I’ve moved into the final wrecking phase of the new kitchen. Today I’ve stripped the last of the tiles from the wall and started the process of making good that will lead to the last bit of painting and the last of the cabinets being installed.

There is only one cabinet left from the original kitchen after today’s efforts and that’s the one housing the sink, which I’m still loathe to remove until I feel absolutely certain that I’m ready to work on that area.

It’s a delicate balance between being without one of the main facilities in the kitchen and getting the last bit done. I know I’ve got to grit my teeth and get the sink out soon but I suppose I’m putting it off for a few days until my filling and sanding are completed.

The process of doing the new kitchen has been slow because I’ve chosen to do it bit by bit rather than pull the whole lot out and do the new in one fell swoop. I know that may seem as though I’ve drawn the pain of doing it out but I feel it’s allowed me to maintain a reasonably normal life while it’s being done.

Still, not long now before the whole kitchen is in. Don’t think though that that’s the end of the process. I’ll still have to do the finishing off – that includes the tiling of the splashbacks, putting down a new floor (we’ve decided on tiling the floor too), wiring in the new under-cabinet lighting and replacing the ceilings in the walk-in cupboards and by the back door. I’ve also got to do steps down into the kitchen from the hallway and the lounge. Hee hee – for this last job I NEED a cement mixer…….at last I can justify getting one!!! That’s probably another month’s work after the last cabinets and work surfaces are in.

What’s fabulous now is that around about 70% of the new work surfaces are in – that’s roughly three times what I had before so I’ve got plenty of space for cooking. I can prepare food on a different surface to the one where I serve up the meals. Not only that but I have separate preparation areas for bread/pastry/pasta and vegetables etc. You may think that’s a strange thing to be so thrilled about but nonetheless I am. Perhaps it’s that for a cook, I’ve spent the last few years trying to (for example) roll out pizza, while balancing the tins I’m going to cook them in on top of any surface that is available and trying to chop the toppings in a space 6” square. I’d despair when I looked at what I was trying to do in the space I was trying to do it in.

Mind you, when I think back to my first kitchen, in my lovely flat in Southall, where I had only 1 metre of work surface because the kitchen was so tiny, I’m shocked at how much space I “need” these days. But then I also think that what I thought of as a good meal then was completely different from what I think of as a good meal now.