> Edits
Tableware
The right tableware will totally elevate your dining experience and turn the humblest dish of pasta into an occasion. Check out the full collection here.
Damson Madder Frilly Hand-Painted Salad BowlAnthropologieDamson Madder has been loved by the fashion crowd for some time now but its homewares collection flies a little more under the radar. This pretty salad bowl has the air of having belonged to your granny – or someone else’s, and unearthed at a vintage market. Use it in the kitchen for fruit or salad or in the sitting room, either to collate all those random bits and bobs or just to sit about being decorative.
Eden Floral Scalloped Ceramic JugAnthropologieNo, I probably won’t use it but it’s so pretty I would just like to look at it and occasionally fill it with flowers. If you’ve got space in the bathroom it would bring colour and character but put it in pretty much any room of the house for a retro, vintage feel. There’s a matching plate too – and if there’s one thing Jamie and Nigella et al have taught us it’s that even the humblest green salad looks more exciting when it’s presented well.
Rosa Linen NapkinsSoho HomeI'm having a napkin moment. Maybe it's the idea of elevating the midday soup and toast, but laying the table and adding napkins brings a drop of joy to meals (not so much for the teenagers). I have bought cheap and they were nasty. These are not cheap – but my, they are lovely.
Fluted wine glassesCox & CoxDry January? Not likely. These glasses by Cox & Cox have tactile fluting which adds sophistication and makes them seem a lot more expensive than they actually are - at £55 for a set of 6. Fluted glass is on trend this season too, so if you can’t replace your kitchen doors with it, then this is an affordable (and palatable) way to tap in.
Twisted Beeswax CandlesEtsyThese beeswax candles are handmade in Devon and come in a variety of colours costing £6 for two. Suddenly traditional cyclindrical candles look all sorts of boring and the colours will bring a splash of joy to your table. Would make a great present too - with or without a candlestick.
Ceramic Gluggle JugOliver BonasI love these large earthenware jugs, which come in sage green or a deep blue. Mimicking the form of a koi carp, the fish makes a glugging noise when you pour water from its mouth, which always gets a reaction at the table. When not in use, have it out on the sideboard as an ornament, place it in the kitchen as a utensil jar, or on the coffee table as a vase.
Gluggle jugGraham & GreenI have had this on my list for so many years and still I don’t own one. This might be the year I self-gift. For everyone else, here’s the link. Use it for bunches of flowers as well as table water, kitchen utensils or just to look decorative on the shelf. The shape is pretty, the colours are lovely and the gluggle is fun. What more do you want from a present?
Wake Up You Sleepyhead Cup & SaucerBella FreudThere is a school of thought that says you don’t want a wide cup or your drink will go cold but as someone who is quite happy to work my way through a cafetière of coffee or a pot of herbal tea until it’s all gone, that doesn’t bother me. And if it does bother you, drink faster. This is 100% china, made in the UK, with 9ct gold trim. Also: name the artist who sang those words.
Wooden BowlsH&M HOMENow I don’t know about you, but whenever I see that Nigella on the TV I'm as taken with her vast array of serving dishes as I am by the actual thing she is cooking. The ability to call upon a collection of wooden bowls in different sizes is clearly a prerequisite for any wannabe domestic goddess (or god). Use these for salads, nibbles, or just sitting pretty on the table to catch the keys, bits of string and those bits of stuff that seem to accumulate with nowhere else to live.
Wooden candlesticks setEtsyThe Danes light candles every single day – and as a society well used to long dark winters where it’s too cold to go outside, we should take our cue from their superior expertise. These simple carved candlesticks will look good even when you haven’t lit them and will brighten even the plainest, most Nordic of tablescapes.
