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Cooking up a storm of memories – Bee Wilson’s kitchenalia

A baking tin, a toast rack and a soup tureen conjure poignant reminders of the past - while Wilson’s wedding ring is transformed into the world’s smallest pastry cutter

Lee Randall
A heart-shaped baking tin triggers painful memories for Bee Wilson.  Alamy
EXPLORE THE ISSUE 10 May 2025
issue 10 May 2025
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  • The Heart-Shaped Tin: Love, Loss and Kitchen Objects

    Bee Wilson

    Fourth Estate, pp. 320, £18

When Bee Wilson’s husband abruptly called time on their 23-year marriage, she was left with a house full of memories embedded in the everyday objects around her. Two months after his departure, the heart-shaped tin of the title – in which she’d baked their wedding cake – clattered to the floor for no apparent reason.

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