Father’s Day feasts
Whether it’s a hearty cooked breakfast, succulent roast or cocktail sundowners, spending time in the kitchen on Father’s Day is the perfect recipe for family fun and making delicious memories. To celebrate this special day, we chatted to some of the brilliant dads at Roundhouse about kitchen design, cooking and what they’ll be doing on Sunday 16th June…
Tom Ricketts, Operations Manager
Q. Classic or contemporary, what’s your kitchen design style?
I’m 100% contemporary all the way, due to the range of materials and flexibility it offers – there’s just so many options and design directions you can take a modern bespoke kitchen.
Q. What kitchen tech has seriously impressed you recently?
Without a shadow of doubt, it is the Bora hob with integral ventilation system. I am very rarely impressed by gimmicky products, but this system is so good that I’m determined I will get one in my kitchen one day.
Q. What’s the most unusual kitchen design request you’ve encountered?
Hah, it has to be the client who asked for a gun cabinet to be incorporated in his kitchen but of course we were happy to oblige!
Q. Name your favourite thing in your kitchen?
A glass of beer to get me through a hard day’s work and then coming home to cook and look after our three kiddywinks, Matilda, who is 13 going on 24, 10-year-old Bea and Ivy, who is seven. But, on a more serious note, it would be the slow cooker as it’s made feeding our larger family so much easier.
Q. Which dish are you most likely to cook for your family?
My homemade lasagne is the family favourite.
Q. And how will you be celebrating Father’s Day this year?
I cannot answer that until after the event as I am never told what we are doing…but I’ll be very happy with a nice walk, a visit to the pub and then some half-decent grub (either at home or out and about).
Hugo Rawlins, PR
Q. Classic or contemporary, what’s your kitchen design style?
A bit of both! We’re looking to update the kitchen in our Art Deco home and would love a transitional style that blends classic Art Deco moments with modern elements. We’ve been inspired by Roundhouse’s new Moony project, particularly by the craftsmanship and natural beauty of rich walnut.
Q. What kitchen tech has seriously impressed you recently?
Any tech aimed at improving your kitchen’s environmental credentials is always a good idea. For example, Smart fridges that track inventory and suggest recipes, thus reducing food waste, water-saving taps and energy-efficient dishwashers that are far more eco-friendly than washing up by hand. If such tech also makes life easier, I’m even more impressed!
Q. What’s the most unusual kitchen design request you’ve encountered?
One of the most unusual requests I always recall with a smile was from a Roundhouse client who wanted a kitchen island strong enough to dance on! They’d cracked the marble in their previous home during a lively evening. For their new kitchen, they needed a reinforced island with a solid steel frame and a durable countertop.
Q. Name your favourite thing in your kitchen?
Our ice cream maker. Not only do our nine-year-old son and five-year-old daughter absolutely love it, but it also allows us to indulge in homemade treats that are a much healthier option than store bought ice cream. The children love to help make it and get a lot of satisfaction from the results.
Q. Which dish are you most likely to cook for your family?
Carbonara, as it’s easy and quick to make, and it has always been one of my favourite dishes. When the children are a bit older, I’ll be more adventurous with the spices, but for now Carbonara is a go-to that everyone enjoys.
Q. And how will you be celebrating Father’s Day this year?
In my dream world, I’d love to gather as many family members and friends as possible for a BBQ in the sunshine. In reality, we’ll still be firing up the BBQ, but most likely under grey clouds and probably wearing coats!
Craig Matson, co-founder and managing director
Q. Classic or contemporary, what’s your kitchen design style?
As an architect, I grew up designing modernist architecture, and my natural preference has always leant towards contemporary kitchen designs, but it depends on the environment. There are just so many materials and such variety now, there are no limits on what you can achieve.
Q. What kitchen tech has seriously impressed you recently?
50% of kitchens now have boiling taps – the addition of sparkling water on tap is pretty impressive. I love them not just for the convenience but because they remove one more thing from the worktops. I like my surfaces as clutter-free as possible. Oh, and I’m also delighted nobody wants stainless steel chimney-style cooker hoods anymore. A built-in canopy extractor with an external motor is far subtler and quieter.
Q. What’s the most unusual kitchen design request you’ve encountered?
I’ve had a surprising number of requests for integrated aquariums over the years. I’m also amused by how excited clients get about the notion of a secret door in the kitchen, perhaps opening into a pantry or utility – they just love that Narnia element of surprise!
Q. Name your favourite thing in your kitchen?
The kitchen in my London terraced home is pretty small. There isn’t one single thing I couldn’t live without, but I reckon it would be a lot less enjoyable without all the meticulously planned storage solutions. It’s incredibly well-designed but it has to be, otherwise those surfaces would be in chaos.
Q. Which dish are you most likely to cook for your family?
As a native Australian, barbecuing is my thing. I barbecue absolutely everything but my favourite dish to put on the barbecue when the girls are home is probably butterfly lamb with a rose harissa marinade and Ottolenghi’s roasted vegetables.
Q. And how will you be celebrating Father’s Day this year?
My daughters, Dora and Lilly, are now 25 and 29 and living in Australia (Father’s Day is in September over there), but Dora flies back to London for a few weeks on Father’s Day so I’ll be heading to the airport to collect her. It’s probably just a coincidence but it’s a pretty good way to celebrate the day.
Oli Moss, Senior Design Consultant
Q. Classic or contemporary, what’s your kitchen design style?
I personally prefer a contemporary kitchen style but love to add pieces of ‘Mid Century’ classic furniture. Two of my favourite Roundhouse projects of all time are Wilbur and Ridge are actually very different designs, but I can appreciate them both.
Q. What kitchen tech has seriously impressed you recently?
Quooker taps – boiling, chilled and sparkling water from one tap is such a game-changer, and I’d say it’s one of the most popular kitchen innovations of the last decade. I’m looking forward to installing one in my new kitchen this week.
Q. What’s the most unusual kitchen design request you’ve encountered?
I can’t recall anything crazy unusual but we do get quite a few requests for bespoke features that usually involve pets or children, for example built-in dog beds and pet showers. And we did have a client who had a slide coming down from a mezzanine between a tall run of kitchen cabinets once…
Q. Name your favourite thing in your kitchen?
Our current kitchen is an empty room but when the new kitchen is installed, finally having decent storage with lots of drawers and a lovely larder are the things I imagine I’ll never want to be without again.
Q. Which dish are you most likely to cook for your family?
I love cooking but I’m definitely not as good as my wife. When I cook, my go-to is a hearty, lasagne. Our three boys are aged 21, 18 and 16 – with A-levels and GCSEs in full force right now, there’s plenty of hungry tummies to fill!
Q. And how will you be celebrating Father’s Day this year?
Picking up my eldest from university, and hopefully we’ll be back in time to use the new kitchen for the first time – I can’t wait!
Our expert kitchen designers can help you make the best choices for your Roundhouse bespoke kitchen, furniture or wardrobes. Visit any of our seven Roundhouse showrooms; Wigmore St, Clapham, Fulham, Richmond, Cambridge, Guildford & Cheltenham and get planning!
