In Praise of Dining Rooms

Forgive us if we appear a little outspoken. Certainly no rudeness is intended. Put simply, we do not 'do' kitchens. By that we mean we seldom enter the kitchen, have little idea how the oven may ignite, have no interest in what the cupboards and drawers may or may not contain, and NEVER consider for a second that we should eat breakfast, luncheon or dinner within its confines.

our housekeeper [and cook], Tímea, at the serving table in the dining room

If truth be told, Tímea, our long serving and splendid housekeeper [and cook], would neither approve of it, nor allow it. And that said, we are totally at a loss to understand the increasing number of people, many of our friends included, who prefer, or so they say, to eat in the kitchen.

Tímea at work in the kitchen preparing today's luncheon

Which brings us back to the subject in hand: the dining room. There is, we feel, much to be said in favour of a room which, in recent years, appears to be out of favour.

First, it permits an occasion of all meals, simple or elaborate. It provides for a relaxed atmosphere, away from the heat of the kitchen, where conversation is not in competition with cooking, and where dining is aloof from drudgery.

the dining room in readiness for today's small luncheon party

Secondly, the dining room, as other reception rooms of the house, can be both attractive and aesthetically pleasing. Who, we wonder, wishes to face the fridge, confront the cooker, or stare at the sink? Yes, and we are the first to admit this, that there are items of kitchen equipment that are of retro interest, such as an Aga, or in the vanguard of modern design, a Nespresso coffee machine, for example, but...............well, let us just say, they do not a dining room make!

the jib door into the kitchen ajar, and through which we are never to pass

Finally, there is, of course, the moment when, luncheon or dinner concluded, the table is left, and coffee is served, in the drawing room, the piano nobile, the sitting room, the living room, the lounge [but only in hotels and at airports] or wherever. Or is that in the kitchen too?