm, perhaps shaved over scallops, it moves toward spiced vanilla. Additionally, the aroma of the tonka bean shavings (it's almost always shaved) is so affecting that it seems like an actual taste in the way that opium, which has no taste in the traditional sense, "tastes" like its rich, flowery smoke.  Here is the recipe: 

Tonka bean galette des rois

Serves 8
Ingredients
* 140 g caster sugar
* 125 g salted butter, softened
* 100 g ground almonds
* 2 eggs, medium
* 1 tonka bean, grated
* 2 packs ready made butter puff pastry on a roll
* 1 yolk for brushing the pastry
Instructions
* Preheat your oven to 200c.

* Blend the butter with the sugar then add the almonds. Make sure it’s well mixed. Add in the 2 eggs one at a time, then add the tonka bean.

* If using a block: divide the puff pastry into two and roll out to 5mm thick. 
* Make two circles about 15 cm’s each in diameter. Lay one circle on a silicone mat/parchment paper on a baking tray and fill with the almond cream leaving a 3 cm border around the edge. 
* Paint the border with the egg yolk. Then lay the other circle on top, sealing the edges with a fork. 
* You could then carve designs into the top. Make a little slit in the middle to let steam escape then brush the top with the egg yolk
Mapo tofu is probably my favourite Sichuan dish. T Mapo tofu is probably my favourite Sichuan dish. This is a vegan version. ***

Ingredients:
- 400 g box of soft tofu not silken
- 5 soaked dried shiitake mushrooms, diced, keep water
- 1 red bell pepper, finely sliced
- 400 g fresh shiitake mushroom, sliced thinly
- 400 ml vegetable stock
- 1 thumb fresh ginger, minced
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 4 tbsps groundnut or vegetable oil
- 3 tbsp fermented bean paste
- 1 or 2 small red chillies, minced or a spoonful of Chinese chilli paste
- 1 tsp heaped sichuan peppercorns, finely ground
- 2 tbsps soy or tamari sauce
- 2 tbsp cornflour in 3 tbsps water, mixed into a slurry
- 4 spring onions, finely sliced
- large pinch fresh coriander leaves

Prepare the tofu by cutting it into one inch cubes and soaking it in hot but not boiling salted water. Drain after 15 minutes.
Soak the dried shiitake mushrooms, covering them in boiling water. Leave until soft, then dice the mushrooms. Retain the mushroom soaking water and add to the vegetable stock water.
Prepare the other ingredients so they are ready to stir-fry: red bell pepper, fresh mushrooms, ginger, garlic.

