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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

GRIND ONE COFFEE POD MACHINE Anthropologie

It’s not cheap but it IS pretty and the chances are that those who care about their coffee care about the way it is served. It’s all part of the ritual. I’m strictly a Moka Express stove top pot but I could make an exception for this. It’s much prettier than the ubiquitous nespresso machines with which it is, by the way, compatible.
SET OF SIX PEONY GLASSES Graham & Green

After the annual wisteria hysteria on Instagram comes #peonyseason as these gorgeous, but short-lived flowers take over everyone’s feed. So make it last longer with this very pretty set of coloured glasses. They’re made from blown glass but are dishwasher safe and will last far longer than the real thing. Unless, of course, you drop them.
Gluggle jug Graham & Green

I have had one of these on my list for so many years and still I don’t have one. This might be the year I self-gift. For everyone else here’s the link. Use them for bunches of flowers as well as table water, utensils and 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?
Mio Oyoy Washtub Made

If you belong to the rattan basket brigade and feel that you can always find a use for them then this is for you. And if you want something more modern than rattan then this is for you too. It’s a washing up bowl but at 37cm in diameter you can use it as a repository for small toys, keeping all the light bulbs or cables together in the cupboard, or just for throwing all the pens, change and general STUFF in at the end of the day before you can quite face sorting it out and it gradually takes over the whole worktop.
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.