Every year, as the evenings draw in and the air begins to smell of rainfall and pumpkin spice, my kitchen starts whispering that it’s time for its Halloween makeover. This year, I decided that it would become a witch’s kitchen. Not the bubbling-cauldron, eye-of-newt kind, but the cosy, coppery, “come in for soup and gossip” kind.
Brewing Up Some Magic
If you’ve been here a while, you’ll know that my dresser top is where the seasonal magic happens. It’s hung with my beloved Emma Bridgewater mugs alongside a classic Le Creuset and a few others shaped like pumpkins and cauldrons. There are Emma Bridgewater Halloween plates and trays too, and a gorgeous trick or treating bucket that Dorothy says is far too small as she’d have to come back and empty it several times 😆
It can be a bit Bridgewater-heavy on this dresser but you know what, when you love a thing, you love a thing, and her designs often inspire what else joins the party. Copper cups glint from the shelves, filled not with Moscow Mules but with Nigella seed pods from the garden because apparently they look like tiny dragon eggs. There are stacks of pumpkin-shaped bowls ready for thick autumn soups and stews amd a little mouse hoping to share it with you. I absolutely LOVE these little mice figures.
Perhaps its the big kid in me but I think they look super sweet dotted about the house.
(Tiny) Harvest Time
Out of the 38200000 plants we optimistically grew this year, we produced 3 mini pumpkins. Three! They’re proudly displayed, obviously, alongside a beautifully carved wooden pumpkin. A reminder that not everything works put the way you planned and back.ups can be beautiful too!
Those little pumpkin casserole dishes, by the way, are far more useful than they look. They’re pretty for serving but perfect for storing leftovers like houmous or whipped cream. Somehow, everything tastes better when it’s in a fancy pot.
On top of the dresser is a cluster of garden foliage that’s been there so long it’s turned a black ( perfectly on theme). The splash of orange among it is from some Chinese lantern stems that our lovely neighbour John brought round. I’ll store them carefully so they can make an appearance again next autumn too – they’re lovely.
I framed an inexpensive Halloween print in a charity shop frame, which handily covers some slightly dodgy painting. It’s amazing what you can disguise with a bit of imagination and a glue gun!
Beside the hob sits my bright orange Le Creuset utensil holder (a classic, and worth every penny), next to a not-quite-Le-Creuset pumpkin dish (one day🤞)
My sweet friend Tonianne bought me the pumpkin spoon rest, which lives next to the kettle, usually piled high with used teabags because tea is life!
When the fancy takes us, we brew our tea in a pot and what better than a pumpkin-shaped teapot. It pours beautifully, and it makes you feel like a character from a story book.
Of course, there are pumpkins everywhere, but also flowers from my daughter (love you, Beth) and a cake stand full of green tomatoes. Our tomato plants were very enthusiastic this year – just not about ripening. A few have blushed red in the warmth of the kitchen, but the rest are destined for green tomato chutney.
Dorothy, spotted some walnuts in the supermarket and insisted we couldn’t possibly go on without them. They’re out on the counter now, accompanied by our trusty squirrel nutcracker, bought at one of those Jamie Oliver “at home” parties that were popular in the 90s and 00s. Proof, if any were needed, that good things really do last.
Speaking of longevity, there’s an autumnal garland, now perched on top of our cupboards that’s had more roles than Sandra Bullock (that’s a Practical Magic reference – just incase you’re uncultired 😆)! Over the years it’ss been on the mantle, across the dining table, and even wound around the staircase. Every Autumn it finds a new home, and still looks just as good as the day I bought it.
The Magic of Slow Collecting
People sometimes ask how I’ve ended up with such a big collection and the honest answer is: time. This witch’s kitchen wasn’t conjured up overnight. I’ve been collecting and curating for over twenty years – from charity shops, DIYs, sales and the occasional Homesense treat. It takes time and the fun is in the collecting.
Happy Halloween, my lovelies! May your brews be strong, your pumpkins plentiful (eventually), and your leftovers always taste better the next day.
Love Rachel 🎃
