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Come behind the scenes at Thyme for a #KitchenTour and see Sarah's kitchen in New Hampshire.
That is a tough question! My stone fireplace in the kitchen is a dream come true. I never thought we would actually put a large floor to ceiling stone fireplace in our farmhouse kitchen but we would only just talk and talk about it forever. I love it and it keeps the kitchen warm and cozy during those long New Hampshire winters. My french Lacanche range competes for favorite with the fireplace. We cook in this range and use the double ovens daily and I don't regret for an instant shipping this beauty from the little village that makes them in France.
Tell us about your kitchen?
Our farmhouse kitchen is the heart of our home. It includes a remodeled mud room, pantry room, kitchen area, casual dining room, and large stone fireplace. The entire back of the kitchen walks out onto a long porch that overlooks my kitchen garden, the covered bridge down the hill, and the Warner River below. It is the busiest room in the kitchen by far. We eat all our meals at the long antique pine table that I bought 26 years ago. The space is completely open so all of the cooking, eating, and socializing is in one space.
What have you done to make your kitchen cosy, functional, beautiful or inspiring?
Many people use the word cozy when describing the kitchen. We carefully studied farmhouse kitchens and tried to use many of the elements of antique furniture: antique hutches that display crockery, wood block island salvaged from an old restaurant, large wooden hutch with chicken wire doors for storing spices and herbs, grey stone boulder fireplace warming the kitchen table, exposed wood beams on the ceiling, window ledges and oven hood, rustic finished flooring, and distressed cabinetry.
How do you keep organized while cooking?
We dragged home this large butcher block that was salvaged from a kitchen restaurant after a fire destroyed the place. We built a frame for the block and placed it as the kitchen island. I usually have all of my ingredients laid out on that island and ready to go before I start cooking. I find that people love to help out in the kitchen so I have lots of wooden cutting boards and often leave chopping tasks to guests so that we can all chat together while things like onions, herbs, and vegetables get prepped for a dinner.
Any tips & tricks for organising your pantry, fridge and ingredients?
To keep the farmhouse look, I decided to build a large antique looking primitive hutch in our pantry room. I had door frames built with chicken wire frames that exposed what is inside. I've been collecting antique glass jars for years, so I took all of my pantry goods and put them glass jars and woven baskets to make the pantry area look tidy. We also found pieces of wood on the floor of our big red barn that we used to build open shelving near the pantry. We stacked dishes, glasses, and bowls to make the wall space look attractive but also to display our collection of antique dishes.
Do you do a lot of cooking and what are your favourite dishes to make?
We use our french Lacanche range and oven every day. Since we work in Boston part of the week, we are tired of dining out once we arrive back at the farmhouse. We cannot wait to make everything from omelets for breakfast to stews and braised meats for dinner. Often, friends from our little village are gathered around the kitchen table on the weekends to share in what is cooking in the oven. My favorite dish is usually some variety of soup bubbling away on the stove top and Patrick, with his sweet tooth, often has a pie baking in the oven.
Where do you turn for new recipe ideas?
Right now, I have discovered this local business in Concord, New Hampshire called Local Baskit. Beth, the owner, has connected with local farmers and producers to put meals together. She delivers all of the ingredients for several weekly meals to our little coffee house in the village. I pick up the baskets of food from there and make the most delicious meals inspired by her company. We love that we are using local producers for our meats, vegetables, and seafood.
Do you plan out your recipes for the week or do you like to be spontaneous?
I am pretty planned out at this point. Because we split our time between Boston and the farmhouse in New Hampshire, my time is more limited. I usually know which recipes I will be making over the weekend based on what is seasonally available. That way, when we arrive home, I can get straight to the cooking and entertaining part of the weekend as opposed to the shopping part.
If you had three wishes, what would you do to make this your dream kitchen?
My three wishes were a french Lacanche range, a big stone working fireplace, and a reclaimed wooden large rustic kitchen island. We have all three and I couldn't be happier nor feel more grateful!
Whose kitchen would you love to explore? Send us a message!
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