What’s your dream kitchen like?

There were comfy chairs and a bench that folded out into a bed (I slept on it for almost 30 years when I visited my grandmother and I still have it).

Her kitchen could have been bigger but it had all the comforts of a 1960s kitchen. The kitchen included a pantry with shelves and a small window. It didn’t have a heating system (in the ‘60s she had to light a fire in a large tiled oven - only later was it replaced with a heating system) but no matter the weather outside, the temperature in the pantry was always constant.

The butter was neither soft nor hard - just perfect to spread on a slice of toast. The cheese always tasted great and didn’t need to ‘warm’ up and we never had spoiled eggs.

My nan was one of the first to have a fridge and that meant that she was able to buy food for the week as milk didn’t spoil as much and the pork chop kept for the weekend.

In my head, I have designed my dream kitchen many times (the sole reason I play the Lotto!) and in each design, the pantry is a must. My search cookies in Pinterest are working overtime with all the kitchen designs I have saved!

I even go as far as designing my own cooker (I still drool over Agas though) and customized cupboards that hold my K-Mix and food processor so that I just have to open the door to use them instead of carrying them across the kitchen.

My pantry would have baskets on the floor for spuds, onions etc while the shelves would house my jars of flours, sugar, pulses and tins of tomatoes and beans. It would look tidy obviously (it’s my dream, so it would be tidy) and it would smell of wonders and happiness.

It still amazes me what my nan was able to fit in her tiny pantry and how well organised she was.

I think I would also have one of these American-style super fridges that tell you when your next dentist appointment is due.

Mr T and I visited Mr T junior in Canada a while back and stayed with his wife’s parents who had such a huge fridge. I have to say, I loved it.

It was spacious, you could pour filtered cold water from the outside and it spat out ice cubes for your gin and tonic with a small button.

Don’t get me wrong, my current kitchen is great. I have created some wonderful dinners for friends and family in it and I am very happy with it, although sometimes I think Mr T needs his own kitchen – it’s not big enough for two completely different cooks.

Are kitchens still the heart of the home? Do we gather in kitchens or do we now prefer the living room to sit down for a chat?

When I look at new houses, kitchens seem to become smaller even with the open plan kitchen-living space that is now so fashionable. Now, I have to go and play my six numbers – keep your fingers crossed!