Are you fond of fondue?

Detail from vintage Le Creuset fondue pan | H is for Home

We picked up not one, not two, but three fondue sets at the weekend – it was a fondue frenzy!!

Detail from vintage Le Creuset fondue pan | H is for Home

Strictly speaking, one of them is just a fondue pan, but the quality and pattern are so good that we couldn’t resist. It’s enamelled cast iron and produced by Le Creuset.

Blue vintage Kobenstyle fondue set designed by Jens Quistgaard for Dansk Designs | H is for Home

Next, we have a fabulous design by a fabulous designer – Jens Quistgaard. The pan & warmer was produced by his company Dansk Designs in the 1950s/60s. It comes from the Kobenstyle range and is functional and great looking too.

Vintage stainless steel Lundtofte fondue set with original box | H is for Home

From cast iron and enamel onto stainless steel – and one of the material’s greatest exponents – namely Lundtofte of Denmark. This set has everything – pan, warmer, stand, forks… even the original box.

Trio of different vintage fondue sets with two packs of fondue forks | H is for Home

A fondue is a great idea for a dinner party with a twist – or delicious addition to an outdoor barbecue or picnic. All available in our web shop now.

The very stylish Kobenstyle

Red vintage Kobenstyle casserole pan | H is for Home

We bought this gorgeous vintage chilli red enamel pan this week. It’s from the Kobenstyle range designed by Jens Quistgaard for Dansk Designs.

Collection of vintage homewares acquired this week | H is for Home

It was one object from a very colourful array picked up at a local flea market. We like them all, but the casserole has to be our favourite. We’ve always loved this design – it’s both practical and great to look at. The pans are hard-wearing and easy to manipulate & move around. The lid can also be turned upside down to act as a trivet for the hot pan. It’s an absolute kitchen classic!

Dansk Designs stamp to the bottom of a red vintage Kobenstyle casserole dish with lid | H is for Home

This particular stamp (‘four duck’ logo & ‘Denmark’) means that the pan was produced in Denmark somewhere between 1959 & 1965. Later pieces were produced in France and Japan. It was out of production for quite a while, but the range has been re-issued and is now produced in Thailand.

Red vintage Kobenstyle casserole dish with lid | H is for Home

So – a design we love, a sought after early example, great condition, amazing colour. This has all the hallmarks of a keeper! But no, stop the press, it’s for sale. The chilli red actually clashes with our orange kitchen scheme, so we’re going to let it go. It will absolutely perfect for someone out there. Available in our web shop now if that person is you!

Charity Vintage: Dansk silver plate turtle / tortoise paperweight

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vintage silver plated Dansk Design tortoise being sold on eBay for Charit in support of Sense Scotland
(ends 20 Mar, 2013 14:46:21 GMT)

Dansk is one of the best Scandinavian metalware manufacturers. Their modernist, minimalist designs include cookware, tableware and other ornaments. This tortoise, being sold in support of Sense Scotland*, is one of a range of animals they produced that includes a polar bear, giraffe, elephant, rhino and penguin.

*Sense Scotland is an innovative, ground breaking charity working with children and adults with complex communication support needs for over 25 years. We work with people with deafblindness, sensory impairment, learning and physical disabilities, for all of their lives.

S is for… Salt

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Collection of vintage salt & pepper shakers | H is for Home

Essential for seasoning… salt and pepper need storing, sprinkling, pinching, grinding and shaking. There are endless possibilities to enable all these things.

Starting with the traditional matching salt & pepper pots… they’re made from pottery, glass, metal, plastic and wood.

Pair of Hornsea 'Rainbow' salt & pepper pots | H is for Home Vintage Hornsea 'Saffron' salt & pepper pots | H is for Home

Pair of vintage Staffordshire pottery salt & pepper pots | H is for Home Pair of two tone brown vintage pottery salt & pepper shakers | H is for Home

Pair of vintage stainless steel salt & pepper shakers H is for Home Pair of vintage teak and stainless steel salt & pepper pots | H is for Home

As these pots are often left on permanent display, it’s a great opportunity for showing off a bit of good design, striking pattern or flash of colour. These gorgeous Cathrineholm ‘Lotus’ examples (manufactured by Lyngby) manage to combine all three…

Vintage orange & white Cathrineholm Lotus salt and pepper pots | H is for Home

We also like pinch pots; they’re great for salt crystals or flakes – and coarse, ground pepper.

Pair of vintage John Clappison designed bird dishes being used as salt & pepper pinch pots | H is for Home

We keep these John Clappison-designed Hornsea pinch pots in our kitchen table. They were originally intended as ashtrays, but are the perfect size & shape for this alternative use.

Vintage John Clappison designed bird dishes being used as salt pinch pots | H is for Home

Larger pinch pots & salt pigs are great for keeping beside the stove for everyday cooking use.

Antique wooden cheese moulds being used as stove-side salt & pepper pinch pots | H is for Home

Antique wooden cheese moulds being used as stove-side salt & pepper pinch pots | H is for Home

These wooden pinch pots are actually antique cheese moulds – again they’re ideal for their new function.

A salt pig is one of the best containers to keep by the cooker as it allows for a good scoop or handful when adding to boiling water for pasta, rice, vegetables etc.

Vintage glazed pottery salt pig | H is for Home Vintage cream glazed pottery salt pig | H is for Home

If you prefer your salt in a sealed container there are lots of options here too!

Vintage Hornsea Pottery 'Bronte' lidded salt pot | H is for Home

Vintage pottery lidded salt pot | H is for Home

And finally grinders… these make light work of salt crystals & whole peppercorns – releasing aromas and flavours right at the point of serving.

The undoubted master of the grinder is designer Jens Quistgaard, with his numerous examples produced for Dansk Designs. There is, in fact, a book available entirely dedicated to the subject – Danish Pepper: Jens Quistgaard’s Teak Pepper Mills (Amazon)

Danish Pepper: Jens Quistgaard's teak pepper mills book available at AmazonAs you can see from the cover, their sculptural forms and beautiful grain makes for a stunning grouping. We’ve just decided that we may have to start a collection of our own!