More Le Creuset!! Again!!

I'm long overdue a Le Creuset update! I haven't been lucky enough to find any in the charity shops here at all (some hope!!) but Ireland's proximity to France has meant I have been able to pick up some bargain pieces from the French eBay site and have them shipped to me at very reasonable rates :-) So firstly here are my latest vintage additions...

I was super-excited to add this fabulous turquoise oval Enzo Mari designed "Mama" cocotte to my collection!! There are a few little chips on the handles but the interior is pristine!

Another Enzo Mari designed "Mama" this one is a brownish orange colour.

I have built up quite a collection of various sized "au gratin" dishes in oranges, browns and yellows so I was delighted to add these fab turquoise dishes to my collection :-)

Finally!!! I have been holding out for this fondue set FOREVER! The fondue pots themselves in orange and brown crop up on eBay occasionally but I really wanted this turquoise set and wanted it complete! I still can't believe I got this set for a buy it now price of EUR 30!! Complete with the forks and box and all!

This gorgeous deep blue 26cm oval casserole is in such pristine condition I am wondering if it may be one of the re-released range of "Heritage" dutch ovens, they retail at Williams and Sonoma for hundreds of dollars, I got this for 20 euro!

I got this from the same French seller as the turquoise Enzo Mari piece. 

And now for my brand new additions...

This gorgeous green bell pepper has been on my wishlist for ages too, it's not a vintage piece but has been discontinued making it quite hard to find. My patience finally paid off and I can't wait to use it!

I may have squealed aloud when Le Creuset finally released their gorgeous "Chiffon Pink" range here in Ireland! I knew straight away the lovely 27cm oval casserole and 26cm shallow buffet needed to be in my kitchen pronto!!

This 16cm casserole is from the new "Cool Mint" colour range, it's just gorgeous and a really cute size!

And finally, a gorgeous teal blue Bouillabaisse pot!

I have also added various bits and pieces of the Le Creuset stoneware range to my collection, but will save those for another post. Any other Le Creuset addicts out there? I would love to hear from you :-)

Fair City Finds

I have to admit that the charity shops here in Dublin's Fair City are not as good for homewares and kitchenware as the stores in Australia. The thrift shops here are geared more towards clothing and books and usually only have tiny bric-a-brac sections but I have still managed to find some nice things :-)

I love this pretty pair of teacups, Made in England, and plan on turning them into teacup candles for my summer table. They were €1 each.

This cute little rooster crock cost €2 and I use it to store wooden spoons.

This pair of Arcopal France teacups cost 50 cents each. I had no reason whatsoever to buy them apart from the fact that they're so pretty!

Yes I know, MORE duck-egg blue! This gorgeous Carrigaline Pottery bowl cost 50 cents.

This set of teacups and milk jug are by Johnson Bros and cost €4 in total. I absolutely love the retro pattern and am hoping to find more pieces.

This set of 6 soup cups and saucers cost €5, the brand is Tams, made by Staffordshire.

A red JAJ Pyrex Cinderella bowl for €1! This is part of the 3 piece Carnival bowl set, I have the blue bowl from the set too so am only missing the yellow.

I found this gorgeous floral platter in a vintage store in the gorgeous lakeside town of Carlingford. We had a lovely family day out there recently and I am dying to go back.

I stumbled upon a vintage store in the city on my way to an appointment last week, this pretty plate had to come home with me of course, it cost €3.

I may or may not have "found" this Denby Arabesque coffee pot on top of my mum's kitchen cupboard and nagged her until she let me have it :-)

And finally, a Nigella Lawson storage jar in cream, I already have these in blue and pink so now I have a set :-)

I have heard rumours that the best places to go for vintage kitchenware etc in Ireland are carboot markets and parish fetes, unfortunately these usually take place on Saturday mornings when we are busy with kids' activities and family gatherings but hopefully some day soon...

In my kitchen

Today I thought I'd share some nice additions to my kitchenware collection, some from Sydney, some from France, some from here...

I bought this beautiful vintage compote at a little brocante market in Paris on our recent trip. It cost 5 euro, they were also selling the most beautiful matching soup tureen for 10 euro but would have been way too big to carry on to the plane home, sniff..

I found this massive cast iron Doufeu back in sydney before I left but don't think I ever shared it on the blog, it cost 15 dollars in Vinnie's and is perfect for big roasts and slow cooking.

Another French find, from eBay this time. I still can't believe my luck finding these stunning vintage turquoise Le Creuset saucepans designed by Enzo Mari in the 1970s!!! They are in fantastic condition at a great price and the great thing is that postage within the European Union is pretty OK so I can now stalk fab bargains on eBay France to my heart's content :-)

A few more Pyrex cinderella bowls to add to my collection, the green shamrock bowl has been on my wishlist for ages!

I have started collecting the little round Pyrex casseroles also known as 473s. This gorgeous blue and white pattern is called "Colonial Mist".