Using a wok or deep frying pan, add the oil and heat to frying temperature. Add the bell peppers,fry for a couple of minutes, then add fermented bean paste, chilli paste or chillies, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, sichuan pepper.
Add the mushroom/vegetable broth and simmer on high for a couple of minutes.
Carefully add the cubes of tofu, taking care not to break them too much.
Add the cornflour slurry, stirring for a couple of minutes.
Serve with rice or noodles, garnishing with spring onions or chives and or coriander leaves.  #veganuary #mapotofu #sichuanfood #tofu  #shitakemushrooms #supperclub #londonchef #msmarmitelover #ham&highcolumn #eatplants #lockdown3 #selfisolation #coronaloner #cooking #recipe #cookingfromscratch
Macaroni cheese with odds and sods from the Christ Macaroni cheese with odds and sods from the Christmas leftover cheese board. I’ve used @paxtonscheese truffled brillat-savarin and a mystery hard cheese that’s lost its label. Plus cream and topped it with samphire fried in butter. Haven’t bothered with making a roux- this is the lockdown lazy version.  #lockdownlazy #lockdown3 #supperclub #macandcheese #macaronicheese #truffledcheese #leftovers #leftovercheeseboard #londonlockdown #breakfast #coronaloner
Another thing the Japanese are brilliant at is san Another thing the Japanese are brilliant at is sandwiches. They use the softest, whitest, fluffiest bread. Their mayonnaise kewpie is gorgeous I don’t know why. Perhaps someone here can explain? Here I’ve used sourdough as it’s what I have; kosho which is a Yuzu citrus and green chilli condiment and the aforesaid kewpie Mayo to make an egg 🥚 sandwich.  I’m not a big egg fan but I suddenly had the urge. Also I’ve noticed when I eat eggs it satiates my hunger for hours. All that protein.  #sandwich #sandwiches #japanesesandwich #kewpiemayo #kosho #eggsandwich #sourdough #supperclub #cookingforone #solo #londonlife #lockdownlondon #recipe #snack #sundaysnack #sando
Agedashi tofu for New Year’s Day. With a vegan d Agedashi tofu for New Year’s Day. With a vegan dashi stock, it’s perfect for veganuary. How to make dashi: put a piece of kombu seaweed in water. Soak for half an hour then simmer for half an hour (don’t let it boil). Then mix 2 cups of dashi with 2 tbsps of mirin and 2 of soy sauce.  For the tofu: press soft tofu with weights for half an hour, then cut into cubes. Dust all over with cornflour.  Then deep fry the tofu cubes in 180C veg oil until they float. Set aside to drain, then place say 3 cubes in small bowl. Pour the sauce around and top with spring onion and daikon and togarashi 7 spice.  #easypeasyvegan #veganuary #agedashitofu #tofu #japaneseveganrecipe #newyearsday #freshstart #supperclub #londonsupperclub #msmarmitelover #visforvegan #recipe
Writing about tofu which I think has an unfair rep Writing about tofu which I think has an unfair reputation in this country. It’s so flexible and is a brilliant flavour sponge. Here I’m preparing my soft tofu for a Japanese dish: agedashi tofu. I first pressed it in a clean tea towel with a weight on top to firm it up a bit but not too much. Then I dusted it with cornflour and I will deep fry it in oil. Then I will serve it in a broth of dashi/mirin and tamari sauce, sprinkled with finely chopped spring onions and togarashi pepper from Japan. I would usually add some finely mandolined daikon radish but couldn’t find any. It’s a subtle dish of texture: soft yet crispy. After Christmas I’m desperate for light zingy fresh flavoured food. #supperclub #tofu #vegan #vegetarian #agedashitofu #newyearsday #cookingagain #lunch #asian #japanesefood
Happy new year from my bubble to yours! Keep holdi Happy new year from my bubble to yours! Keep holding on...
#happynewyear #happynewyear2021 #supperclub #hootenanny
Some of my Christmas food 🥘 lots of veg includi Some of my Christmas food 🥘 lots of veg including mashed swede with cheese and butter. I put pomegranate seeds with my sprouts, and cooked my carrots in marmalade ( worked v well), the mushroom wreath fell apart as I was transferring it to a tray 😤, roast potatoes and parsnips, then a cheese spread with fruit nuts, quince cheese (homemade), Chocs @lindtuk 😍 @guylian_uk @disaronno_official @baileysofficial @taylorsportwine and Brazil nuts. Plus a pavlova wreath ready to be topped with whipped cream and persimmons. 
#christmasdinner #vegetarianchristmas #vegetarianchristmasdinner #supperclub #londonchristmas #liqueurs #christmasspread #grazing #cheeseboard #port #pavlova
