Kitchen Accessories

Kitchen accessories for the worktop and the table

Most of the kitchen accessories we stock are tableware, the pieces that go to the table with the meal. We stock butter dishes, egg cups and salt and pepper shakers, along with chopping boards for the worktop. A few pieces help with prep, from lemon squeezers to a soapstone pestle and mortar. Several kitchen roll holders keep a roll close to hand for spills.

If you eat where you cook, it helps that most pieces here suit the dining room as well as the kitchen: a butter dish that looks right by the toaster can go straight to the table, so the same piece serves you in either room.

Stoneware kitchen accessories and their glazes

Most pieces on this page are ceramic, and you will find stoneware across our butter dishes, egg cups and salt and pepper shakers. It suits pieces you pick up daily, since it feels solid in the hand and takes a glaze well.

If the specification lists a reactive glaze, expect colour and markings to vary a little from piece to piece, because the glaze shifts in the kiln: welcome if you like character, less so if you want a perfectly uniform set. A solid coloured glaze gives an even colour that is easier to match when you add pieces later. Where the finish is hand painted or partly hand decorated, small differences between pieces are part of the making.

Marble and wooden kitchen accessories

We stock marble pieces for the worktop and for serving. A few of our chopping boards are marble, so check the weight on the product page: a heavy board stays put while you slice, but it is more of a lift to carry to the table. Marble also stays cool, which suits cheese and pastry.

Wooden pieces bring warmth beside glazed stoneware, and we stock them too. Several are mango wood. Wood is kinder to knife edges than marble, so if you chop a lot, a wooden board will look after your knives. If a wooden piece is listed as lacquered, a wipe with a damp cloth is enough; bare wood benefits from an occasional rub of food-grade oil.

Butter dishes and egg cups for the kitchen table

A butter dish only earns its place if your butter fits it, so check the length and width on the product page against the block you usually buy. Height matters too if the dish will sit on a fridge shelf. Some of our butter dishes have floral designs. A few pieces are striped, for a crisper look.

With egg cups, the diameter decides whether a large egg sits snugly or wobbles, so compare it with your usual eggs. Check whether an egg cup is sold on its own or as a set before you place an order. Buying singly is a good way to give the household a mix of colours.

Choosing salt and pepper shakers and grinders

Salt and pepper shakers tend to stay out between meals, so choose ones you enjoy looking at. Some of ours have Christmas designs. Shakers suit ready-ground salt and pepper, while a grinder lets you crack peppercorns or grind coarse salt fresh over the plate. A few wooden salt and pepper grinders sit alongside our shakers.

Before you buy, check the capacity on the product page: a roomier shaker means fewer refills, which matters at a busy family table. Check the product name and specification too, so you know whether you are buying a pair or a larger set.

Kitchen accessories that work together

Kitchen accessories look as though they belong together when they share a material, a colour or a style. We stock Scandinavian and rustic designs, and either gives you a clear thread to follow. If your kitchen leans Scandinavian, keep to clean shapes and soft colours; if it leans rustic, let wood and earthy glazes lead.

Colour works the same way. We stock green pieces and multicoloured designs, so you can repeat a shade across the table or let a patterned piece stand out among plain ones. If you prefer quieter colours, a few pieces come in cream. Mixing materials is fine too: stoneware, marble and wood sit happily side by side, as long as a colour or style runs through them.

Washing and caring for kitchen accessories

Put a piece in the dishwasher only where its product page lists it as dishwasher safe; if it does not say so, wash it by hand in warm, soapy water and dry it straight away. The same goes for the microwave and oven: use a piece there only where it is listed as microwave safe or oven safe, and let a cold dish reach room temperature before it goes into a hot oven.

Marble needs a gentler touch: wipe up lemon juice, vinegar and wine quickly, since acids can mark it, and avoid abrasive cleaners. Wooden pieces should never be left to soak: wipe them down, dry them standing up and keep them out of the dishwasher unless the product page says otherwise.