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4 ways that the lockdown is changing how we use our kitchens

It’s late April in 2020, it’s a very strange time for everyone. The coronavirus lockdown means that Covid-19 has had dramatic effects on the way we live – for many of us, more so than ever before in living memory. Amongst all the worry though, there are some positive things to come out of the crisis. For example, British retailer Tesco recently commissioned a study of 2000 adults, which revealed some fascinating changes in the way we’re all using our kitchens.

We’re enjoying cooking more

Cooking can sometimes be very intensive in terms of both time and labour, and many of us can find ourselves short of the necessary time or energy during the week. But with the national lockdown measures in place, more and more of us are turning to our kitchens to occupy our time. As extra motivation, we get to enjoy some wonderful meals at the end of it. According to the survey, more than a fifth of us are now cooking every meal from scratch, compared to just one in 8 of us previously. Two fifths of us now enjoy cooking even more than we did before the lockdown, with an encouraging 89% of us planning to continue making food from scratch once the restrictions are lifted.

It’s making us more experimental

Temporary food shortages and limits on the number of shop visits have resulted in many of us becoming more creative with our recipes, whether we’re following other people’s or making our own! You’ve probably already heard of people making their own bread (or tried it yourself), but there are some intriguing twists on other classic foods too, such as healthy banana pancakes, or ‘Nice’ cream which is virtually fat free and has no refined sugars. Handy to keep children occupied!

cook amazing vegetarian meals with these kitchen appliances featured image

It’s making us less wasteful

Perhaps not surprisingly, the limits and curfews imposed by the crisis are making us more thankful for what we have. In the kitchen, that translates to a keener focus on reducing waste, with 35% of us saying we’re now better at using leftovers to avoid waste. Just a quick scan across social media sites like Pinterest will reveal plenty of novel techniques and solutions that people are using to try and cut down on waste – for example, by using empty plastic egg cartons to preserve single servings of sauce that might otherwise be thrown away.

On a related note, our increased rate of cooking and time in the kitchen is teaching us how to cook with fewer ingredients. We’re also getting more familiar with substitutes for certain ingredients during cooking, like using alternatives to pasta or flour (both of which, at one stage, were quite difficult to find!). We’re making better use of our freezers too, and saving more food for later in the week.

We’re spending more quality time together

Here at Kitchen Design Centre, we think this is one of the most positive things to come out of otherwise distressing circumstances. 33% respondents to the survey said that mealtimes have become more of an occasion at home, with children eating at the dinner table more often before. The experimental cooking forays we mentioned above are increasingly being done together too, with 46% of respondents reporting their children getting more involved with cooking.

Interestingly, breakfast appears to be the meal undergoing the most dramatic transformation. For many families, normally it’s a case of a quick bowl of cereal, and then out the door for the school run or work commute. Now though, with a lot more time to spare, it’s turned into more of an occasion to rival that of dinner, with family members gathering around the table to kick off their day. Rather than cereal, people are indulging themselves a little more – the classic British fry up is on the rise!

The age of modern technology has allowed us to develop some novel ways of enjoying our food with other people too, especially for those of us living alone. More than 10% of the respondents to the survey reported enjoying a ‘virtual meal’ by co-ordinating their cooking with someone else on a video call. Lots of times this is with family and friends, but there are also people trying to keep the dating scene alive…

As of the time of writing, we’re still some weeks away from the lifting of any restrictions. While this is not ideal news for most people in the short term, the flipside is that it may ultimately result in some of these encouraging kitchen trends being here to stay. Only time will tell! In the meantime, we’re still here to make all your dreams for your designer kitchens a reality – to find out more, head on over to our Designed from Home Service!

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COOKING MASTERCLASS IN FAILSWORTH, MANCHESTER THIS SATURDAY, 2nd NOVEMBER 

Don’t miss out on your chance to attend one of our expert Cooking Masterclasses. There is no need to book, just simply turn up this Saturday, 2nd November at our Failsworth, Manchester showroom. Classes will be held from 11am – 4pm

They’ll guide you through how to prepare delicious meals step-by-step, using the very same high-tech Neff appliances you’ll find in your own dream kitchen. That makes it a great event to learn skills and techniques that you can then take home to wow your own guests, as you all enjoy some stunning meals together!

Location: Failsworth, Manchester showroom
Date: Saturday 2nd November 2024
Time: 11am – 4pm
Cost: Free Entry
JOIN US FOR A MASTERCLASS LIKE NO OTHER!

Dive in to our fascinating series of masterclasses here at Kitchen Design Centre. Each one has been designed as a unique experience, ranging from baking to meringue making, cooking to calligraphy.
All of our masterclasses are hosted at our award-winning showrooms across the North West.

Cooking Masterclass in Failsworth, Manchester
Saturday 2nd November

Cooking Masterclass in Barrowford
Saturday 16th November

Cooking Masterclass in Urmston, Manchester
Saturday 23rd November

Cooking Masterclass in Blackburn
Saturday 8th February

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OUR AUTUMN SALE IS NOW ON!

Between the golden colours of the trees and the crunchy leaves underfoot, there’s lots of reasons to love Autumn – and now we’re bringing you several more, with the launch of our Autumn Sale!
This Autumn, you can revolutionise your space with a FREE Neff Induction Hob, worth up to £2,779 – an effortlessly sleek, highly efficient appliance that makes it easier and more enjoyable than ever to start whipping up some delicious meals in your kitchen! And if you’re after something to complete the look, when you purchase selected appliances for your kitchen you can even get a complimentary 4-piece flex induction pan set. Stylish and robust, they’re perfect for rounding out your kitchen tools.
Plus, you can claim up to £1,100 cashback with selected Neff appliances, or even be in with a chance to WIN a free Flex Quooker tap (worth £1,250), which improves on the classic design with its flexible pull-out hose.
If you want to know more about any of our offers, feel free to check out more details on their individual pages, or just ask one of our friendly designers when you come to Book A Free Design Appointment, and we’ll help you bring your dream kitchen to life!

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