Hooray! We’ve had several emails asking for a new supplier for the popular Strawberry Slicer we featured last year, and we are pleased to announce they have finally returned to Lakeland! The cute slicer creates fabulous strawberry fans perfect for decorating your summer cakes and cocktails. A great way to celebrate the British summer and produce, the Strawberry Slicer is £3.99 from Lakeland.
The V&A Museum celebrates the beauty of everyday items. Taking inspirations from the Damask Period the V&A have created a glamorous aluminium frying pan. The elegant gold finish is splashed with dramatic dark florals, for a sophisticated modern style. Besides their fabulous finish though these light weight pans have been carefully crafted. The aluminium ensures heat distribution reducing the risk of those frustrating hot spots. Glamour and function is blended into a single alluring frying pan. The V&A Damask Rose pans are available in a shallow frying pan or a deep stir fry design from Lakeland.
V&A Damask Rose Frying Pan - £15.98
V&A Damask Rose Stir Fry Pan - £19.98
A close friend of mine recently asked for my help when searching for a present for her sister’s wedding. Their grandfather had traditionally given the bride and groom practical presents including a bale of twine. With her grandfather now gone, she wished to continue the tradition but had trouble finding a suitable twine. Luckily we found the Nutscene Tin O’Twine! A part of their Heritage Collection these cute and tidy tins feature authentic labels originally used in the 1940s. Perfect for adding to a wedding basket, these brightly coloured spools of jute twine are often handy both in the garden and the kitchen. Each metal tin features a hole in the lid and ensures tangle-free twine every time. Available in black, blue, brown, green, lilac, natural, red and terracotta, we were even able to match her wedding colours! A handy home essential, a 250g Tin O'Twine spool is £5.95 from Nutscene Direct.
Every kitchen needs a set of pastry cutters. From your Christmas mince pies to those last minute cookies, pastry cutters help you be creative on the fly. I’d highly recommend a set like Tala’s new Crinkle Cutters. The adorable retro tin protects your cutters, so they don’t become squished ovals like those in our kitchen drawer! The Tala Cutters are made from sturdy stainless steel and are dishwasher safe, while the crinkled edge brings a simple decorative style to all your culinary creations. A brilliant gift for weddings and housewarmings, the Tala Crinkle Cutters are £9.98 from Lakeland.
Cool and sophisticated, the Weber Smokey Joe Charcoal Barbecue lets you cook in style anywhere you want. Small enough to fit on the balcony, the Weber Barbecue brings warm summer dining even to city apartments. The spherical base has a lovely green porcelain enamel finish. Easy enough to carry to your next picnic, the Smokey Joe lid also doubles as a convenient windshield. Glamorous looks for your summer parties, the Weber Smokey Joe Charcoal Barbecue is available from John Lewis.
If you’ve been dying to experiment with a tagine, but haven’t wanted to invest in expensive and heavy cookware, this new Silicone Tagine could be a brilliant alternative. Tagines are traditionally used in North African countries like Morroco for slow simmering stews. The steep lid is designed to collect the steam released as you cook and return the condensed fluid to the dish for lovely and moist meats. The Silicone Tagine from Lakeland transforms any 25cm or 30cm saucepan into exotic cookware. A healthy cooking option that keeps those flavours and nutrients from escaping, the non-stick Tagine is even quick and easy to clean. Flexible, durable and light weight, the bright cheerful Silicone Tagine is an affordable way to experiment with this trendy cuisine.
It’s amazing how plain white china can still have such a unique personality and style. The new Dine Collection created by James Martin and Denby has a surprising energy and zest. Featuring a clean geometric style, the Dine collection captures the dynamic speed of modern life. A brilliant contrast to the vibrant colours and textures of your meals, the Dine Collection will show your culinary skills at their very best. Available from Debenhams, the Denby Dine Collection has a sharp elegance perfect for contemporary homes.
Dine Dinner Plate - £9
Dine Cereal Bowl - £9
Dine Pasta Bowl - £10
Dine Tea Cup & Saucer - £12
We were thrilled to discover yesterday that some kind person has nominated us for the Dorset Cereals ‘Little Blog Awards’! While it appears some nominated blogs received an email notification, we only discovered this during a lucky Google search. So belated thanks to who ever it was!
