My kitchen essentials: a sizeable sink and a sofa for slumping

The voyeur in me loves piecing people’s lives together from the clues left in their kitchens: the family photos and reminders on the fridge door; the cookery books on the shelves – their vintage and wear, how they’re arranged, where they hail from; the owner’s pots of herbs on the window sill; the various utensils; jars on the counters and whether they’re opaque or transparent; all are very reflective of the lives of that home’s inhabitants.

Roisin, my colleague, is planning a kitchen extension at the moment. I notice there is a lot more conversation about comfy chairs, soft lighting and freestanding units than about ergonomics and appliances. I suppose it’s because we are cooks that we take the cooking side of things for granted. It has to be said, however, that having a fabulous kitchen does not always equate to producing fabulous food. I have seen the most amazing food coming from the most basic of kitchens and the reverse is also true.

I spend most of my time at home in my kitchen – cooking, pottering, chatting, reading. It is my favourite room in the house. My kitchen is a TV-free zone – hence, I am left there in peace. The kitchen is definitely the centre of our family life. Yes of course I cook there, but as a space it is so much more than that. It is the room where we gather for meals and for homework at the kitchen table. Clothes are dried in front of the Aga, boys wrestle on the floor. There is a task-lit sanctuary in the corner with a delightfully welcoming sofa, where my husband reads the papers and I pore over cookery books. This is also the area where Trigger, the family dog, normally chews quietly on someone’s favourite shoe.

Renovated

I didn’t always have the kitchen I currently enjoy. We extended and renovated our kitchen a few years ago – something I am grateful for, every single day. Throughout the design period of the new kitchen, I was much more interested in creating a feeling of space as opposed to having lots of storage. I opted for having no wall units and decided on drawers for storage, instead of traditional presses. For a larder I painted an old wardrobe, knocking out a few of the front panels and replacing them with wire mesh, to allow for air flow. I personally don’t believe in having huge food storage areas in the kitchen. I prefer to buy little and often, adding items to the list as they are used up.

We entertain gatherings of family and friends, of every size, in our kitchen. Gone are the days of the formal diningroom although I do like to invest time and creativity in setting the table for special dinners and lunches. I think it’s a sign of gratitude and care for your guests, and all it takes is some of your time, some carefully chosen linen, fresh flowers or foliage from your garden and an array of candles.

At home I cook very simply – big pots of food with big flavours that are easy to serve. This type of cooking necessitates a big sink to match. And when it comes to choosing sinks I am deadly serious about size. I found it very hard to find a big sink when I was changing my kitchen. I am not a fan of Belfast sinks as they take no prisoners in the china and glass departments, and breakages can be quite hefty. After much searching, I eventually sourced my large sink and as a special treat I also got a hose attachment for the extra-large pots. The sink also came with a special touch-control tap which soon gained it the title of "The Ghost Tap" – it was so sensitive that anyone merely entering the kitchen, and passing within a couple of feet of it, could cause it to turn on. We had it decommissioned before very long.

Work triangle

I am really not into lots of gadgets. I have three could-not-live-without pieces of countertop equipment: my food processor, my mixer and my soup gun. I consider these essentials, along with a good oven. I prefer a gas hob and I would definitely advocate choosing a good quality dishwasher with a fast cycle. I have a Neff and I swear by it.

With regard to kitchen planning, I am a disciple of Per Ploug, owner and manager of Danish Kitchen Design. He advocates zoning as opposed to the traditional work triangle. According to Ploug 90 per cent of today’s kitchen designers are still being told by their “teachers” that the Work Triangle is gospel.

The Work Triangle was invented in the 1930s when the domestic kitchen was a separate room and only the housewife (or maid) was allowed in there. Food was served in the diningroom. In those days we had a cooker, a sink and a fridge, and the theory was that if those three items were evenly spread out in the space, creating a triangle if you drew lines between them, your kitchen would work optimally. Far more in keeping with modern lifestyles is Ploug’s contemporary idea of zoning, ie having a cleaning area – so the sink, dishwasher and eating utensils are in one area. The cooking area, and space for dining/relaxing are separate areas yet again. In this way – or so the principle dictates - the person emptying the dishwasher and setting the table doesn’t get in the way of the cook, and both parties can leave the newspaper-reading brigade in peace, on the sofa.