Remember Fridge Freezer Fantasies? Well I am here to tell you my darlings, that despite failure in the Russell Brand falling in love with me stakes, some fantasies do come true. Hell yeah, I am a women in possession of a new fridge: namely a Hotpoint, plain as you can get, reach to the ceiling affair I am somewhat besotted by… I know, it’s not normal to be besotted by a refrigerator but when you have been loving a Ford Fiesta for so long and a big ol’ white Monster truck comes along, one cannot help but get a little giddy.
My main criteria, when seeking this new fridge was height. I have a diddy cream and red gingham kitchen and though I have long entertained fantasies of an American style double-fronted fridge, there isn’t, quite frankly, a hope in hell – so tall it had to be, and white. I’m all done with the stainless steel craze: my Mum always warned me that when I got to forty my whole being would crave light and she was right: my lovely new white fridge has brightened up my little mole-hole of a kitchen no end!
After height and colour came energy efficiency. For reasons too long to explain this house has always had an electricity meter and in its wake I have become an energy demon. My last fridge was a noisy, grumbling affair, forever throwing tantrums of the forgetting to tell me that I had left the door ever so slightly open and sending itself into energy overdrive instead. While this one bleeps frantically should I dither too long in front of its duel lit lovely shelves while trying to choose between brie and cheddar, so there is no chance of me wandering off to answer the phone and leaving it open: no chance at all – even someone as deaf as me can hear a high-pitched bleep…
So yep it’s lovely. And white and tall. That said, I did have a few issues when it first arrived though. For some reason, it wasn’t working properly so I had to get a fridge repair company (similar to amanafridgerepair.com) to come and sort it out for me. It’s working perfectly now though so I don’t mind the little hiccup that it had. I’m totally in love with it! It’s a blank canvas for all manner of puttery loveliness so now strikes me as the perfect time to re-visit my tips for creating the most lovely fridge in the world…
Drumroll please my Darlings?
* Start by taking everything in the fridge out and put it on the counter. Throw out anything past its sell by date or more than a month old (including mustards, marmalades etc…) * Wipe down the insides of the fridge with a mix of vinegar and tea-tree oil. * Measure the bases of your salad drawers and using a pair of pinking shears, cut out flowery/spotty oilcloth liners, so you can clean the base of your drawers quickly and easily, and they will always look pretty… * Choose a tiny, pretty little dish, fill it with baking powder and put it at the back of your fridge to absorb bad smells. * Choose a scrumptious tray (I’m saving a gorgeous vintage glass one with a lace insert), or depending on the size of your fridge, a couple of trays and use it in the fridge to easily pull jam, marmalades, chutneys and other condiments, in and out… * Transfer blocks of butter on to butter dishes. (pretty, not remotely precious pressed glass for me!). * Pour cordials into glass bottles, display eggs (if you prefer to keep them in the fridge), grapes, strawberries and tomatoes etc in bowls, and put cheeses and cold meat etc into their own lidded clear containers: all the better to check stocks of… * Remove as much store-bought packaging as possible: choose waxed paper over clingfilm wherever possible and tie up with kitchen string. * Store broccoli in a wide glass filled with water, like a pretty green bouquet as it will last longer this way. Store carrots standing up in a similar glass. * Store like with like according to food safety rules. * Remove all fish and meat from store wrappings, wipe and wrap in greaseproof paper and store in zip lock bags or sealed containers. * Choose a container or tin you adore, fill it with chocolately treats and hide it at the back, for cold comfort… * Add a glass bowl for your cosmetics. * Then pop the odd crocheted doillie atop a jar or two, pop a single flower bud in a tiny jam jar, and close the door… * Glue magnets onto the back of vintage paste brooches and use to hold your “HouseKeepers Creed” in place… * Then get thee to a food emporium and buy a few extra special treats in pretty packaging: divine fresh coffee in brown paper bags, olives, sun-dried tomatoes in oil, retro style tinned fish, or tiny little petit fours…
Then cook something delicious for dinner, go to bed, and sneak downstairs in the middle of the night to eat the leftovers straight out of the fridge, Nigella Lawson style…
Create your own Brocante Life Book, plan Christmas, set up routines and rituals or live life the BrocanteHome way with my guided workbooks and planners.
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I’ve been in love with John Galliano since I was seventeen: not in a bedding kind of way, more in a kind of of my god, oh wow, how completely and utterly, incredibly talented can one man be, kind of way… Tonight,…
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On the Decision to Advertise. I didn’t wanna do it. I really didn’t wanna do it. I kinda hate myself for it. But here’s the thing: this site has changed my little life. I adore it. But oh my Lordy, it is…
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Welcome to my second Housekeepers Carousel: a quick round-up of all the things that stirring my emotions this week… *First up, Sulamith Wulfing. When I was a little girl my Mum owned a book called “Childhood” which combined Khalil Gibran quotes with…
15 Comments
Oh, wonderful! Because I love you, I won’t be jealous! You are inspiring a huge clear out tomorrow…
Alison this will horrify you at the moment with your lovely new fridge but down the track you may want to try this. I write the freezer contents on the freezer door with a non-permanent whiteboard pen. I’ve tried paper, magnetic whiteboards etc, the pen on the door is perfect.
