Learn the household skills your gran knew by heart, and stop wondering where to even start
Most of us were never taught to darn, mend or make do. Few people realise it was never about talent. It was about someone showing you, step by step, at the kitchen table.
The British Book of Lost Skills
150 Household Skills Our Grandparents Knew, Step by Step
★★★★⯪4.8 · 10 reviewsIt was never your fault. Nobody showed us.
Our grandparents darned socks, saved soap slivers and turned worn sheets without a second thought. The skills were handed down at the kitchen table, from one pair of hands to the next.
Then the chain broke. School moved on, everything became disposable, and many of us never saw a darning mushroom used.
Lists of lost skills tell you what to do, but not how. Video clips give you scraps. Without every step in order, it is hard to know where to begin.
The Kitchen-Table Method
The Kitchen-Table Method is how these skills were always passed on: one skill at a time, shown step by step, within reach of the kitchen table. Every page in the book works the same way, so you can pick one, follow it and tick it off.
One skill at a time
Each skill has its own page. Choose the one you need, with no wading through chapters first.
Every step, in order
Each page gives you the materials and then the steps, clearly numbered, so you always know what comes next and why.
Pictures you can follow
More than 300 step-by-step illustrations show what your hands should be doing, not just what to do.
A proper book for the kitchen shelf
It is a sewn hardback with a rounded spine, 320 pages on thick 120 gsm uncoated paper that lies flat beside your work. At 21.6 x 27.9 cm and 1.4 kg, it is a real book to keep in the kitchen and come back to.
| Size | 21.6 x 27.9 cm (8.5 x 11 in) |
| Pages | 320 |
| Weight | 1.4 kg |
| Binding | Sewn hardback with rounded spine |
| Paper | Thick 120 gsm uncoated paper that lies flat |
| Inside | Black & white, 300+ step-by-step illustrations |
Here are the first skills inside
These eight pages show how every skill in the book is laid out. Each one has a short story, then clear steps.
Inside the book
→Darning a sock with a darning mushroom
The wooden mushroom in every old sewing basket, and how it turns a hole back into a sock.
Inside the book
→A new bar of soap from old slivers
What to do with those tiny leftover scraps instead of dropping them in the bin.
Inside the book
→Storing onions all winter in old tights
Why a worn-out pair of tights beats a bag from the shop.
Inside the book
→The button jar: sorting, saving and sewing on a button
A matchstick is the little secret to a button that sits just right.
Inside the book
→Turning sheets sides to middle
Cut the sheet in half, swap the sides, and give the bedding another life.
Inside the book
→Freeing a stuck zip
A soft pencil or a dry bar of soap, and a bit of patience.
Inside the book
→A doll's cot from an old apple crate
A humble wooden crate becomes a snug little bed.
Inside the book
→Unravelling an old jumper and reusing the wool
The wartime knitter's way to get good yarn from a charity-shop jumper.
From "where would I even start?" to "I'll do it myself"
Before- A sock with a hole goes in the bin.
- A loose button waits on the chair for weeks.
- You know it was once done at home, but not how.
After- The sock is darned and back in the drawer.
- The button is sewn on, with a neat little shank.
- You open the book, find the page and get started.
What readers say
Like having my nan back
The darning page took me straight back to her kitchen. I mended three pairs of socks the first evening and they actually look neat. Lovely heavy book too.
Fixed the zip on my coat
I always thought a stuck zip meant a new coat. Five minutes with the steps on page 64 and it runs like new. Clear drawings, no waffle.
Beautiful, wish it had more photos
Proper hardback, the paper is thick and it stays open on the table. I would have liked a few more photos in the soap chapter, but every step is there.
Bought one for my daughter too
Made soap from all those slivers in the bathroom drawer. My daughter saw it and wanted the book, so I ordered the hardback and paperback set.
The kind of book my parents had
Solid, well made, illustrated. It lives on the kitchen shelf now. The onion-in-tights trick saved half my sack this winter.
Finally learned to sew a button properly
Embarrassing to admit at my age, but I never learned. The pictures make it obvious. I also love the app for ticking off what I have done.
Very practical
Good, clear instructions. Some skills I already knew, but plenty I did not. Turning the sheets sides to middle was a revelation.
Listen while I knit
The audiobook is a lovely touch, I play it while I work through a project. The book itself is gorgeous.
Great present
Gave it to my mum, she says it reminds her of her own mum. We did the button jar together on Sunday.
Exactly what I hoped for
Big, clear, and properly British. No American measurements, everything in grams and centimetres. Highly recommend.
Your copy, with two extras included
Choose the edition that suits you and the book comes with an audiobook and a skill tracker. Take the skills back into your own home, one page at a time.
The complete audiobook
7 h 20 min read by a British narrator, every chapter, so you can listen while you work.
- 7 h 20 min of listening
- Read by a British narrator
- Every chapter, listen while you work
The Kitchen-Table Skill Tracker
Pick a skill, follow the steps and tick off what you've learned, on your phone, tablet or computer.
- Pick a skill, follow the steps
- Tick off what you've learned
- Works on phone, tablet and computer
DAY
Try the book at your own kitchen table
Read it, use it, try the skills. If it isn't for you within 60 days, email us for a full refund.
Questions
How big is the book, and what is the paper like?
It measures 21.6 x 27.9 cm (8.5 x 11 inches), runs to 320 pages and weighs 1.4 kg. The paper is thick 120 gsm uncoated stock that lies flat, and the pages are printed in black and white.
Do you deliver in the UK?
Yes, the book is sent to addresses in the UK. Delivery details are shown on this page and at checkout.
What if my copy arrives damaged?
Please get in touch with us and include a photo. The terms that apply are set out on this page.
I've never done any of this. Is it for beginners?
Yes. Each skill is a numbered page, with the materials listed and illustrations alongside. You don't need any experience to start with a simple one, such as sewing on a button.
Is the content British or American?
It is British and home-based. It covers things from British households such as darning, turning sheets, the button jar and saving soap, using UK units and measures.
Would it work as a gift?
It could. It is a sewn hardback with a rounded spine, the sort of book people keep on the kitchen shelf. The audiobook and tracker come with it too.
How do the audiobook and the skill tracker work?
The audiobook has every chapter, 7 h 20 min in all, read by a British narrator. The Kitchen-Table Skill Tracker lets you pick a skill, follow the steps and tick it off. It works on a phone, tablet or computer.
The skills didn't disappear. They were never passed on to us.
You can learn them now, one page and one evening at a time, with the book open on the kitchen table.