University of Portsmouth researcher is celebrating Kenwood Chef at The Spring in Havant

The Kenwood Chef is being celebrated as a ‘pioneering kitchen appliance’ at the Spring Arts and Heritage Centre as part of the Being Human Festival of Humanities, which is the UK’s national festival of humanities.

‘Putting on a show with Kenwood Chef’ will see a vintage 1960s model come to life using an original script from a Kenwood demonstrator from archives at the Science Museum, London.

The show will be free for those that wish to see how the company sold their product decades ago and the first event will be on November 11, which will be a workshop run by University of Portsmouth researcher Alice Naylor.

Alice said: ‘Havant is the spiritual home of the Kenwood Chef. Kenwood moved its entire operation from Woking to Havant in 1962 and has been a major employer in the town ever since. We’re really excited to explore this important aspect of the town and the region’s history.

‘Did you have a Kenwood Chef in your family home? And what was special about selling them in front of an audience? We’d love to hear your stories and look forward to welcoming you along to the Spring.’

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Alice is writing her thesis on the design, mediation and consumption of Kenwood kitchen appliances, which were popular in homes soon after the company was established in 1947.

Kenneth Wood first brought a toaster to the market in 1947, closely followed by the first version of the Kenwood Chef Kitchen machine which was launched at the Ideal Home Exhibition.

The workshop will welcome ex Kenwood demonstrators and salespeople to share their experiences, and members of the public are invited to go along and share their memories of the appliance and reminisce.

The drama students will then re-create a Kenwood selling demonstration at the Spring on Friday, November 18, when people can drop in to see the finished performances throughout the day and discover what was special about the ‘theatre’ of selling Kenwood.

If you would like to share your memories, please contact Alice at [email protected]

Tickets are free, but you need to book in advance to avoid disappointment. For tickets go to, https://thespring.co.uk/