It all started with a new kitchen

After suffering nearly 20 years in a kitchen which contained only three cupboards (one of them totally jam packed with Tupperware), I have finally been given my dream kitchen. This pic shows the demolition stage, in case you were thinking that this was my previous kitchen in working order.

My daughters were involved with the design and colours, my husband just remained anonymous in the planning and detail, his wallet groaning each time a new idea or change would imminently take place. And of course with a new kitchen, you need to replace the old appliances, most of which were seldom used, many were wedding gifts of nearly 25 years of age, some still functional, but to hell with it, why not go out and buy new ones? Which is what I did.

I replaced my $13 hand held mixer with an Artisan Kitchenaid stand mixer. The 1980 Breville Superwizz was updated with a 2006 model. Old frypans, pots and pans, unmatching crockery and cutlery were all given to charity, to make way for new shiny, sleek models. One appliance I couldn't part with, however, was my 6 litre Namco cast iron pressure cooker. I just don't like what the newer versions have to offer within a reasonable price range.

The new stove is big enough to bake two small children if they're naughty enough, so I needed new cake tins and trays and moulds and whatever else you can bake on. It's besides the fact that I've never baked a decent cake in my life, but I am going to learn, dammit.

So now I have the equivalent to a restaurant kitchen with everything I can possibly need at my fingertips, apart from a chef and kitchen hand. Will it help me create the dishes that I so often drool about in magazines, cookbooks and other blogs?

The proof will be in the pudding.