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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

Elin dinner plate Anthropologie

There is a fashion for hanging plates on the wall – for some this never went away – and this pretty mismatched set will work perfectly for that. But it’s also a lovely useable set. For me it’s the moss colourway for food and the orange for the wall. I’m not sure I will ever be on board with square plates but the joy of this is that you can mix and match. The taupe dessert plates are also lovely. When you choose coloured plates you do need to take a moment to visualise them with food on them. If you eat a lot of tomato-based pasta then the orange might not be right for example.
Set Of 2 Smoked Glass Square Storage Jars Rockett St George

It’s a small thing but sometimes that small thing makes all the difference. I have found the perfect dosing spoon for my morning coffee but when the jar is full of coffee the spoon doesn’t fit. And then it gets lost. And I have to use another and the coffee (the first one of which, I think you will agree, is crucial) isn’t right. So a set of jars with dedicated spoons and places to keep them is perfect. I’m in. You can buy them singly too.
Willow serving bowl Anthropologie

I’m not saying Jamie and Nigella aren’t great cooks but there’s definitely something to be said for getting the serving dishes right. Even the most humble bowl of pasta looks more exciting on a good platter. So this is expensive – for a dish for salad but it will look great on a shelf, filled with fruit or arriving at the table on a summer evening. You will never not use it. And – do you want a practical point? It’s smooth on the inside and those blessed cabbage plates (of which I have several) are not and are real sauce stealers. So there’s that.
Bubbles wine glass Zara Home

There’s something quite satisfying about drinking out of a goblet not to mention that it’s much more practical when dining outside as they’re harder to knock over and less likely to blow over. Not just for wine these will work just as well for juice or cocktails and, of course, they’re good for inside as well. Bit of an all rounder really and who doesn’t need that?
Floral-patterned earthenware serving plate H&M Home

We all know that the most humble of gifts can be elevated by beautiful wrapping and the same principle applies to food. Both Nigella and Jamie are experts at presenting a simple pasta dish on a great plate and making the whole thing look incredible and more appetising. Take that and add to it the High Street’s current fashion for collaborating with high end designers and you have this India Mahdavi (designer of the famed Sketch restaurant among others) x H&M floral platter. Think tomato salad and a sprinkle of salt and olive oil.
Moss green floral block printed tea towel Rockett St George

One of the easiest and most affordable ways to bring colour and pattern into a kitchen is by tea towels. They can work really well in frames as well and if this was in a thinner fabric I’d definitely wear it as a scarf. The same pattern is also on a cushion too though if you fancy something a bit less utilitarian and if you want another really pretty tea towel to make set then this pink and green one is gorgeous.
Cena Mustard Yellow Terracotta Colander Oliver Bonas

For those kitchen items which are too pretty to live in a cupboard.... this is joyous with the blue oven dish and while I'm not sure how practical a ceramic colander really is I'd definitely be cheered by the sight of it on a shelf.
Cena Blue Ceramic Oven Dish Oliver Bonas

Eighteen months of cooking all the meals for all the people all the time and the fact that our kitchens have become our restaurants and anything that can pretty things up without extra work is A Good Thing. This pretty dish (and how lovely is it with the honey coloured accessories?) is both cook and serve. Perfect if you are now bringing guests into your domestic restaurant. This is made in Portugal, by the way, where they make very good ceramics and I have toured a couple of the factories.
Veeta Serving Spoons Nkuku

Having been searching for serving spoons for an age I might actually have included these just for me! We have dessert spoons and big ladles and spoons for serving by the hob but find pretty serving spoons to go on the table has proved hard. This might be them. Made from stainless steel, the handles were forged using traditional techniques and they have a tactile finish.
Enesta Dipped Mug Nkuku

These dipped mugs are so pretty and having never had much blue in my house I could change for these. Fair trade brand Nkuku has sourced these in China where they are made by artisans, the skills of many of whom are being forgotten in the race for mass production. Nkuku works with their suppliers to protect and preserve skills like these.