enamel roasting tin

[jazzactivist]

Today in the charity shop I just couldn't resist buying a huge enamel roasting tin. It is cream and green, oval shaped, with a big domed lid with dimples and handles, and would hold an entire roasting joint and all veg. Never been used either. Does anyone know if it can be used in an Aga? If not, it will look nice in the pantry of my new kitchen. I'll have to come onto RM again to ask what to do with a pantry. It is the real thing, with shelving all round, a tiny window, and a giant, cold stone built into the wall to keep the room cool.

[sandybay]

How lucky you are Jazz to have a real pantry. Most envious as our kitchen is so tiny could do with one.

[Crocus]

Goodness Jazz, that pantry sounds idyllic! x

[jazzactivist]

It might be if I knew what to do with it, sandybay and crocus! It seems a very big space for just a few jars of pickles and jam that I might make. What else do you think could go in it?

[Oola]

My Nannie has a pantry, she's got shelves of stuff (she's a hoarder). She puts all her dried pastas, pulses, cooking equipment like cake cases, cake trays, tins, cereal boxes, bread, a little shelf with her biscuit tin, breadboard and knife, shelves of UHT milk, cartons of juice, etc. It's a larder really. Lol.

She also crammed her washing machine in under a shelf in there, keeps it out of the way in the house.

[lily]

I use a similar sounding roaster in my Esse range - it works well.
We have a pantry in our Victorian house, stupidly we took out the slate shelf to fit in the freezer when we first moved in, now I wish I'd kept it as a cold storage area. Our pantry sounds similar, shelves, small window and space for sacks of dog food, ironing board etc.

[Gentian]

Hi Jazza, your post so reminded me of my grandmother's pantry, it was always cold as it was on the north side of the house and she had a cold stone slab which she called a "Thrall", this was where the butter always sat

[Healing Hands]

How lucky you are to have a pantry Jazz, my daughter has a pantry in her kitchen and I was so excited about it when she first showed me around the house I said to her you have to the buy the house for the pantry, so I now stock it up with my homemade jams and pickles for her. Now she is putting it on the market or maybe renting it out as they are now ready to do their next property, I think I would buy the housr off her, but she is asking to much for it...humph

[buecherwurm]

I have the fridge in our pantry. Lost of shelves and cupboards to hide the vacuum, dusters etc and also a cupboard for towels, tablecloths etc.; there is room for a small ladder, a basket for bottles (which have to be stored in the basement) and a lot of other things that would normally clutter up the kitchen. It's very convenient when preparing food for a lot of guests because I can just hide it away in there

[sandybay]

Lots of things to occupy you in your gap year Jazz, jam and pickle making, how about homemade wine and ginger beer so the shelves look lovely and full and homely ?

[sheddie]

Stone jars and flaggons look lovely on the shelves Jazz. A book which you would love is called Collecting Kitchenware by Christina Bishop.It is a Millers book.The enamelware in the colours you describe is very desirable now to collectors of kitchenalia it was produced in the 1950's era and the prices this kind of thing is worth to a collector will quite shock you.A cake tin in these colours for instance is priced in this book at £10 - £15.and my book is quite outdated now pricewise. It is antique of the future. X:)

[jazzactivist]

Thanks for all your insights and suggestions. I now have a better idea of what I can actually use the pantry for. The giant slate in the wall also has a slate shelf in front of it, so my guess from what you are saying is that this might have been the 'fridge' at one time. OH will be living in the house from today, but there is no fridge until we move in properly, so I'll suggest that he puts his milk there to see if it keeps cool. There are also two long wooden doors in the floor of the pantry that open up down to a shallow, slate lined cellar. I suppose this would have been used to store more food and perhaps wine? I hope that OH doesn't get stuck down there with no-one to find him! It isn't a grand house, just a cottage, but was once a small farm house, so the people who originally owned it must have grown and preserved most of their food. I'll try to put the pantry to good use once the Aga is working properly.

Thanks for the info on the enamel roasting dish, Sheddie. It sounds like I have a bargain, as I only paid £3 for it! I really like enamel ware, and have a couple of big, old jugs and some mugs, all in different colours.

[Healing Hands]

I love enamel ware also Jazz and when I go to France I am also having a look out for anything as it is so cheap there.

You have an Aga, how lucky you are this is my dream to have an Aga one day!