Last time you visited an antiques shop or flea market you may have been surprised to discover seemingly ordinary kitchen items for sale which had been lying neglected in your very own cupboard or pantry.

Over the last decade, an interest in period kitchenware has sprung up, chiefly dating between 1890 and 1950, born out of a nostalgia for the past and a new appreciation of the homely and solid designs of yesteryear.

Kitchenware, or kitchenalia as it is often called, offers enormous scope to collectors who can choose from storage jars to whisks, wooden spoons or griddles. All these implements are still easy to find today at car boot sales, markets and junk shops. Many antique dealers also specialise in this area ­ but you pay a lot more if you buy an object a dealer has spent many hours lovingly polishing with beeswax. 

Valuations are also very difficult to provide because there are so many different sources for kitchenware and prices reflect this diversity. When Elizabeth David died, (1913-1992) regarded by many as the most
important British cook this century, the contents of her kitchen was sold by Philips, the auctioneers, for a staggering £49,000. The enormous success of the auction played a major part in raising the status of kitchenware and publicised David¹s total rejection of the modern fashion for fitted kitchens and up-to-date gadgets.

She once said that if the food and kitchen pots in a kitchen did not provide enough visual interest then there was something wrong. She believed the kitchen should be the most comforting and comfortable room in the house.

Storage jars for preserves and cooking ingredients have not greatly changed since they were first commercially produced in the mid 19th century. 
The range of ingredients has not greatly altered either, with flour, rice and dried fruit the most commonly found, although products such as tapioca and sago are less widely used today.

Kilner jars were first introduced in Britain in 1861 at the National Exhibition ­ a showcase for contemporary designers and are still manufactured today. Used mainly for preserving fruit, the Kilner jar's main feature is a secure screw-lid top with a rubber ring seal to ensure extra freshness. Today, antique examples are worth just under £5 each.

Pottery jars fulfilled a variety of needs. James Keiller & Sons of  Scotland, the famous makers of marmalade, was established in 1797, and manufactured a plain cream jar with a black crest on the front from 1873
until the late 1950s. These are worth between £5 and £10.

One of Britain's most famous manufacturers of preserves and jams is Robertsons, set up by James Robertson in Scotland in the 1860s.  The famous Golly trademark was introduced in 1910, quickly becoming such a popular symbol that Golly promotional enamel brooches were introduced in 1928. Surely there cannot be anyone of around forty-something plus in Britain who can lay hand on heart and honestly say they never sent off their vouchers and s.a.e for one of the dozens of Golly designs. The scheme was halted in 1939 on the eve of World War II, as the metal was needed for the war effort, but relaunched in 1945 with ten different Golly brooches to collect.

In the 19th century, moulds were commonly used in middle and upper-class households, where cooks would prepare elaborate meals with either a savoury or a sweet jelly, blancmange or mousse as an impressive centrepiece. Victorian earthenware moulds were used to make a variety of savoury dishes and vegetables and fruits were often embossed on their bases to make attractive designs ­ such as asparagus or 'cardoons', an unusual vegetable similar to celery. Embossed fruits included, most commonly, a pineapple ­ a sign of welcome ­and a wheatsheaf, signifying prosperity. They fetch between £20 and £45.

Beautifully made in a vast array of designs and sizes, copper moulds are the cream of all moulds, capable of producing sharply-defined shapes. Their heyday was in the 19th century, from the 1830s onwards. Among the best known retailers' marks found on copper moulds are Jones Bros., Ash Bros & Heaton Ltd and Benhams. Copper moulds can fetch  as much as £200.

Glass moulds were made in various shapes, such as tortoises (in the 1930s to 1940s), and rabbits and hares (1930s on).  Glass moulds impressed with the Star of David suggest they were produced for bar mitzvahs. Glass moulds fetch between £5 and £10.