A Cauldron To Call My Own - January 2005

I know I don't need a big cauldron, but I've set my heart on one that I saw in a shop in Whitby during the Summer. It was sitting alone on the floor of the shop beside a shelf of books, and I caught sight of it out of the corner of my eye. I knelt down to investigate and fell in love with it. Sadly I didn't have the money to buy it and suspected I wouldn't have for some time, if at all. I bought some crystals from the shop and promised myself that I would try to save up for the cauldron.

We returned to Whitby a couple of weeks before my birthday and I remembered my cauldron, and we went back to the shop. It was in exactly the same spot, although some other cauldrons had joined it. Seeing me so happy that it was still there, my husband offered to buy it for me as a birthday present. And so I came to own the cauldron I'd always intended to have.

The man in the shop was very helpful, and gave me a sheet of paper with handwritten instructions as to how to clean and care for my cauldron. I shall share these instructions with you, as I found them very helpful.

Seasoning And Cleaning A Cast Iron Cauldron.

When you buy your cauldron , take it home and season it for use. Rub a small amount of vegetable oil around the inside of the cauldron. (My cauldron is approx. 6 inches tall and 24 inches in diameter and I found that one tablespoon of oil was ample for the job). Place a layer of foil directly onto the middle shelf of the oven. Turn the cauldron upside down and place it on the foil, on the over shelf. Bake the cauldron at approx. 425°/Gas mark 7 for an hour. If it begins to smell too strongly (as mine did!) turn the oven down to 375 - 400°/Gas mark 5 - 6. After an hour, turn the oven off and leave until the cauldron is cool enough to handle safely. This should be done about every 6 months.

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