--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Around me shone the kitchen I'd worked in…" description: "\"“Around me shone the kitchen I'd worked in each day: the copper pans hung neatly, the scratched wooden table and neat blue plates set in rows on the dr..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0de/martine-bailey-22087_biddy-leigh_around-me-shone-the-kitchen-i-d-worked-i_202491.jpg" --- # Around me shone the kitchen I'd worked in each day: the… ![“Around me shone the kitchen I'd worked in each day: the copper pans hung neatly, the scratched wooden table and neat blue plates set in rows on the dresser. I got up to rake out the cinders and suddenly clutched at the black stone of the hearth. How long was it since as a new girl I'd first spiked…” quote by Martine Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0de/martine-bailey-22087_biddy-leigh_around-me-shone-the-kitchen-i-d-worked-i_202491.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0de/martine-bailey-22087_biddy-leigh_around-me-shone-the-kitchen-i-d-worked-i_202491.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0de/martine-bailey-22087_biddy-leigh_around-me-shone-the-kitchen-i-d-worked-i_202491.jpg) > ““Around me shone the kitchen I'd worked in each day: the copper pans hung neatly, the scratched wooden table and neat blue plates set in rows on the dresser. I got up to rake out the cinders and suddenly clutched at the black stone of the hearth. How long was it since as a new girl I'd first spiked a fowl and set it to roast on that fire? What great sides of beef had we roasted on the smoke-jack, while bacon dangled on hooks, and meat juices basted puddings as light as eggy clouds? Never, in all my ten years at Mawton, had I let that fire die out. Every dawn, in winter or summer, I'd riddled the dying embers and set new kindling on the top. I touched the rough stone and let my cheek press on its everlasting warmth, wishing I could take that loyal fire with me. Foolish, I know, but a fire is a cook's truest friend. It was a good fire at Mawton: blackened with hundreds of years of smoking hot dinners. I think no heathen ever worshipped fire like a cook. So I kissed the smutty hearth wall and packed instead my little tinderbox, to light new fires I knew not where.”” [Martine Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martine-bailey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator reflects on the deep bond with the kitchen fire, seeing it as a loyal companion that sustains her work and identity, and wishes to carry its warmth into new beginnings. **In simple terms:** A cook feels a strong, lasting connection to the kitchen fire, seeing it as a faithful partner. Key Takeaway Carry the spirit of your trusted tools into new ventures. Themes tradition craft memory transition identity Mood nostalgic reflective hopeful Type literary reflective inspirational When to use this quote - starting a new job - leaving a longtime workplace - preserving skills - building new routines Key Concepts symbolism attachment ritual continuity Questions to Reflect On - What does the fire represent in your own life? - How can you honor past comforts while embracing new challenges? A Different Perspective The fire may symbolize comfort but also binds one to the past, making change harder. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Biddy-leigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biddy-leigh/) [Cooking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cooking/) [Fire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fire/) [Hearth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hearth/) [Hearthstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hearthstone/) [Memories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memories/) ## Related quotes > [“Look, I fetched some Fat Hen for you.' Jem offered me a bunch of wilting greens. I reached for the plants, rubbed the leaves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martine-bailey/look-i-fetched-some-fat-hen-for-you-jem-offered-me-a-bunch-of-wilting/) [Martine Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martine-bailey/) > [“Once inside the confectioners, she was spellbound by sugared fruits hung in garlands and glass bottles sparkling with morsels of sugar. While Loveday spoke…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martine-bailey/once-inside-the-confectioners-she-was-spellbound-by-sugared-fruits/) [Martine Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martine-bailey/) > [“The whole roaring crowd was gathered in the long room to give my boar's head fulsome applause when it was carried aloft on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martine-bailey/the-whole-roaring-crowd-was-gathered-in-the-long-room-to-give-my-boar/) [Martine Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martine-bailey/) > [“I wanted to try dainty Italian fare, and bought spicy Bologna sausage, pink papery hams, hard white bread, and chalky cheeses. I also bought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martine-bailey/i-wanted-to-try-dainty-italian-fare-and-bought-spicy-bologna-sausage/) [Martine Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martine-bailey/) > [“So on Christmas morning I was up at five o'clock, making the fire as bright as a furnace, baking minc'd pies and boiling plum…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martine-bailey/so-on-christmas-morning-i-was-up-at-five-o-clock-making-the-fire-as/) [Martine Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martine-bailey/) > [“Every cook knows it's a rare day when you have all the parts of the perfect dish. But that day back at Mawton I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martine-bailey/every-cook-knows-it-s-a-rare-day-when-you-have-all-the-parts-of-the/) [Martine Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martine-bailey/) > [“While Mr Loveday aired my lady's sheets, I set to scratching up a supper. With not even time to change from my own damp…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martine-bailey/while-mr-loveday-aired-my-lady-s-sheets-i-set-to-scratching-up-a/) [Martine Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martine-bailey/) > [“The