Is this a sad picture?

The Accuser

For years I wanted a cake stand, so that it might sit on my bench, proclaiming welcome to all who entered my home. Unfortunately it seems that it wasn’t as practical as I had hoped. Instead of proclaiming emphatic welcomes to my visitors, it seems to glare accusingly at me and accost me for not being more domestic.

I still love it, I just love it more when it’s full of cake.

It seems that there are many items in my kitchen which spend very little time in use. The tiny blowtorch used for crème brûlée has been used only a handful of times, the salad spinner is in the top of a rarely opened cupboard and I feel that my ever growing collection of cookie cutters, while ambitious, indulges a ridiculous fantasy life. All these things laze in my cupboards, sleepily basking in light when the doors are opened, yet deep inside knowing that their time has not come.

I can always see the importance of having good basics, sharp knives, saucepans that heat evenly and enough plates to serve the meal on, but I find that it’s the extras that make cooking truly enjoyable. I find that having these things in my cupboard, enhances my freedom to explore. When I read a recipe that calls for an electric whisk, I become more confident as I know I am equipped to take on the job, and when I read a decadent cake recipe I become more seduced by the opportunity to use my beautiful cake stand.