My kitchen

The most distinctive thing about my kitchen is its colour, it has green walls. A bright cheerful cross between the inside of a lime and a golden delicious apple, depending on the light. The cabinets are plain white and the uppers have glass inserts. I have an old oven and stovetop which I would love to replace. The sink is in front of a window with a view onto the brick wall of the stairwell. There is a large fridge, a small pantry cupboard and a couple of stools. I keep meaning to strip the paint from the stools and varnish the wood. I do not have a dishwasher or a microwave.

My pots, pans and utensils are a motley collection. I have a solid set of saucepans and a couple of frying pans. Last year I bought my first Le Crueset casserole dish in mushroom brown. A jar of wooden spoons and spatulas sits beside the stove. My knives live in a block and were professionally sharpened about a year ago. My favourite utensil is a small peeler that I bought in France. It has a wooden handle and does not bend or bow when encountering carrots, potatoes or apples.

In terms of equipment I have a small grinder, an electric egg beater, a Bamix, an ice-cream maker and a blender. I recently splashed out and bought a KitchenAid mixer. I  and am pleased to report that I am very happy with my new toy. When I was growing up my mum had a Kenwood mixer, which she still has today. It had a dough hook, a creamer and a balloon whisk. My new mixer has the same attachments so I have a lovely sense of familiarity.

I have an extensive collection of tea towels. My vintage travel tea towels started with some I inherited from my grandma, which may have been inspired by my grandfather’s interests given they are of main trunk lines of England and the Talyllyn railway in north Wales. I now have ones from York, Dorset, The Pennine Way, Queensland, Devon, the North-West district of NSW and the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. I also have a collection of contemporary ones with flower and geometric designs.