Neil & Jo cooking up a storm!

Plymstock couple Neil and Jo Coleman both love to cook. So when local family firm KF Kitchens supplied and installed their beautiful new Nolte kitchen and NEFF appliances this summer, they jumped at the chance to attend one of their cooking demonstrations to discover how to get the very best out of their new cooker and hob.

The cooking afternoons at the KF Kitchens Faraday Mill showroom are led by owners Derinda and Nathan Damarell, with Derinda creating a variety of tasty dishes for customers to enjoy, while exhibiting the different features on NEFF’s latest models. Jo and Neil had chosen an oven with added steam, and a venting hob with frying sensor which allows you to set your desired temperature to achieve perfect results.

Neil says the cooking demonstration has whetted their appetite to be even more creative in the kitchen: “It was a real eye opener, seeing what you can do and how quickly you can do it. Derinda did a roast lamb joint with potatoes in the steam oven in an hour. She also showed us how we can make toasties and a cake dead easily. On the hob, she did a risotto using the temperature sensor, some halloumi bites on the tepanyaki, and arancini balls.”

The food was served to customers with the help of Nathan and Derinda’s family members, including eldest son Connor, who also works with the firm, youngest son Fraser, and Nathan’s sister, Jemma “It was like a dinner party,” says Jo. “There was even prosecco, wine, beer and soft drinks. It was thoroughly enjoyable. We can’t wait to start experimenting, now that we’ve learned how to get the most out of the appliances.”

Neil and Jo went to KF Kitchens after visiting other companies who’d been recommended to them. However, KF Kitchens hit all the right buttons from the start. Jo describes their previous kitchen as “quite dated and tired looking, a lot darker, and with an island that was too big for the size of the kitchen”. 

They had a good idea of what they wanted – plenty of work surface for food preparation, lots of space to move around, and storage that would be easy to reach, with an eye to the future. The issue was that the existing kitchen was relatively small: how would they fit everything in? Neil explains: “We initially looked at getting a single storey extension where we could have our dining table, so we’d free up all the existing space for the new kitchen. But that would be very expensive. We even thought about moving, but we wanted to stay here. One of the changes we did want was to put clear glass into the back door of the kitchen so we could see the views down to the waterfront.”

The game changer was when they spoke to Nathan and Derinda: “We didn’t realise it was appointment only and we just rocked up to the showroom unannounced!” says Jo. “At our first meeting, Nathan advised us to go away and ‘scratch that itch’ to think about whether we wanted an extension and then come back, which we did once we’d ruled it out. There was no hard sell. We were given a rough estimate up front and an explanation of their design and install process.”

Neil adds: “We told them the list of the things we wanted, and an important piece of advice that Nathan gave us was to focus on the basic footprint at the start and only then consider the details like worktop, kitchen styles and colours, and at the end, the flooring. We had five or six design iterations, and at every stage, they re-costed it and made sure we were happy that everything worked for us.”

The result, says Jo, is just what they wanted: “We’re delighted, we wouldn’t change a thing. This is literally our ‘keep forever’ kitchen. It’s not a huge space here, but we’ve got everything we want in our kitchen, and the design makes it look bigger. And the quality and finish of the products is fantastic.”

Neil and Jo chose a Nolte kitchen in Sahara anti-fingerprint matt and Artline coffee, with MatrixART manganese bronze handle rails. They chose to not have handles fitted, knowing that there is an option for this later if required. Under and over cabinet lighting was also installed. All the integrated appliances are by NEFF, with a quartz worktop by Plymouth firm, Mayflower Stone. The kitchen is completed by a Quooker boiling water tap, Karndean flooring, and a new ceiling.

The large island that was there before has been replaced by a peninsula with a seating area with views through the newly glazed back door. Another major change is the use of the right-hand wall which previously had a bookcase and is now an eye-catching block which houses the oven, fridge freezer and larder cupboard.

All the work was done by KF Kitchens’ trusted team of skilled craftsmen, who work closely together: installer Kev, plumber Paul, builder Ernie, electrician James, painter Shaun, Karndean fitter Jason, and waste remover Colin: “They were amazing,” says Jo. “At the start, Nathan came here with all the contractors to talk through everything, and every one of them took such pride in their work.”

Neil and Jo are more than happy to recommend KF Kitchens: “They’ve got a wealth of experience, they’re a family business and they and their contractors genuinely care.”