While it would be difficult to win against such popular blogs, it seems only fair to give it a good try. The prize for the winning blog is the ‘Little Blog Award’ egg cup and a Dorset Cereal Hamper. Even better though, you can win a free case of delicious Dorset Cereal just for voting! So give us a hand and try your luck, just click the photo of the egg cup to go to the voting page|
A few months ago we were strolling through the new Lakeland store in Liverpool One, when I remembered we needed a new spatula. Over Christmas I’d come dangerously close to scratching my lovely non-stick baking trays while trying to convince some reluctant hot cookies to come off the tray. Plus with our fabulous new green pans, I don’t want to use metal utensils if I can help it. I’ve been really pleased with the Good Grips Turner we bought. It has a very thin edge for slipping under cookies and a wide handle grip that keeps my hands from aching. It’s also easy to clean with no joins or divots for food to get caught in. Sensible and practical, the Oxo Good Grips Flexible Turner is a fab choice for this kitchen essential.
With a soft modern elegance, this Typhoon Signature Mill improves on the typical pepper grinder. Beneath its soft curves, the Signature mill hides a brilliant design. You no longer have to loosen screws or fight with awkward spindles when you want to refill this mill; you simply lift the lid and pour the peppercorns in. With a clear acrylic top perfect for showing off colourful pepper, the Signature Mill is a fabulous addition to your dinner table. Finally inside the lovely beech base is a durable ceramic grinding mechanism, which should last for 200 years of normal use! Modern sophistication paired with convenience and durability, the Typhoon Signature Mill is a bargain at £13.97 from Lakeland.
Much of London’s history can be seen in the names of her streets. All across the city are quirky and charming names you can’t help but love. From Sugar Quay to Chip Street, Street Speak have scoured the map for the cutest and most adorable locations. These iconic street signs are then featured on bright and cheerful bone china mugs. A fabulous gift for Londonphiles, these evocative mugs capture the delightful magic of the city’s vibrant history and culture. Available from the ‘Transport for London’ online store, each Street Speak Mug is £7.82.
My Mum’s been staying with us the last week, so she’d been tagging along on the search for fantastic kitchen products to feature on Kitchen Critic. She was thrilled by the Joseph Joseph Carve & Cut Chopping Board. Though it looks unassuming, Mum thinks this would be brilliant for carving the traditional Sunday roast. Designed by John Brauer, the double sided polyethylene board features an angled cutting surface. This allows the juices to drain off and collect at the bottom edge. From here they'd be easy to pour off and add to your gravy! On one side there is even a meat grip formed from raised plastic cones to keep your precious roast from sliding away. Safe to pop in the dishwasher, the plastic board will also help protect your knife’s sharp edge. Available from John Lewis, this versatile board makes carving a breeze.
Black Joseph Joseph Cut&Carve - £15
Red Joseph Joseph Cut&Carve - £15
If there is one thing I don’t look forward to in spring, it’s the inevitable cleaning! But with gorgeous scrubbing brushes like these from Ella’s Kitchen Company, maybe I can convince myself it’s not so bad. Made by one of the last British brush factories, these large pure fibre brushes are great for tackling those mucky jobs. Available in Norwegian Blue, Stone & Sage these brushes are given a quiet and simple elegance perfect for traditional kitchens. A perfect way to make cleaning a bit more cheerful, the Traditional Scrubbing Brushes are £3.50 each from Ella’s Kitchen Company.
Everyone loves a picnic, but traditional wicker baskets may not be what you are looking for. For a clean contemporary style, the Water Hyacinth Picnic Hamper is a brilliant choice! The basket style hamper features a knit effect finish around an elegant curved frame. The lid lifts on either side, which allows you to carefully place items so they remain level while being transported. Finally the fabric lining and brown leather straps with brass effect locks give the basket sophisticated details. A great addition to your next family picnic, the Water Hyacinth Picnic Hamper is £45 from John Lewis.
