10 Tips For Organising Your Kitchen

The festive season can bring with it all kinds of kitchen chaos. Here are 10 expert tips for getting your space in order before the celebrations get under way.

1. Start by editing your crockery

“Rid yourself of anything chipped or that just doesn’t feel right, such as unsatisfyingly small mugs or wine glasses that are too chunky, and get pleasure from using your best rather than saving it for a special occasion,” says decluttering expert Sarah Smith (facebook.com/cluttercleansing).

“Also if you wash up regularly, rather than gradually filling the dishwasher, you’ll discover as a family of four you don’t really need fifteen dinner plates.”

2. For a clear counter, get rid of any clunky (and barely used) gadgets taking up unnecessary space

“If you only use them rarely, put them away inside cabinets or in a utility room. If you don’t use them at all, donate or recycle them,” advises declutter coach Juliet Landau-Pope (www.jlpcoach.com).

It’s all too easy to hang on to gadgets you don’t need because you think you might put them to use one day, so be ruthless.

3. Try not to accumulate so many of said gadgets in the first instance

“Resist the temptation to buy every must-have device linked to food fads. Do you really need that spiraliser/bread machine/ juicer?” continues Juliet.

She also recommends foodies ask for experience gifts such as cookery courses or restaurant vouchers come Christmas, if they’re short on space.

Sarah adds: “Go old-school and stick with using the oven, a frying pan and cafetière.”

4. Cupboards fit to burst?

“If you’re using packets of dried fruit or nuts to bake Christmas cakes and puddings, store opened packets together in plastic boxes with lids to keep them fresh,” says Juliet.

5. Don't stockpile

Sarah adds: “Don’t stockpile food, so plan meals and buy what you actual need a couple of times a week.

Use ingredients up before getting more, so embrace those neglected lentils festering in the cupboard by looking up some soup or dahl recipes to make a meal out of them.”

Keeping everything clearly labelled in tupperware boxes can help you keep track of what you have.

6. The festive season can bring kitchengeddon if you don’t get organised

Juliet reccomends taking check of what you have in stock already: “When planning your festive cooking, check out the drinks supply and use up old bottles of brandy and whiskey.”

7. The key to organisation is stocking like for like together and in a logical fashion

Keep baking products or ingredients for dishes you regularly cook in the same place.

Keep things close to where you use them – for instance, spices near the hob and sharp knives in easy reach of your favoured worktop spot.

8. Make items multi-purpose so you don’t double up

“So use a cake-stand to store your fruit, a colander to steam vegetables, folded tea towel rather than oven glove, or wooden chopping board not trivet to protect surfaces,” says Sarah.

9. Got a drawer or cupboard that’s been overtaken by tupperware?

“Start by binning anything which doesn't have a corresponding lid,” states Sarah.

“Remember most items can be stored in a cling-film covered bowls and even liquids like soup can be frozen flat in plastic food bags.”

10. Don’t forget the inside of your cupboard doors

A few racks can work wonders for utilising neglected space.