by Helen Kain | Dec 11, 2025 | Christmas, Home, Recent, Winter Tablescapes
Some Christmas tables are quietly refined elegance. Others are minimalist. This one is neither. This one is a swirl of colour, characters, and festive exuberance — a little bit fairy tale, a little bit pantomime, and entirely exuberant. I think of it as A Children’s...
by Helen Kain | Dec 7, 2025 | Christmas, Green, Home, Pink and Red, Recent, Winter Tablescapes
Every once in a while, it’s good to set aside the serious tablescapes — the layered china, the pedigreed makers, the agonized-over colour palettes — and simply embrace joy. Pure, unfiltered, Snoopy-style joy. As a lifelong Peanuts fan (and a bona fide Boomer), I...
by Helen Kain | Dec 7, 2025 | Black, Christmas, Green, Photographed, Pink and Red
by Helen Kain | Nov 27, 2025 | Afternoon Tea, Christmas, Desserts, Fall Recipes, Holiday, Pies & Tarts, Thanksgiving, Winter Recipes
Each little Tarte Tatin is a golden jewel: pears glazed in amber caramel, baked beneath a cap of puff pastry. When turned out, they reveal their secret — glossy, tender fruit that melts against the buttery crust, a bite-sized echo of classic French indulgence. ...
by Helen Kain | Nov 27, 2025 | Fall Recipes, Holiday, Salads, Winter Recipes
Velvety pear slices, gently poached until tender, crown a bed of peppery arugula or other winter greens. Crumbles of sharp gorgonzola lend a savoury counterpoint, while candied nuts glisten like jewels, offering both crunch and sweetness. A whisper of balsamic...
by Helen Kain | Nov 27, 2025 | Afternoon Tea, Fall Tablescapes, Recent
Can we still call the last week of November “late autumn”? I hope so, because I have one more table to slide in. Here in Canada, the air is still quite balmy, albeit damp. Walking with the dogs has been delightful — crunchy leaves underfoot, blue skies...
by Helen Kain | Nov 27, 2025 | Afternoon Tea, Christmas, Cookies & Bars, Desserts, Fall Recipes, Holiday, Winter Recipes
These buttery shortbreads crumble delicately at first bite, releasing the warm, nutty perfume of pistachios. Their pale green flecks hint at richness within, while a dip in dark chocolate or a scatter of crushed nuts turns each biscuit into a little work of art —...
by Helen Kain | Nov 23, 2025 | Christmas, Home, Winter Tablescapes
Nestled in the Gloucestershire countryside, Highgrove House — the private residence of His Majesty King Charles III — set the stage for a gloriously festive Christmas Tablescapes & Canapé Masterclass. While browsing for seasonal inspiration near Burford, where...
by Helen Kain | Nov 19, 2025 | Antique china, Fall Tablescapes, Recent, Thanksgiving, Vintage glassware
It’s late-November. Just a month from the shortest day of the year, and outside, the final fall clean-up has begun. The Japanese Maple has shed its brilliant red foliage; the oaks are the last to surrender their leaves. Canadian Thanksgiving is long past, American...
by Helen Kain | Nov 19, 2025 | Makers Behind the Magic
In the heart of British pottery lies a story of artistry, craft and quiet transformation. For over two centuries, Royal Doulton has married functional utility with high-style design, shaping not just tableware but culture itself. From the salt-glazed stoneware of...
by Helen Kain | Nov 5, 2025 | Books, Recent
When I began photographing my first book, Entertablement—The Four Seasons, I had no idea it would lead to a second, Entertablement—Much Depends on Dinner, and now, a third volume, Entertablement—Twelve Months at the Table. Each book has reflected an exploration of the...
by Helen Kain | Nov 5, 2025 | Antiques, Fall Tablescapes, Green, Pink and Red, Recent, White
Every November, the poppy reminds us to pause and reflect — a small but powerful emblem of remembrance. This year, I’m marking Remembrance Day through art and tableware. The square poppy plate shown below is one of a set of twelve Royal Doulton Arts...
by Helen Kain | Oct 29, 2025 | Cakes, Desserts, Fall Recipes, Recent
Pears are one of autumn’s loveliest fruits, but they can be tricky customers when it comes to baking. Beneath that silken skin lies a great deal of moisture — wonderful for eating out of hand, but a challenge when folded into batters or layered beneath cake. Left...
by Helen Kain | Oct 29, 2025 | Afternoon Tea, Fall Tablescapes, Recent
It’s getting rather late in the autumn season, but let’s sneak in one more table, and better still, a tea table. Really, autumn is the perfect time for tea, especially when built around the season’s most graceful fruit: the pear. Their honeyed sweetness...
by Helen Kain | Oct 23, 2025 | Fall Tablescapes, Halloween, Recent
Some holiday traditions are stitched right into our childhood memories, and It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown is undeniably one of them. Decades later, Charles M. Schulz’s beloved characters still charm us with their wide-eyed sincerity, dry humour, and...