Christmas has started! Home-cured smoked beetroot Christmas has started!  Home-cured smoked beetroot and aquavit salmon with homemade blinis, creme fraiche, dill, Prosecco.  The fire is lit 🔥, the tree is up, 🎄the presents 🎁 are wrapped, we have a #brexit deal- a Christmas miracle. Peace and harmony. #christmas #christmasinengland #homemade #christmaseve #blinis #smokedsalmon #prosecco🍾 #londonchristmas
Done some doorscaping, the latest trend in Christm Done some doorscaping, the latest trend in Christmas decorating. It might also cheer up passersby. #christmas #christmasdecor #doorscaping #doorsofinstagram #londonchristmas #doorwreath #doordecor #doorsoftheworld #doordecoration #exteriors #london #supperclub #covidchristmas
Look at my gorgeous Nordic pine Christmas tree 🎄 from @pinesandneedles with some family ornaments and beautiful foodie ornaments from @gisela_graham  it’s 7 foot high and no drop. My parents brought over the candle lights. I’ve also used paper ornaments (apples and pears cut from maps) from @dionne_leonard which I first commissioned for a supper club.  #christmas #christmastree #christmasdecor #foodiedecorations #glassbaubles #supperclub #christmasinlondon
More #fbmarketplacefinds I find meeting the seller More #fbmarketplacefinds I find meeting the sellers interesting. It’s often about moving on whether through death, a change of circumstances, moving country, loss of a job. Today I visited a gorgeously renovated Edwardian house where the owners, an antique dealer & a master decorator had died with 18 months of each other of cancer.  The sister was there emptying the house, an incredibly painful experience. The husband who died was an expert in putting up lincrusta wallpaper which I’ve pictured here. All that craftsmanship and knowledge lost now.  The piece I got on Sunday, the teal chinoiserie cabinet, was from a Spanish guy returning to Spain. He’d lost his job as a hotel manager, the hotel, a big one, has now closed. The marble coffee table and arepas grill was from a Spanish couple who’d had a restaurant here for 40 years. They are now returning to Spain. Other slides: green Edwardian fireplace tiles, William Morris wallpaper, 2 small scalloped coffee tables, a knife and fork cutlery hook set.  A fireplace for my bedroom if I can find someone to put it in. #lockdownstories #covidstories #movingon #decor #interiors #bargains #secondhandstyle #edwardianstyle #williammorris #tiles #wallpaper #scallopededge #teal #chinoiserie #whitemarble #vintage #kitchenalia #supperclubrefurb #london #lincrustawallpaper
Another #fbmarketplace find £30. I can’t afford Another #fbmarketplace find £30. I can’t afford proper chinoiserie so I make do with fakes. The gradual doing up of my flat proceeds apace. Need to start on main bedroom. Looking for a storage ottoman (velvet?) bench to turn into a horizontal filing cabinet.  Any ideas? Above is a map of london based on the A to Z map which a minicab office was tossing out. Remember when we all carried mini A to Z books in our handbags? Before google maps? #nocrushedvelvet #chinoiserie #supperclubrefurb #londonapartment #londonflat #norfweezy #decor #organising #storage #interiors
My new/old rise and fall light over the dining tab My new/old rise and fall light over the dining table. Found for £50 on #fbmarketplace  but originally from @thefrenchhouse.net_ one of my favourite shops. Every day, a little more progress. #supperclubrefurb #supperclub #londonflat #interiors #lighting #riseandfalllights #lightingisimportant #frenchstyle #vintagestyle #rusticstyle #turquoise #diningtabledecor
Two vegetarian meal kits, laksa and ramen, from @k Two vegetarian meal kits, laksa and ramen, from @kit.eats.uk. Took only a couple of minutes to cook(see stories) and very good. I’m trying a few meal kits of late to see how hospitality has adapted to the great reset. As a cook I’ve always thought why would I need these but now I get it: it’s like going to a restaurant- the pleasure of food prepared by someone else. Getting jolted off of your normal repertoire, so it’s teaching cooking too.  #mealkits #vegetarian #homecooked #hospitality #covid #takeawayfood #foodpackaging #laksa #ramen #supperclubchef
Still working on my glass cupboard. I’ve hung up Still working on my glass cupboard. I’ve hung up all my wine bottle openers and cork screws. My favourite is the zigzag bottom left. If you find them at a flea market in France, if you are lucky you may get it for around 35 euros.  #supperclub #londonflat #londoninteriors #corkscrews #frenchkitchenalia #zigzag #tirebouchon #oakcupboard #diy #diyprojects
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