I know that time passes more quickly than we think (and probably faster still the older we get) but I can't believe that it's been 15 months since my last post on Holly Grove Kitchen.
The Handyman and I haven't been idle in that period, in fact, we've completely redesigned and rebuilt our kitchen! It's a project that's been years in the planning and over a year in the final execution...some of the structural work was completed 3 years ago. So was it worth the time, effort and sleepless nights?
Absolutely! I really do have the kitchen of my dreams; my photos don't do it justice, but hopefully give a feel for where we started and what we've achieved.
The Handyman has made a stunning job of getting the structural work spot on whilst I agonised over design: style of cabinets, colour, materials, taps, sinks, worktops etc, etc. So much choice and so many possible combinations. But, at last, here I sit at the table in my favourite room in the house writing a post I've been anticipating since I started this blog.
So now I'm back with lots of cooking and baking ideas to try out in my special space and to include in future posts, hopefully you'll rediscover Holly Grove Kitchen with me!
Having finished creating and tiling the roof on the Goat House the Handyman has turned his attention and skills to the changes required inside our house. The first and most major changes will be to the kitchen. This will have a huge impact on the way we live at HG and once we get through the disruption it will be fantastic to have the kitchen that we've always wanted. At the moment the work has meant that cooking activities are being kept to a minimum whilst the dust settles - literally!
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| Handyman and Apprentice |
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| Going...going... |
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| Gone! |
The next stage, replacing the windows, is underway with time being spent on selection of installer, colour, shape, materials etc. Then it will be on to changing the boiler so that we can remove the Aga Rayburn which currently provides our heating and hot water. Yes, I did say remove the Aga!
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| Romantic Notion |
When we first moved here one of the attractions was the Aga, but I've found it to be a romantic notion. It takes up a lot of space and, certainly for me working full time, takes a long time to heat up for cooking. I have used it on about 5 occasions, Christmas and winter family gatherings and it does make fantastic pastry cases and provide a warm and welcoming spot to gather, but I'd prefer to use the space for a cooker that I can use every day. So the plan is to replace it with a large electric range cooker - we don't have gas here only oil and electricity. I've found one with a mix of 6 induction and ceramic heat zones and 3 ovens and I think I'm in love! My sister cooks on induction and has found it as controllable as gas, can't wait to try it myself.
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| Dream Cooker |
So once the heating boiler is replaced and all the plumbing completed we can move the Aga, raise the chimney breast where it currently resides, alter the positions of the cupboards and supplement with some new ones, get the electrics done - new lighting, more sockets and my dream cooker - have all the plastering done and finally...decorate, phew!
Quite a time consuming piece of home improvement and the reason for telling you all of this is that my recipe posts may be fewer and further between whilst the kitchen is decommissioned - unless I can sneak in between the Handyman and the various tradesmen to rustle up a little something...hmm!
