A touch of nature in your home...

Today I wanted to feature an unusual item which might just catch your eye should you get down to the vaults for a look around.

Nature in design. Image via.

Found in many shapes and styles, its use might not be immediately obvious. People often ponder what these curious, yet charming objects might be.
Click through to read on and find out what it is...

Stop the press! Enjoy the flavours...

One of the items we have down here that extracts (if you'll pardon the pun) some of the most quizzical looks, is the duck press.

Pressed duck being served at Paris’s La Tour D’Argent (Courtesy of La Tour D’Argent) Image via.

Invented in France in the 1800’s by a chef called Mechenet, it was a machine created to extract every bit of duckiness from your bird.

The Centrepiece de Résistance

We are nearly there now. I hope everyone has had a stress free run up to Christmas and you are all now just drinking mulled wine or eggnog with your feet up. Yes, I know, chance would be a fine thing.

In my previous post we went through the many serving options available to impress your dinner guests but the razzle dazzle needn't stop there.

Today we look at a variety of centrepiece options for the Christmas Table. Image via.

The Christmas Table

Here it is - December already! I hope my last couple of posts might have given you the inspiration needed and now you are so organised you can just concentrate on the festive feast.
If there was ever a time of year when you want your table to look spectacular then surely Christmas is it.

Will yours be a truly magical Christmas worthy of the Weasleys? Image via.

Silver has been used for centuries to add glamour and opulence to the dining room. If you think of any film or period drama with a dinner party scene then chances are, the table is adorned with silver.
From the centrepieces and the candlesticks to the serving dishes and utensils right down to the cutlery we eat with; silver, silver, silver!

Christmas Gift Ideas

I cannot believe it is already mid -November. In little more than a month the turkey will have been well and truly carved. With this in mind,over the coming weeks, I hope to offer up some suggestions and ideas to help lighten the load.

Image via

Every year I promise myself that when I flip that calendar to December I will not feel that twinge of panic because I will be so organised that I will be able to look at others rushing around while I sit sipping hot chocolate and scoffing mince pies.

Winter Nights by Candle Light

My candle burns at both ends

It will not last the night
But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends It gives a lovely light

-Edna St. Vincent Millay

Some examples of our candlesticks and candelabra in popular styles.

Well, if the weather itself wasn't an indication that we are heading towards winter, then the clocks going back surely is. Those long dark evenings are upon us once again and the need to create a cosy atmosphere becomes ever stronger. What better way to create more light and ambience than with the glow of a candle?

Of course, for more than a hundred years, we have had access to electricity and are able to provide our homes with more light by the simple flick of a switch. It enables us to have the light we need for getting on with our daily lives, but sometimes candlelight creates that ambient mood we simply cannot achieve with mere electricity.

A Whole Lotta Quaichin’ Going On

Well, Glasgow has been buzzing over the last couple of weeks as the Commonwealth Games took place in the city once referred to as the ‘Dear Green Place’.

Once known as the British Empire Games, they have taken place every four years since 1930 when just 11 Commonwealth countries took part.

The 2014 Commonwealth medals, with ceremonial wooden quaich. Image via.

The 2014 games in Glasgow saw 71 countries take part, making for an exciting world event.

The purpose of the games is to inspire and unite the commonwealth nations. The ethos of the games is to encourage the values of humanity, equality and destiny.
Along with the medals bestowed on the winners at the games this year, you may have noticed the athletes also receiving a small wooden bowl.
This bowl was given to the athletes to symbolise love and friendship amongst the commonwealth nations.

England's gold medallist Alistair Brownlee raises his wooden quaich. Picture via BBC

Dream Dinner Parties...

It’s that time of year again. Taste of London is just around the corner. Originally launched in 2004 in the smaller venue of Somerset House, the festival moved to a more spacious home the following year, such was its popularity, and now takes place annually in Regent's Park, London. 
It seems that we can't help but embrace new trends in food and all things food related.

With that in mind I thought we should perhaps celebrate the ultimate food alter: the dinner table. 

Throughout history we have used food to honour, celebrate and quite frankly, just show off.

The more bizarre and lavish an affair one could throw, the more one was sure to make an impression.

Take a look here at a party once thrown by Salvador Dali in California.