Whine alert: I know that eventually I’ll have a great kitchen, but at the moment all I am able to focus on is the disruption which will take place in my home until I get there. I hate the idea of the mess, the dust, the hassle, the lack of facilities, the lack of control, having to deal with various builders and companies and co-ordinate so many things. Plus kitchens aren’t cheap, so we’re also going to have to watch our pennies for a while.
Tomorrow is when the work starts: we’re extending our kitchen by adding a conservatory, and the company who are installing it are supposed to be arriving tomorrow morning. It looks like the weather is going to stay dry, so everything should kick off according to plan, but I am one of those people who can’t help but worry, so I won’t believe it until I hear them knock on my front door and they start work.
We have a week where the work mainly takes place outside, so in theory this week I should be able to use my kitchen pretty much as normal. I do, however, have to start preparing my kitchen for next Monday, which is when the actual refurbishment of the kitchen starts (by which mean destruction). I will have to empty out the whole kitchen so that the builders can tear everything out, block up windows, lay pipes, plaster and put down a new floor … it’s going to be messy. All that kitchen equipment, food, and dishes have to go somewhere, and that means they will be going in my living room. Sigh.
And then after two weeks of destroy and re-build, I have the actual installation of my new kitchen, which in the scheme of things should be relatively quick to complete … although I am sure it won’t feel quick when the only way I can cook is in my living room, surrounded by boxes and mess.
So, there’s my whinge out of the way. I can’t promise that you won’t be hearing me moan for another month or so while I live through kitchen hell, but hopefully the final results will be worthwhile and I will have a kitchen of my dreams.
Until then, here’s what I will be having for dinner this week:
- Monday – my mum and brother are coming over tomorrow so takeaway is probably our easiest option. My brother has been poorly, so he can choose what to eat (I’ll even pay!)
- Tuesday – salmon and risotto
- Wednesday – Shepherd’s pie
- Thursday – I’ll be off to Paris, but there’s pizza in the freezer for Andrew
- Friday – I am off out with friends to our favourite Vietnamese, Song Que
- Saturday – faggots and vegetables
- Sunday – Steak pie and veg, plus a day of cooking and prepping for the following week
For lunches, I am going to continue to have my Glorious soups (Singapore tomato soup is my current favourite) and also I am cooking some Heck chicken sausages I was sent to have with pasta salad for lunch. These sausages have been raved about by my weight-watching friends, so I was delighted to be sent some to try. So far I have tried the zesty chicken sausages, which I didn’t think I’d like because they include watercress, but they were very tasty. Even Andrew liked them (much to his surprise), so this week I am trying out the Italian chicken ones. Either on their own or chopped into pasta, they seem ideal for a tasty and healthy meal, so I can see why my friends are fans.
Do you have any tips for me to keep me sane during my kitchen nightmare? Please leave your tips in the comments section. Betty the cat wants to know …
Really excited to see how your extension comes along. Do post regular updates! How are you coping with the first week? I hope it’s not too stressful.
Thanks – it’s a bit horrendous living in this state at the moment but I keep trying to think of the end game!
Very exciting and I hope that you have a lovely kitchen by now! Can’t wait for the updates!!
No lovely kitchen yet … still a lot of mess and dust … but at least we are one week closer to our goal … keep your fingers crossed for me that I don’t lose my sanity in the interim!