Alison this will horrify you at the moment with your lovely new fridge but down the track you may want to try this. I write the freezer contents on the freezer door with a non-permanent whiteboard pen. I’ve tried paper, magnetic whiteboards etc, the pen on the door is perfect.
Congrats on the new acquisition. You NEED to get rid of the meter though. They are the most expensive way of having electricity in the house and that’s saying something with the non-stop rate hikes. It would be well worth upgrading. Ali
Congrats on the new acquisition. You NEED to get rid of the meter though. They are the most expensive way of having electricity in the house and that’s saying something with the non-stop rate hikes. It would be well worth upgrading. Ali
I am jealous! My fridge is a behemoth from the 1980s. It’s loud, stinky (no matter how much I clean it), and it is an energy hog. We will definitely be getting a new one come tax return time.
I am jealous! My fridge is a behemoth from the 1980s. It’s loud, stinky (no matter how much I clean it), and it is an energy hog. We will definitely be getting a new one come tax return time.
A new fridge is a huge celebration! I spent the hottest six weeks of the summer without one, feeding ten. Daily shopping was the only way to cope. So congratulations 🙂
A new fridge is a huge celebration! I spent the hottest six weeks of the summer without one, feeding ten. Daily shopping was the only way to cope. So congratulations 🙂
I always find it strange to see these tiny under the counter fridges on English tv shows. Where do you put your leftovers and gallon sized milk? Many of us also have a separate freezer. If you’re freezing a lot of things, you might want to consider buying one.
I always find it strange to see these tiny under the counter fridges on English tv shows. Where do you put your leftovers and gallon sized milk? Many of us also have a separate freezer. If you’re freezing a lot of things, you might want to consider buying one.
It’s the glass bowl for cosmetics that makes this a Brocante fridge. Complete organisation, practical prettiness and then…. whoomph!….. utter decadence. Love it.And I’m off to clear my vegetable drawers.
It’s the glass bowl for cosmetics that makes this a Brocante fridge. Complete organisation, practical prettiness and then…. whoomph!….. utter decadence. Love it. And I’m off to clear my vegetable drawers.
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Oh, wonderful! Because I love you, I won’t be jealous! You are inspiring a huge clear out tomorrow…
Oh, wonderful! Because I love you, I won’t be jealous! You are inspiring a huge clear out tomorrow…
Alison this will horrify you at the moment with your lovely new fridge but down the track you may want to try this. I write the freezer contents on the freezer door with a non-permanent whiteboard pen. I’ve tried paper, magnetic whiteboards etc, the pen on the door is perfect.
Alison this will horrify you at the moment with your lovely new fridge but down the track you may want to try this. I write the freezer contents on the freezer door with a non-permanent whiteboard pen. I’ve tried paper, magnetic whiteboards etc, the pen on the door is perfect.
Congrats on the new acquisition. You NEED to get rid of the meter though. They are the most expensive way of having electricity in the house and that’s saying something with the non-stop rate hikes. It would be well worth upgrading.
Ali
Congrats on the new acquisition. You NEED to get rid of the meter though. They are the most expensive way of having electricity in the house and that’s saying something with the non-stop rate hikes. It would be well worth upgrading.
Ali
I am jealous! My fridge is a behemoth from the 1980s. It’s loud, stinky (no matter how much I clean it), and it is an energy hog. We will definitely be getting a new one come tax return time.
I am jealous! My fridge is a behemoth from the 1980s. It’s loud, stinky (no matter how much I clean it), and it is an energy hog. We will definitely be getting a new one come tax return time.
A new fridge is a huge celebration! I spent the hottest six weeks of the summer without one, feeding ten. Daily shopping was the only way to cope. So congratulations 🙂
A new fridge is a huge celebration! I spent the hottest six weeks of the summer without one, feeding ten. Daily shopping was the only way to cope. So congratulations 🙂
I always find it strange to see these tiny under the counter fridges on English tv shows. Where do you put your leftovers and gallon sized milk? Many of us also have a separate freezer. If you’re freezing a lot of things, you might want to consider buying one.
I always find it strange to see these tiny under the counter fridges on English tv shows. Where do you put your leftovers and gallon sized milk? Many of us also have a separate freezer. If you’re freezing a lot of things, you might want to consider buying one.
Love this 🙂
It’s the glass bowl for cosmetics that makes this a Brocante fridge. Complete organisation, practical prettiness and then…. whoomph!….. utter decadence. Love it.And I’m off to clear my vegetable drawers.
It’s the glass bowl for cosmetics that makes this a Brocante fridge. Complete organisation, practical prettiness and then…. whoomph!….. utter decadence. Love it.
And I’m off to clear my vegetable drawers.