Photography: Alex Jeffries www.alexjeffriesphotographygroup.com
It was like giving birth to our fifth child – the whole process and anticipation was the same (ok, maybe those were ambitious choice of words but just for a moment we were very close to that feeling). The joy of meeting for the first time, our new kitchen.
Words simply do not describe how delighted we are with the results. Christmas has come early this year. The beautiful photography by Alex Jeffries himself, one of the most talented photographers I have had the privilege of watching at his craft, really does say it all.
In my last post on Hacker Kitchens where we discussed the process, I described how we wanted more than just a kitchen, we wanted a new family space for our family to spend time in. We have spent the last couple of weeks testing out the new space, appliances and kitchen. It has certainly lived up to the hype and expectations of the brand. It was like test driving a brand new car. I have spent time cooking with the children in the kitchen already feeling more inspired with the space and the light. Cooking has become more of a joy again. I know, some cynics will say like everything else this new shiny event will wear off. Perhaps cooking 3 meals a day will return to tediousness but whilst my enthusiasm reigns, my cookbooks deserve more time again, and we are trying out new recipes all the time as a family.
This new kitchen has also helped us declutter the unnecessary. How many of you secretly know that at the back of your kitchen cupboard lies a few kitchen relics that are too good to throw out but the truth is they are never used. Now, everything in the cupboards are only the items we will use time and time again. That’s my definition of a working kitchen.
The new kitchen has forced us to make choices about appliances; we are much more streamlined as a result, and still we have space in our cupboards.
In my fantasy world of motherhood, I had always dreamt of baking with two children, whilst my other two children sit diligently completing their homework in advance; caption underneath my fantasy photograph would be Motherhood in the 1950s. Whilst the reality is much more messy, I do get time to do some of that now in our family’s version. I spend time with the children cooking and baking in the kitchen, having breakfast and dinner as a family, build lego on the countertops, do homework, and work on the blog. It helps me achieve what I want, which is essentially to spend as much quality time as I can with the children.
I am a firm believer that even if we are blessed with help at home, it is important that our children see us, as parents, cooking, and to have the children interact in the kitchen too. It gives them early on an understanding of what is healthy and that food should be prepared from scratch and not from bottles, cans or jars if possible.
We have used the steam oven and the regular oven by Miele together, and we have cooked teppanyaki meals inspired by our trip to Japan, and fried Japanese fried rice using the induction wok. For moments when gas is easier, that is an option in the kitchen too.
One milestone in the kitchen upgrade was when I laid my eyes on the fridge and freezer unit, the highlight for me.
As dramatic as it sounds, the Hacker Family Kitchen has certainly transformed the space in our house but it has also changed our lifestyle as a family to be able to do more together in the home.
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