Trees delivered

Mr Castelden from Castelden Trees here in Suffolk has delivered the young trees this week. We aim to start planting them this weekend as the weather looks fair and good. After counting up our sales we decided to add a few other varieties to make for a great hedge row. We are planting a variety of wild cherry, blackthorn, hawthorn, hazel, field maple, common oak, hornbeam, dogwood and crab apple. This combination should make for a great hedge which will benefit all the wildlife who happen to go and live near it or in it. It feels good.

Why put lining inside curtains?

Due to the cold snap I have really noticed a cold draft coming through and around a particular pair of curtains in one of our bedrooms. I really like the curtains and was advised to interline them. The thickest lining is called bump which is a natural material not dissimilar to a thick cotton blanket. Janet and Carol who advised me likened it to having a large blanket up at the window keeping all the drafts behind it rather then perpetrating through.

It was advised that I needed a good solid pole that can with stand the weight of thick curtains. My curtains were already hanging on a Cannon Ball finial pole finished in beeswax which can hold the extra weight easily.  The drafts from the window have been improved beyond belief with this simple addition of bump lining inside the curtains.

Remember the birds in bad weather

Here in Suffolk and other parts of the country our world is covered in snow. Our thoughts have been with the birds who can always do with our help in bad weather. This is what the RSPB say about feeding.

‘During cold spells your supply of food can save the lives of birds. Make sure you put out food and water on a regular basis. In severe weather, feed twice daily if possible, in the morning and in the early afternoon.

Bird cake and food bars are very good because of their high-fat content, as are peanuts. Bird seed mixtures are also high in oils. You can also feed kitchen scraps, such as fat and suet, mild grated cheese, cooked potatoes, pastry and dried fruit.’

We have also put out some water as this won’t be easy to find when everything is frozen.

Refreshing Curtains

Last week we had a visit from Janet Williams a crafts lady  from Suffolk who gave us a few hints on refreshing and revitalising curtains. Janet makes home made accessories for the home but has extensive knowledge of materials and in particular curtains. She suggested that instead of attempting to wash curtains a really good shake (possible hoover carefully) and then hanging them on the line on a good day works wonders. When they come in all fresh and windblown you can choose to iron them before hanging. Having a tie back can also help to keep curtains tidy and less likely to pick up so much daily dirt during the day.

About Kitchen Irons

If you have found your way to our website and are thinking about ordering a product then perhaps you might like to know a little more about what goes on here at Kitchen Irons.

My name is Richard Fishenden and I am a qualified Farrier and skilled Blacksmith. We have been in business for over 12 years. We still shoe horses on a daily basis as part of our business and still use the traditional methods for forging pieces of iron work.

In order to heat up the iron to a forging heat we generally use a gas forge now rather than a coal/coke forge simply because it is quicker and a more consistant heat. We still hand forge all of our products with a large hammer, tongs and a huge anvil. This is fairly unique because most other companies selling ironwork today will buy their stock from China or Europe. Look closely at the images of our ironwork and then compare them to the rest available and you will see that ours are really ‘handmade’.

As we hand forge all of our products to order we can offer you a very personal service. We can make bespoke sizes that are not available off the peg. Please email or phone me if you have something in mind.

Never has there been a better time to buy British..

The words of Interior designer Antonia Stewart who shares her latest advice for home owners in February’s edition of  Period Living The article is informative and interesting and shows that the trend right now is on quality products that are built to last and do not cost the earth. Something very close to my heart.

The Fabulous Baker Brothers

It is sometimes nice to boast and when the producer for a new cookery show asked if I could supply a traditional and rustic pan rack I was able to say yes. They bought 2 wall racks both Blackthorn rails with Thumper finials and finished in beeswax. One can clearly be seen to the right of the big wood oven and really shows off their pots and pans. The shows are well worth watching and are on Channel 4, Wednesday nights, at 8.30pm. You can watch any shows you missed here. The Fabulous Baker Brothers.

 

Harvesting Walnuts

What a fantastic year we have had for walnuts! I have never seen so many hanging off the trees. Here is some information on how to get the best from your harvest:

Check for ripeness. The nuts are falling fast now here in Suffolk and the nuts have split hulls. Break open a few sample nuts to check for ripeness. English walnuts are ready for harvest when the tissue between the kernel and the shell turns brown.

You can then harvest the nuts by gathering them off the ground as they fall or by shaking them off the tree.

When collect the hulls need to be removed to reveal the shelled nuts. The hulls should come off easily if you are collecting the nuts at the right time. You might want to wear gloves to keep your hands clean.

Allow the nuts to air dry for a few weeks and then test again. If you remove the nuts from their shell and try and break them in half if they break cleanly the nuts are ready to eat. The nuts are best stored in an airtight container. The will keep in the shell for several months if kept cool and dry. The shelled nuts can be kept in the fridge for up to 6 months and in the freezer for well over a year.

Cider making

We have already made one batch of cider this year and tomorrow (after the rugby) we will head to the orchards again to gather and press some more apples. We have a large Vigo cider press which is the real deal.

The taste of the fresh juice takes some beating and it’s a great day for the whole family. My 2 sons love getting involved and drinking copious amounts of juice.

 

New products coming soon…

We have spent the summer developing a new range of Kitchen Iron products for your home. We will soon add these to our website. They include wooden chopping boards, kitchen door knobs and handles plus a lovely notice board to keep all of your ‘To do’s’ in one place.

Here is a sneek preview of one of the chopping boards that is in the range…