Kitchen Talk

Marry, sir, 'tis an ill cook that cannt lick his own fingers. Therefore he that cannot lick his fingers goes not with me. - William Shakespeare, Romeo & Juliet

This

not

this

Please go to visit Welshcakes Limoncello and read all about her adventures with her new, lovely, red tomato squashing machine. In her reply to my comment about probably not being able to find such a wonderful appliance here in England, she recommended that I try Lakeland, a wonderful shop that started up years and years ago selling, as far as I can remember, just plastics (polythene bags, etc.). It was during the '60s/70s and freezing enormous quantities of meat and veg. was quite in vogue. From that inauspicious (but probably financially rewarding) start the company has grown and now has numerous shops all over the UK, as well as selling online and by mail order.

Well, would you believe it??!! Ten minutes after reading her suggestion what should drop through my letterbox but the latest edition of the Lakeland catalogue. Hoorah - a good excuse to forgo the hoovering and other such stimulating tasks and immerse myself in its pages. Welshcakes told me to.

Unfortunately no tomato squashing machine but all sorts of other goodies, mainly to do with barbecues and suchlike (in this weather????????), but a few other 'I want' items as well.

But if I bought all, or even some, of the 'I want' things I'd need another room to house them all in, not just a bigger kitchen. So are some of these things really necessary?:

Pizza Maker Oven - a free standing 15" Pizza maker

Pasta Maker Set - small and red and would go very well with the tomato squasher

Electric Ice Maker - makes ice cubes in just 90 minutes. So does my freezer

Cherry Super Stoner - good if you can afford to make your own jam with the price of cherries

Ice Cream Maker - I would like one of these but can foresee that I'd use it a couple of times and then it would be hanging around getting in the way

Smoothie Maker - these are great, but I've already got a blender attachment with my food mixer and I think they do the same thing? (I think Jo has got one of these so perhaps she can tell us)

So all of these (and there are others!) along with the breadmaker, the coffee pot, the kettle, the toaster and the microwave on your worktops leaves little room to work.

Other interesting little items in the catalogue were:

Easy Italian - cookbook that I'm going to buy

Plastic jug with a tube down the middle for ice cubes, so that melting ice doesn't dilute your Pimm's

Wild Hibiscus Flowers in Syrup - From the foothills of the Blue Mountains in Australia come these special wild hibiscus, which have a remakable effect when mixed with champagne.

Bone Suckin Sauce - the name says it all

Ice Cream Cone Cake Tin

Flexible Ice Cube Trays - these are brilliant & I'm going to buy another one

Roast Pineapple & Lime Leaf Dessert Relish

Cobb Barbecue Cooking System - which can be used indoors and sound intriguing

Best 'til last: An electric fryer that cooke chip using just one tablespoon of oil. I'd give that houseroom but it costs £150 so I'll have to wait.