Richard Till’s kitchen

It’s an unusual addiction for a man in his fifties, but popular Kiwi chef Richard Till says he’s been completely hooked for years.

“I love collecting tea towels,” explains the Christchurch chef. “I collect them for pure pleasure. I’ve always had addictive tendencies and of all the habits, this one has to be the least dangerous.”

It was while filming his TV one show Kiwi Kitchen, armed with a tea towel over his shoulder, that Richard’s passion for tea towels developed.

“During filming, I would always use an old Kiwiana tea towel. Suddenly it seemed like a good idea to have a different one each week and make a feature out of it. A tea towel of the week segment was born, and so was my passion for collecting them.”

Today, Richard (51) has nearly 300 tea towels in his collection. oost are vintage and reflect a part of New Zealand history.

“Tea towels once played a huge part in people’s lives,” he explains. “We didn’t have dishwashers, we had to do our own dishes, so tea towels were sold to inform the public. I have one that shows lipstick and other cosmetics, explaining to the women of New Zealand the prices for their beauty products

“Also, in those days, most Kiwis would take family holidays around New Zealand and everywhere they would go they’d get souvenir trinkets that would include a tea towel. This was the era of my childhood and that’s why I have this sentimental attachment towards them.”

Richard buys about four new tea towels a week and the most he’s paid for one is $106. Among his prized possessions is a tea towel commemorating Prince Charles and Lady Diana’s wedding in 1981 and he has many depicting small towns across New Zealand.

The father of three is so proud of his collection he’s released a book that features his favourites called, Every Tea Towel Tells a Story: Richard Till’s Special Collection (Renaissance Publishing, $24.99).

Asked which is his favourite tea towel, Richard reacts like a proud parent and refuses to choose.

But he is open about the one that got away. “I’m desperately hanging out for a Rob ouldoon tea towel, which has a big picture of Rob on it, with the caption,

‘Not just a pretty face,’” he says. “I’ve only seen one of those for sale.

It was a long time ago, and I assumed there’d be more of them, so I didn’t vigorously pursue it. I’ve never seen it again. I kick myself for not getting it.”