who.
Nell Pardoe cooked for a living for fourteen years: a school kitchen, a care home, a pub on the edge of town. Busy kitchens teach you which jug drips and which pan warps. She opened Well Kept in 2019 to sell the things that don't.
“If I wouldn't reach for it on a Tuesday night, I won't sell it to you for best.”
On the shelf above: Nell's first auction lot, a mended black jug. It holds the pencils by the till and isn't for sale.
where.
The shop.
The shop is one long room in an old house on Catherine Hill, a street of small 17th- and 18th-century houses. There's a step at the door, a bell above it, and a table at the back where we wrap.
- opened.
- 2019
- street.
- Catherine Hill, Frome
- open.
- Tuesday to Saturday, and The Independent Sundays
- stock.
- 23 things today: 12 new, 11 found
how.
How we choose.
- (01)
New
We buy from people we've met, in small batches. Each new piece goes home with Nell for a month: dishwasher, oven, dropped on the floor once. Then it's priced.
- (02)
Found
Old pieces come from house clearances and auctions within about an hour of Frome. They're washed, checked under a lamp for cracks and priced with the fault written on the label.
- (03)
Kept
Every label ends with how to look after the thing. If you lose it, ask: we keep a copy of every label in a box under the till.