When I was little I would often spend time at my Granny’s house, initially going for a week however I’d be ringing up my Mam by midweek asking if I could stay for another week. During my time there I would take the dog out on walks with my Grandad down to the river, head out on adventures with my uncles and play in the school yard of the small village school across the road from her house.
One of the main things I remember about staying at my Granny’s house was her kitchen, it was the heart of the home where everything happened. With a large AGA range cooker there was always a hot kettle ready for a family member to pop in for a cup of tea (I guess that’s what you get when your Mam is one of seven children). With Monday’s dedicated to washing, she would bring the old twin tub out and spend all day getting everything washed, dried and ironed.
The rest of the week however was dedicated to baking, her pantry always had some delicious treat waiting for after lunch or when we returned from a long walk with Grandad. Her kitchen was (and still is) quite traditional with the AGA, pantry, willow patterned dinner service and a host of different baking accessories – including an old-fashioned drop scone cooking plate, which was old when I was a child so it is practically ancient now! She never went in for the new fangled kitchen accessories instead sticking to the methods that she had been taught as a child and in turn had passed on to her children (well the girls at least, my uncles couldn’t bake a cake to save themselves).
She’d set up the flour pots, ingredients on the kitchen table alongside her crockery mixing bowl which I can always remember thinking was one of the biggest bowls I’d ever since when I was little (great for when I got to lick it afterwards). She had a host of cutters and utensils that she stored in a chipped flowery jug, she never seemed to look up from what she was doing to finding the one she needed it was if she knew exactly where they were all placed within the jug.
Over the summer we are updating our kitchen and whilst I love my kitchen gadgets and I’d be lost without at least a couple of them I am keen to keep my kitchen looking like a kitchen rather than a showroom. The truth be told I’m dreaming of Granny’s kitchen, I want the large mixing bowl that myself and the kids can whip up a delicious cake in, I want the jugs on the window sill housing the utensils and I want the chunky wooden chopping board.
I’ve been trying to items to help me replicate my Granny’s kitchen and I think I have found the perfect range. The new National Trust Kitchen accessories range has a mix of traditional pieces whilst being practical at the same time. I’m in love with the navy blue and cream pieces and they really make me think of my Granny’s kitchen. If only I could get my hands on a willow pattern dinner service and I think I’d be all set.
Disclosure: This post is in collaboration with Homebase
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