A kitchen is often the central hub of a family’s home, providing a safe haven where they can congregate, eat, laugh and share with each other the various trials that their individual days have brought forth. From guessing which breakfast cereal would have the best free gift to heating a Pop-Tart in the toaster, our recollections of 1980s family kitchens are filled with many happy memories, and that feeling is one that we want to replicate for you as you read the following post.

Below are 10 items that all 80s kids should remember seeing in kitchens when they were youngsters.

10. SodaStreams

Making any drink taste completely amazing, SodaStreams are rarely seen in modern kitchens, but back in the 1980s they were extremely popular.

If you’re anything like us then you tried to create all kinds of fizzy liquid combinations (fizzy milk, anyone?!) Because we had created them ourselves, we always thought that they tasted completely wonderful!

9. Kellogg’s Cereal Bowls

Who remembers collecting these lovely-looking Kellogg’s cereal bowls back in the late 80s and early 90s?

We suspect that not only will most of you remember the bowls, but we reckon that one or two of you might even still have them in your kitchen cupboard!

8. Fabric Calendars

Why have a useful modern-day calendar that has columns for every single member of your family, when you can have one on a common or garden tea towel instead?

More likely to be used for drying dishes than for planning your week, fabric calendars are one of the few things that we’re happy to leave in the past.

7. Orange Juice in Milk Bottles

Most of you will remember a milkman delivering your milk when you were a child, with their differently-coloured tops indicating the type of milk you were about to consume. But how many of you can recall the same bottles being filled with orange juice?

Old school milk delivery services have enjoyed a bit of a comeback since lockdown, and many of these will also still deliver juice; not just orange, but also the likes of apple and cranberry.

6. Retro Knives and Forks

Knives and forks will never go out of fashion, of that we know, but there are some cutlery styles that you rarely ever see these days.

One such example is the knives, forks and spoons that had familiar orange (marble?) handles. Does the picture jog any memories for you?

5. Laminated Cabinets

Kitchen interior designs have of course changed over the years, with some styles now been regarded as antiquated or out of date.

You can call us old-fashioned, but we’d love to be transported back to the days of laminated (and occasionally rather ugly) kitchen cabinets, if only because it brings back some lovely memories from our childhood.

4. Twirly Straws

Drinking through straws has never been less fun as we finally come to terms with the environmental impact they have. But let us remind you that back in the 1980s, we had already solved the problem!

Not only were reusable straws kinder on the environment, but they also came in extravagant twisty and loopy styles that made drinking even healthy liquids an absolute joy.

3. Biscuit Tins

A 1980s house wasn’t a 1980s house without a biscuit tin, and there was nothing better than being able to choose which tasty treat we were going to consume. Those solid exteriors left no hint of what treasures might lie within: custard creams, jammy dodgers, pink wafers…?

But oh, the crushing disappointment when dipping into a biscuit tin at Grandma’s, only to find it full of sewing equipment!

2. Glass Tables

What was it about the era of our childhood that made glass tables so popular? If it wasn’t enough having glass ornaments, glass-fronted cabinets and mirrors in every single room of the house, we also had to have a glass coffee table in the living room!

Grown-ups seemed to think they looked classy at the time, although we mainly remember getting told off for leaving the shiny glass covered in crumbs and spilt drinks.

1. Hologram Fronted Cereal Boxes

Nowadays breakfast is just another meal, and one that some people avoid entirely. But back in our childhood it was the greatest time of the day, with cereal boxes that contained gifts, and were occasionally fronted by amazing holograms.

As kids we thought that the holograms were a glimpse into the technology of the future, but really it was just a 3D picture of Tony the Tiger on a bike or something.