Reinvigorate your kitchen with these stylish and labour-saving accessories

Text and Photography by Lydia Dimitrova

A bread and cheese marriage
Is there anywhere one can enjoy a good fondue in Bulgaria? Well I don't know, but you certainly can at home. Gather a group of friends and dive into this Swiss communal dish with meat fondue, or chocolate, or favourite cheese with Gruyère and Emmental. Many different varieties of recipes can be found online, and improvising is also fun. Traditional etiquette says if a man loses a piece of bread in the pot, he must buy a bottle of wine, and if such an act were to befall a lady, she must kiss the man to her left. Stainless steel fondue set with numbered forks, one through six, by German brand Silit can be found at Leifheit on 23 Graf Ignatiev. Price 183 leva.













Your own barista
For a change, from the usual plastic-cup street coffee, a stylish Italian apparatus can be an aesthetic morning treat. Illy-owned Francis Francis, the renowned espresso machine makers, create retro-contemporary designed home appliances together with architect Luca Trazzi. The latest model is the X6 for use with E.S.E. pods, for an authentic Italian espresso every time. With Trio Technology for three preparations, short, normal and long, this machine tops merit in quality, visual and taste pleasure.
Can be found at I Sensi, 12 Tsar Osvoboditel Blvd. Price 970 leva.










Sugar and spice and everything nice
Spice drawers and cabinets are usually an eclectic array of plastic containers, jam and baby pure glass jars, and those minute plastic packets that most spices are sold in. Organise and stylise your seasonings in glass and stainless steel jars, worthy of being on display. Round windows give us a peep at what's inside, and you can stick name labels on the bottom of the jars, just in case. For a splurge, Dutch Brabantia brand is a worthy investment, while this Turkish-made spice rack is at the other end of the price spectrum. Vassil Levski Blvd. Price 30 leva.