The growing popularity of cooking in pop culture, from television competitions such as Masterchef to celebrity chefs such as Jamie Oliver, epitomises one thing about Western culture; an obsession with cooking and good food.
Food has always been close to our hearts and has always served a uniting community based function, with mealtimes being a time of celebration, communication and enjoyment. With a more health-conscious focus in the past years as well as the impact of the economy, cooking meals from scratch is growing in popularity.
This reinvigorated love of food and the preparation of food has placed a strong emphasis on the kitchen; the source of home meals.
Of course, the kitchens used in these popular culture arenas aren’t always completely appetising; the images of the stressed restaurant galleys with their harsh lines and entirely metallic features are an acquired taste. The obsession with cleanliness has transferred into an preoccupation with metallic shiny surfaces which appear clean and, overwhelmingly, sterile.
However, the country kitchen still has its place, a very important one at that.
A good kitchen should combine all of these elements; hygienic, easy to clean, but with the traditional elements of warmth, love and character. A real kitchen is equally a place of communion as it is for culinary endeavour. This means integrating the harsher technological elements of the kitchen into the warmer, homely elements.
That’s where a country kitchen comes into its own. There’s no room more suited to the joys of sharing than in a well-loved and thoughtfully designed country-style kitchen. From animated conversation about a complicated recipe to the simple comfort of tea and biscuits, this is a place that embraces so much more in our lives than the food that comes through its inviting door. This is where the warmth of wood, the soft edges of porcelain and the cheerful gleam of ceramic can make interaction within a kitchen that much more appealing.
Certainly, a country kitchen is for those who do more than simply “plate up” a meal. It’s for those of us who serve a meal, attend to its consumers and participate in every aspect of our loved ones’ lives.
There’s no denying the warmth and love that exudes from a country kitchen and we all know food prepared with love just has to taste better. Aussies love food and are becoming more and more interested in creating good, home-cooked fare from scratch. Mix this new-found interest with the welcoming warmth and comfort of a country kitchen and you have the real recipe for a whole lot of love.