So far I only have 4 different patterns but I'm patient :-)

These cute little JAJ Pyrex (English Pyrex) casseroles cost a total of 3 euro in Oxfam here in Dublin. The patterns aren't necessarily my favourites but they're great for storing leftovers in the fridge :-)

That's all for now, what fab things have you found lately?

♥♥♥ Le Creuset ♥♥♥

Today I just thought I'd share some new additions to my Le Creuset collection. This cast iron cookware is a dream to cook with and comes with a lifetime guarantee, so I always snap it up if I see a piece I like on special or vintage pieces at bargain prices.

The new collection in Rosemary green is so pretty, such a gorgeous colour and this 24cm casserole is perfect for soups :-)

This 22cm casserole in the Dune/Almond colour is perfect for mashed potatoes cooked in chicken stock and mixed with chives.

This limited edition 22cm shallow casserole comes in really handy for my cheesy rice bake, yum!

This wok is MASSIVE!!! I love Thai green curries and chicken chow mein.

Ever since finding my first vintage Le Creuset saucepans designed by Enzo Mari I have never looked back. I much prefer these to cooking with stainless steel or non-stick pots now, the enamelled finish on Le Creuset pots is a dream to clean up and when looked after properly lasts a lifetime. I was delighted to snap up this set of 3 pots for a steal, the wooden handles are awesome too, no worry about burning your hands on the handles!

Speaking of Enzo Mari designed pieces I am thrilled to have finally added one of his casseroles to my collection. He designed these for Le Creueset in 1972 and this one is in lovely condition. I also have a lime green baker designed by him.

These stoneware bean pots are in the really pretty Satin Blue colour, they are perfect for single serves of comfort food like Chilli Con Carne or Cottage Pie, perfect to eat on the sofa with a fork :-) Try Sophie Dahl's Shepherd's Pie or Nigella Lawson's Chicken, Mushroom and Bacon Pie :-)

And finally, a utensil holder also in Satin Blue, I now have these in 3 different colours and they look lovely together :-)

If you're a Le Creuset fan too and would like to see the rest of my collection I shared it here :-)

Partner in Crime

I definitely get my shopping genes from my Mum. As kids Mum loved bringing us along to jumble sales looking for bric-a-brac and books (our favourite was always the cake stall) and she still loves shopping for us all to this day :-)

Here are a few of my favourite things Mum has found for me...

A really pretty embroidered top and leather designer handbag new with tags!

A gorgeous set of tea cups, saucers and plates, I love the pretty retro flower pattern :-)

I LOVE this retro Sadler coffee set, it goes really well with a set of mugs I have and I love using it.

Thanks Mum!

Trio

A cute little group of pretty vintage things. A gorgeous duck egg blue Fowler Ware jug, cream gravy boat and cute tiny "Cottage Rose" Pyrex casserole.

The grand total for these 3 items was $8. I love vintage :-)

Comfort when it's cold outside

The temperatures have dropped here in Sydney, whilst the sun is still shining there's a chill in the air. Today a fierce wind is blowing outside, I love being indoors on days like this, looking out at the beautiful trees in the National Park that our house backs onto. 

An unfortunate side effect of Winter, for me though, is that little bit of "Winter Weight" I always seem to pile on. It can't be helped, at this time of year all I want to cook are big casseroles with rich, creamy sauces, lots of comfort food (mostly involving melted cheese where possible) and I bake more in Winter than any other time of the year. Lemon cakes, hot chocolate pots, apple pies... you get the picture :-)

I love browsing though (my way too big) cookbook collection for inspiration. Whilst I find I rarely follow a recipe exactly as printed from start to finish (unless baking which is an exact science), I prefer to use the books as inspiration for my own concoctions.

A large majority of my cookbooks were online purchases from Book Depository, World Books etc. but I also love to browse through the bookshelves in Op Shops for bargains. Here are a few of my favourite op shop finds...

First up, "Bourke Street Bakery" from the popular bakery in Sydney's Surry Hills, it is full of fab recipes for breads, pastries and cakes.

I think I will try some of these olive breads soon, they look so yum!

This book "Kitchen Coquette" is so cute, full of recipes to suit your mood/condition, there are hangover foods, heartbreak ideas and all sorts of occasions too :-)

I think this rosewater madeleine recipe will put my lovely vintage madeleine tin to good use.

"The Ethnic Paris Cookbook" is a beautiful celebration of the melting pot of cultures that is the city of love :-)

Usually I prefer cookbooks to have photos for inspiration (and to let me know what the finished product should roughly look like) but the illustrations in this book are so cute I couldn't resist!

The "Country Show Cookbook" is a family favourite!

The boys and I love their "orange cake" recipe except we substitute the oranges with lemons from our tree, "So yummy" to quote my youngest :-)

And finally "Apples for Jam", a really beautiful book packed with recipes for all the family, gorgeous food kids will love too.

Can you think of a better comfort food on a cold day than fried mozzarella sandwiches?!?

That's all for now. These photos have made me hungry, I'm off to cook something gooey and cheesy :-)