Koziol creates engaging and adorable products by transforming everyday items into cute cheerful characters. Their cheeky Tweetie Vegetable Brush will stand neatly by your sink, ready to scrub dirt and chemicals off your daily veg. Designed by Jan Hansen and Frank Person, the transparent handle has big domed eyes and may reveal pretty bubbles trapped within the hard plastic. The bright yellow bristles form a spiky hairstyle for this little critter. Available in red and white, the Tweetie Vegetable Brush is £9.50 from Amazon UK and Heals.
Amazon UK
Red Tweetie Vegetable Brush - £10.80
White Tweetie Vegetable Brush - £9.50
Heals
Red Tweetie Vegetable Brush - £9.50
Green Tweetie Vegetable Brush - £9.50
I adore Tala’s collection of retro baking tools! The collection is packaged in fabulous powder blue and featuring classic 50s designs. They are the simple and practical tools you can imagine your Mum or Granny buying when they were young. Like these classic Tinplate Baking Tins, which feature integral cutters to make sure every pie and cake comes out neatly in one piece. The thin metal tab swings round 360° loosening both the bottom and the sides of your baked goods. Available from Lakeland, these Tala Baking Tins have a simple ingenuity and are £4.98 each.
I can't wait to get my hands on one of these to see if it really works! Recently we've had trouble with a company giving out our personal information, and the whole experience has really made us aware of just how much information is on everyday items of post! This clever Hide ID stamp may be a brilliant solution for utility bills and generic bank letters. Paper can only be recycled so many times. Each time the fibres get cut shorter and shorter till they won't hold together on their own. Rather than shred all your post, this stamp could make it safe to recycle more of your post. The Hide ID stamp features a dense pattern of symbols and letters that mask the address and account numbers on your post. Apparently it's illegible even when held up to the light! An amazingly simple way to protect your personal information and identity, the Hide ID Stamp is available from Lakeland.
If you’re looking for a spot of colour to brighten up your kitchen, the Heal’s Dots Dinnerware is perfect. The shining white porcelain dishes feature a rainbow ring of sophisticated colours. The white dishes offer a light clean surface that illuminates your kitchen or dining room, while the multi colour spots bring a grown-up sense of fun. A splash of excitement for plain white china, the Dots Tableware is available from Heal’s
Dots Mug - £5.00
Dots Side Plate - £4.50
Dots Dinner Plate - £6.00
Dots Cereal Bowl - £4.50
Dots Pasta Bowl - £7.00
Dots Salad Bowl - £10.00
Dots Oval Platter - £20.00
We just spent a lovely bank holiday in our Aunt’s back garden, enjoying the great flowers, weather and barbeque. It was a fabulous start to summer, but it’s made me want to capture more of that garden magic in my kitchen. Granted this is a rather kitsch solution, but charming none the less. Lakeland has found a collection of Flower Dish Brushes that add a bright whimsical charm to your kitchen. Each brush features a flared red base and a sculptured green handle that sprouts two dainty leaves. The brush heads are available as a cheerful sunflower, purple daisy or sunny daffodil creating a cute summer garden by your sink. A cute reminder of happy summer, even when you need to do the washing up, the Flower Dish Brushes are available from Lakeland.
Sunflower Dish Brush - £5.93
Purple Daisy Dish Brush - £6.97
Daffodil Dish Brush - £6.97
While you needed to fight to get a hold of one M&S’s recent Penny Bazaar Bargains, there are still some gems on sale (though I’m afraid they are more than a penny!) To celebrate their 125 Anniversary, Marks & Spenser have gone through their archives and recreated classic designs and patterns. I adore their new tea towels! Featuring adverts from the 60s, these tea towels have an inspired vintage charm. Available as a set of three, they highlight classic desserts like Jelly Creams, Fruit Jellies and Chocolate Cake. Fantastic tea towels full of British retro style; the 125 Years Tea Towels are £7.50 from M&S.
Rather than try to squeeze a wine rack into your kitchen, stylish designs like the Cactus Wine Rack compliment your dining and living rooms. Wine bottles are cradled by slim arms or balanced on the cactus spikes. The sculptural stainless steel frame is given a dramatic mirror finish that brings the wine rack a sophisticated style. Able to hold an impressive eight bottles, the Cactus Wine Rack is always ready for your next party. A glamorous presentation for small wine collections, the unique and modern Cactus Wine Rack is £77.00 from APlaceForEverything.co.uk.