Cocoa-Nut Tree at Covent Garden? Why it's the finest confectioner in the capital and sells bonbons, macaroons, candied fruits, and ices,' I said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martine-bailey/the-cocoa-nut-tree-at-covent-garden-why-it-s-the-finest-confectioner/) [Martine Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martine-bailey/) > [“That baking day was the third day Mrs G had shut herself away in the stillroom, dosing herself with medicinal waters. As I rolled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martine-bailey/that-baking-day-was-the-third-day-mrs-g-had-shut-herself-away-in-the/) [Martine Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martine-bailey/) > [“The story-high house of hewn logs is clean and neat, with many rooms,” he wrote, “so that one can be alone if one wishes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/the-story-high-house-of-hewn-logs-is-clean-and-neat-with-many-rooms/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [“one step at a time he inched her toward the flickering fireplace, stopping at the bear rug in front of the stone hearth. She”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-mann/one-step-at-a-time-he-inched-her-toward-the-flickering-fireplace/) [Catherine Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-mann/) > [I don't like the subtle infiltration of 'something for nothing' philosophies into the very hearthstone of the American family. I believe that 'Thou shalt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/branch-rickey/i-don-t-like-the-subtle-infiltration-of-something-for-nothing/) [Branch Rickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/branch-rickey/) > [Look well to the hearthstone; therein all hope for America lies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/calvin-coolidge/look-well-to-the-hearthstone-therein-all-hope-for-america-lies/) [Calvin Coolidge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/calvin-coolidge/) > [“Hearthstone Passes Out Even More than Jason Grace (Though I Have No Idea Who That Is) JOTUNHEIM LOOKED a lot like Vermont, just with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/hearthstone-passes-out-even-more-than-jason-grace-though-i-have-no/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [Sun is a hearthstone, a merry-go-round of extinguished hearthstones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dejan-stojanovic/sun-is-a-hearthstone-a-merry-go-round-of-extinguished-hearthstones/) [Dejan Stojanovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dejan-stojanovic/) ## More by Martine Bailey > [“Look, I fetched some Fat Hen for you.' Jem offered me a bunch of wilting greens. I reached for the plants, rubbed the leaves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martine-bailey/look-i-fetched-some-fat-hen-for-you-jem-offered-me-a-bunch-of-wilting/) [Martine Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martine-bailey/) > [“It was almost Christmas, and Renzo was preparing all the delicacies Florentines must eat at the festival: roast eels, goose, fancy cakes with marzipan…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martine-bailey/it-was-almost-christmas-and-renzo-was-preparing-all-the-delicacies/) [Martine Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martine-bailey/) > [“Sal and Henry return with a gust of warm garden air and I settle down to create miniature roses from sugarpaste using tiny ivory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martine-bailey/sal-and-henry-return-with-a-gust-of-warm-garden-air-and-i-settle-down/) [Martine Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martine-bailey/) > [“There was a new smell in the air at Lyons, of sun-baked southern stuffs, of strong red vinegar, and spikes of rosemary. It was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martine-bailey/there-was-a-new-smell-in-the-air-at-lyons-of-sun-baked-southern/) [Martine Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martine-bailey/) > [“Signor Renzo's lodge stood on a grassy knoll near the crest of the hill. It was a modest place, just a low stone hut,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martine-bailey/signor-renzo-s-lodge-stood-on-a-grassy-knoll-near-the-crest-of-the/) [Martine Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martine-bailey/) > [“The Cocoa-Nut Tree at Covent Garden? Why it's the finest confectioner in the capital and sells bonbons, macaroons, candied fruits, and ices,' I said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martine-bailey/the-cocoa-nut-tree-at-covent-garden-why-it-s-the-finest-confectioner/) [Martine Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martine-bailey/) > [“While Mr Loveday aired my lady's sheets, I set to scratching up a supper. With not even time to change from my own damp…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martine-bailey/while-mr-loveday-aired-my-lady-s-sheets-i-set-to-scratching-up-a/) [Martine Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martine-bailey/) > [“On December the twenty-third, the park was hazy from clammy mists that muted and softened all color and distance. Michael had not set off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martine-bailey/on-december-the-twenty-third-the-park-was-hazy-from-clammy-mists-that/) [Martine Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martine-bailey/) > [“Every cook knows it's a rare day when you have all the parts of the perfect dish. But that day back at Mawton I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martine-bailey/every-cook-knows-it-s-a-rare-day-when-you-have-all-the-parts-of-the/) [Martine Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martine-bailey/) > [“I was thrown together with Florence, or 'Florawns' as she was called, a pert girl of nineteen who worked in our kitchen and was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martine-bailey/i-was-thrown-together-with-florence-or-florawns-as-she-was-called-a/) [Martine Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martine-bailey/) > [“I'd give me two eyes for a slice of apple pie." She was brain-cracked, but spoke for them all. Then Tabby Jones joined in,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martine-bailey/i-d-give-me-two-eyes-for-a-slice-of-apple-pie-she-was-brain-cracked/) [Martine Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martine-bailey/) > [“So on Christmas morning I was up at five o'clock, making the fire as bright as a furnace, baking minc'd pies and boiling plum…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martine-bailey/so-on-christmas-morning-i-was-up-at-five-o-clock-making-the-fire-as/) [Martine Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martine-bailey/) > [“So what are you after, eh? Side of beef? Some chops?' 