Kitchen & Cottage Witch FAQs

Welcome to The Witch of Howling Creek’s 200^th post! I have been writing this blog for over a year and a half and I’m so honored to now have so many loyal readers.

In that time, I have done lots of searching and Googling and reading about my preferred terms, kitchen witch and cottage witch. Unfortunately, what I’ve found has been frustratingly generic and so for my 200^th post, I’ve decided to share a more complete definition of just exactly what is a kitchen/cottage witch in the form of “Frequently Asked Questions.”

Kitchen & Cottage Witch FAQs

1. What is a kitchen witch?
   A witch who is focused on the kitchen, using mostly edible ingredients and kitchen tools to practice magick.
2. What is a cottage witch?
   A witch who is focused on the home, using ordinary household and kitchen items to practice magick which in turn is often focused on family, home and daily needs.
3. Are kitchen and cottage witches solitary practitioners or do they belong to covens?
   Like most witches of all different traditions, the choice to be a solitary or to belong to a coven is an individual one for kitchen and cottage witches. The majority practice as solitaries but there is certainly nothing barring us from belonging to an eclectic coven or from meeting up with other witches.
4. Can someone who is Wiccan or follows another tradition or religion also be a kitchen or cottage witch?
   In most cases, yes. Kitchen and cottage witchery are very informal and can easily be combined with many different religions and ideas. These traditions are about what’s most important to the practitioner and are very easy to adapt to your specific needs.
5. What does a kitchen/cottage witch’s altar look like?
   Again, this is something that is personal to each individual witch. In my case, I have a collection of candles on my dresser that essentially serve as my “altar,” a place I can do rituals at, particularly full moon rituals, and feel connected. Many kitchen and cottage witches set up traditional altars including the four elements, statues of their deities or other items important to them. The classic kitchen witch altar is typically set up in a corner of the kitchen and includes a corn dolly. Generally speaking, altars in the kitchen and cottage witch traditions are not formal set-ups with a lot of props but rather whatever space makes the practitioner feel most connected and spiritual.
6. Do kitchen and cottage witches celebrate the eight Sabbats (Samhain, Yule, Imbolc, Ostara, Beltane, Midsummer, Lammas and Mabon?)
   Most do, although some kitchen and cottage witches that also follow other traditions such as Heathenism have different holidays and feasts.
7. What kind of spells do kitchen witches cast?
   If someone is specifically a kitchen witch, the majority of their magick revolves around the kitchen only. This means that most magick should be made with edible ingredients like herbs, nuts and baked goods and that it should be done in the kitchen. For example, chocolate chip cookies with almonds added for wisdom could be a form of kitchen witchery. Kitchen witches can cast just about any type of spell, although many kitchen witches subscribe to an idea derived from Wicca, that their magick should not inflict harm on anyone or block anyone’s free will.
8. What kind of spells do cottage witches cast?
   Cottage witchery encompasses kitchen magick but also a much broader range of spell types. For example, adding a bit of organic cleansing herbs to homemade cleaning supplies could be a form of cottage witchery but so could making braids of ribbon in protective colors to use as curtain tiebacks. Again, cottage witches can cast just about any type of spell, but many subscribe to an idea derived from Wicca, that their magick should not inflict harm on anyone or block anyone’s free will.
9. Do kitchen and cottage witches worship gods or goddesses?
   Again, the answer to this question is individual to each witch. Personally, I use the generic “Goddess” when I pray during ritual but many kitchen and cottage witches are much more specific. Some gods and goddesses are particularly popular for their association with the home, threshold or hearth such as Hestia or Frigg but kitchen and cottage witches are free to worship any deities they like, even the Christian God.
10. How do I become a kitchen or cottage witch?
    Kitchen and cottage witchery is not like more formal pagan traditions like Wicca, in that we do not have specific set rules or training. To become a kitchen or cottage witch, one simply has to take on the title. However, it is good to know what you’re getting into before you jump in feet first. Read as many books as you can (I recommend Cottage Witchery by Ellen Dugan in particular) and talk to people online; ask them what being a kitchen or cottage witch means to them and discover how you can apply the terms to your own life.

I hope this list is helpful to anyone out there searching for answers on kitchen and cottage witchery or just wondering what it’s all about. What about you? Do you have any burning questions about this form of witchcraft?