The best places to buy bits for the hous

Murmansk

I can echo what others have said about Shark vacs, I have one and really like it. It was about £200. Make sure you get one that's appropriate for your type of flooring, I have the carpet one and it it's very very good at not picking up the lumps of wood cat litter on my vinyl flooring unless I suck them up using the hose. 

Thomas_Crown

Doozergirl said:  Prestige have gone bump now, 

Prestige appear to be still in business and are owned by the Meyer Group Ltd. Their website is still up and running.

GDB2222

It’s funny how protective people are about Henry. It’s just a vacuum cleaner, after all. Ours is still working after 23 years. 

DairyQueen

One non-stick pan is essential if you like scrambled eggs. Other than that, my Prestige saucepans are still in great condition after 40 years. I have since added a set of Le Creuset which my step-grandchildren will likely inherit in perfect condition.

I can't over-recommend a large, Le Creuset casserole. This is my kitchen workhorse,. It moves effortlessly between hob and oven and caters for 8 people comfortably. I bought this on sale in the 1990s for £40. Current retail over £200 but worth every penny. It will last your lifetime, and that of your children and grandchildren.

coffeehound

I managed to take the inner surface off my LC casserole; not sure how.  Can you get them re-enamelled?

Rosa_Damascena

pinkteapot said:

Henry Hoover! There's a reason every hotel in the world uses them. 

I thought that was Shark's USP? Although I have to say I am very impressed with Henry.

OP, this is such an exciting time in your life I am guessing you are not about to fill it with second hand stuff. If you buck this trend and live in the Southend area I have plenty of duplicated (and in some cases triplicated) kitchen items. No one really needs a cherry pitter, yet some how I have accumulated three (just one example).

Eldi_Dos

I am not rich enough to be able to afford cheap shoes is a adage I feel equally applies to pots and pans,these become part of the fabric of your life and hopefully give many years service and help in building memories around the table.
Our most useful item is a Stellar Professional stockpot, ideal for soups and casseroles and after many years of use is still table presentable if slumming it with a risotto.

canaldumidi

You'll get ALL those items and more, and kit out the entire house, for less than £100 from your local auction house eg

https://peacockauction.co.uk/auction/bedford-23

twopenny

I'm still using chinaware that I bought with Greenshield stamps in the 70's. It's bone china. So buying cheap can still be a winner. I'd look at Argos.

I'm fussy about cutlery but have done better in charity shops than the main dealers.

Cookware is a whole different scenario as you see. Basically you need something with substantial thickness if you want to cook quickly and well. That's more a case of being able to check the feel of it first hand. Mid price is often a good deal.

Vaccumes? I find much of a muchness. I've got a Vax and a Vax carpet cleaner and both work well.

Wait till after Christmas into January. Not sure we'll get much in the way of sales as there is so much problem with production and delivery but you never know. There doesn't seem to have been any shortage of cleaners. Some wonderful bargains in the January sales usually and some items they want to shift if stuff starts to filter in at last, may be a real treat. Getting the good stuff on discount is the object of this.

[Deleted User]

I'm another that is still using most of the, various, household 'things' i bought or acquired decades ago.
I do think that it's how you look after something that makes quite a bit of difference to whether they'll last or not.