'Aye, sir. Whatever you fancy.' He licked his lips and listed his favorite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martine-bailey/so-what-are-you-after-eh-side-of-beef-some-chops-aye-sir-whatever-you/) [Martine Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martine-bailey/) > [“I continued my explorations in a cobbled yard overlooked by broken doors and cracked windows. Pushing open a swollen door into a storeroom, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martine-bailey/i-continued-my-explorations-in-a-cobbled-yard-overlooked-by-broken/) [Martine Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martine-bailey/) > [“Outside, I shivered in a landscape of greys and silvers, the stone walls and cobbles looming pale in the wintry air. The only true…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martine-bailey/outside-i-shivered-in-a-landscape-of-greys-and-silvers-the-stone/) [Martine Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martine-bailey/) [Explore all 28 Martine Bailey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martine-bailey/) ## More Biddy-leigh quotes > [“Look, I fetched some Fat Hen for you.' Jem offered me a bunch of wilting greens. I reached for the plants, rubbed the leaves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martine-bailey/look-i-fetched-some-fat-hen-for-you-jem-offered-me-a-bunch-of-wilting/) [Martine Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martine-bailey/) > [“The Cocoa-Nut Tree at Covent Garden? Why it's the finest confectioner in the capital and sells bonbons, macaroons, candied fruits, and ices,' I said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martine-bailey/the-cocoa-nut-tree-at-covent-garden-why-it-s-the-finest-confectioner/) [Martine Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martine-bailey/) > [“While Mr Loveday aired my lady's sheets, I set to scratching up a supper. With not even time to change from my own damp…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martine-bailey/while-mr-loveday-aired-my-lady-s-sheets-i-set-to-scratching-up-a/) [Martine Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martine-bailey/) > [“Every cook knows it's a rare day when you have all the parts of the perfect dish. But that day back at Mawton I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martine-bailey/every-cook-knows-it-s-a-rare-day-when-you-have-all-the-parts-of-the/) [Martine Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martine-bailey/) > [“So on Christmas morning I was up at five o'clock, making the fire as bright as a furnace, baking minc'd pies and boiling plum…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martine-bailey/so-on-christmas-morning-i-was-up-at-five-o-clock-making-the-fire-as/) [Martine Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martine-bailey/) > [“I wanted to try dainty Italian fare, and bought spicy Bologna sausage, pink papery hams, hard white bread, and chalky cheeses. I also bought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martine-bailey/i-wanted-to-try-dainty-italian-fare-and-bought-spicy-bologna-sausage/) [Martine Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martine-bailey/) > [“The whole roaring crowd was gathered in the long room to give my boar's head fulsome applause when it was carried aloft on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martine-bailey/the-whole-roaring-crowd-was-gathered-in-the-long-room-to-give-my-boar/) [Martine Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martine-bailey/) > [“Once inside the confectioners, she was spellbound by sugared fruits hung in garlands and glass bottles sparkling with morsels of sugar. While Loveday spoke…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martine-bailey/once-inside-the-confectioners-she-was-spellbound-by-sugared-fruits/) [Martine Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martine-bailey/) > [“That baking day was the third day Mrs G had shut herself away in the stillroom, dosing herself with medicinal waters. As I rolled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martine-bailey/that-baking-day-was-the-third-day-mrs-g-had-shut-herself-away-in-the/) [Martine Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martine-bailey/) [Browse all 10 Biddy-leigh quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biddy-leigh/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Around me shone the kitchen I'd worked in each day: the copper pans hung neatly, the scratched wooden table and neat blue plates set in rows on the dresser. I got up to rake out the cinders and suddenly clutched at the black stone of the hearth. How long was it since as a new girl I'd first spiked a fowl and set it to roast on that fire? What great sides of beef had we roasted on the smoke-jack, while bacon dangled on hooks, and meat juices basted puddings as light as eggy clouds? Never, in all my ten years at Mawton, had I let that fire die out. Every dawn, in winter or summer, I'd riddled the dying embers and set new kindling on the top. I touched the rough stone and let my cheek press on its everlasting warmth, wishing I could take that loyal fire with me. Foolish, I know, but a fire is a cook's truest friend. It was a good fire at Mawton: blackened with hundreds of years of smoking hot dinners. I think no heathen ever worshipped fire like a cook. 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