My Ideal Kitchen
My current kitchen is not the best! But what do you expect as it was put in, by the idiot called Jerry, who built this house.
These three pictures show the kitchen as it is now.
This is the view looking into the kitchen from the living area.
Looking Into The Kitchen
Note.
1. The central heating box at the right.
2. The black IKEA shelving unit and one of my dining chairs.
3. The silly high shelf across the top, which is really just a convenient place to put things with no home.
This shows the other side of the wall looking out of the kitchen.
Looking Back
Note.
1. The small fridge without a freezer.
2. The general clutter.
This is the other side of the kitchen.
The Other Side
Note.
1. The dishwasher I hardly ever use.
2. The sink with the atrocious taps, that won’t fill a kettle with anything in the sink.
3. The cooker which does all I need. I never use timers or anything complicated like that, as before here, I cooked for nearly forty years on an AGA.
4. The Le Creuset shallow casserole, that I use a lot.
As you can see it’s not good. But the basic layout works for me.
There are other things to bear in mind.
1. It may seem daft, but I rarely use the dish washer, if I’m by myself. I tend to wash up by hand once a day in the morning to get my left hand thoroughly warmed so that I can do my blood test.
2. I am a pretty competent cook, but as I’m a coeliac, the sort of things are cook, tend to be fairly simple. I don’t keep many vegetables outside of the fridge for instance.
3. I do use lots of spices though.
Lots Of Spices
4. As the picture shows, I use a lot of glass jars for pasta, salt etc.
5. I also watch television and cook at the same time.
Watching Television From The Kitchen
5. I don’t have too many gadgets, except for a toaster, a kettle and a small food processor. Looking at this picture, you can see one of the problems with this kitchen. There isn’t enough space.
6. I do like to prepare everything on a big chopping board. My last one had a hole with a stopper, so I could chasse peelings into a bin underneath.
7. I do have lots of little utensils though.
8. I also want a home for my wonderful Sheba cutlery.
A Box Full Of Sheba Cutlery
Note the rare pie slice and teaspoons.
9. Colour is defined by the steel beams that run across the house. The black/brown IKEA colour is virtually right and I do like proper brass fittings.
Just writing all this down has given me a few ideas.
1. I think that the kitchen should be continuous and sort of overflow through the wall into the living room. Perhaps the worktop should be continuous between the two rooms! And at the normal ninety centimetre height.
2. In the living room, there would be a unit under the top. This would store the Sheba cutlery and other tablewear and crockery, a few bottles of wine and beer, perhaps include a wine fridge and of course hide the dreadful utilities cupboard. The unit would also be capable of holding most of the odds and ends that sit on the counter now.
3. Judging by past history, no-one would need to sit at the top, but it would be capable of being used as a serving table at a party.
4. The continuous worktop should give me a lot of space, which patently I lack at the moment.
5. The side facing the living area, would have a fridge and a freezer under the worktop, with some properly fitted out cupboards.
6. The cooker would be in the same place with cupboards, a built in microwave and a proper extractor above.
7. I do have several large casseroles that need homes.
8. On the window side, I want a double sink. I think, I’d probably still have a dishwasher, even if it’s only a half -size one.
2.
An Unexpected Positive Benefit Of The New Bus for London
This story from Toy News, tells how Corgi are increasing their range of New Bus for London models.
At £36.99 each, somebody must be making some money.
The Anonymous Widower 