Waffle Cotton Tea Towels, Pair

Waffle weave exists for one reason: surface area. The raised grid opens the cloth out so more of the cotton meets whatever you are drying, which is why a waffle towel clears a wet plate in fewer passes than a flat-woven one and dries itself out far quicker between uses. That last part matters more than it sounds, because a tea towel that never fully dries is the one that starts to smell by Wednesday.

These are woven from 100% cotton and supplied as a pair, each measuring 45 x 65cm. That is a generous size, long enough to fold over an oven door handle without riding up and wide enough to use as an impromptu trivet or to cover proving dough. Six colours are offered and all of them are muted rather than bright: light grey, pale gold, pink, saddle brown, dark sea green and a deeper dark green. They are picked to sit against wood, stone and painted cabinetry rather than to stand out against them.

Cotton waffle softens with washing, so expect these to feel better after a month than they do on the first day. Machine wash warm with like colours and tumble dry on low or line dry. As with towels, skipping the fabric conditioner keeps them absorbent. Iron on a medium setting if you want them crisp, though the waffle texture is arguably more attractive left alone.

• Material: 100% cotton, waffle weave
• Size: 45 x 65cm each
• Supplied as a set of two
• Colours: light grey, pale gold, pink, saddle brown, dark sea green and dark green
• Machine washable
• Avoid fabric conditioner to preserve absorbency