in my kitchen

my kitchen aids - styled by stef

There is an onslaught of fancy (exorbitantly expensive) kitchen gadgets on the market and almost every cookbook I pick up requires at least one of them. Do we really need advanced technology to cook good food? No, definitely not. 

I've been scouring my local op-shops for hardwearing, good quality kitchenware. It's hard to find but occasionally I stumble upon a gem. A cast-iron pot is a treasure I discover once a year, sometimes the wooden utensils are in abundance and at other times I return home with nothing. When I pop into little boutiques I'm drawn to tea strainers, handcrafted spoons and textured linen.

My essential kitchen ingredients include:

• ginger - in tea to boost the immune system, with fruit & veg juice to revitalise and a pungent addition to an Asian-inspired meal.
• fresh herbs - I've just planted my essential herbs after neglecting them for a fair few months. I love society garlic (you can eat the flowers, too), flat-leaf parsley, thyme, rosemary, chives and mint. Aesthetically pleasing and an absolute kitchen staple.
• wooden utensils - I have a jug full of them in all manner of shapes and sizes. Some are stained with the red of tomatoes, others wear the burn marks of a rushed cooking session.
• beeswax - I light a candle in the kitchen each afternoon/evening; it sees me through preparing, cooking, eating, cleaning, contemplating.
• eggs - preferably from mama + popa's chooks who roam through the herb patch, these beauties are a meal in themselves and taste best when gooey and met with toast soldiers. The ultimate comfort, they truly make a fluffy batch of pancakes, a celebratory cake, a hearty quiche.
• loose leaf tea and a pretty strainer - a necessity for a tea ritual and therefore a necessity in my life.
• honey dripper - because swirling golden honey from the jar onto hot toast is one of life's simplest pleasures.
• a tea spoon - with a curved handle it happily sits on the side of the teacup in case a little more stirring is required.
• big handled scissors - for cutting herbs and flowers stalks.
• sea salt + pepper - enough said.
• garlic - always organic because nothing else compares, it's probably best when roasted with dutch cream potatoes; or sautéed with onion and bacon; or when it infuses good quality olive oil, or.....
• lemons - for a citrus-inspired roast chook, or sprinkled over steamed greens, with cream cheese for delectable cake icing or with ginger in that immune-boosting tea mentioned previously.
• linen - absorbent and soft to touch, linen pretties the kitchen setting (thanks to small batch for my glorious aqua dish towel) 
• berries, fruit or flowers - bought, gratefully received or found, a touch of decoration on the windowsill completes the scene.

What are your kitchen essentials?