Tested,
not guessed.
Buying guides and single-product reviews. Each piece is something I've used at home, on the line, or both. Updated when the recommendation changes, never to fill a quota.
The shortlists.
Best Cast Iron Pan UK 2026: A Chef's Guide to the Five Worth Owning
I've used cast iron daily for fifteen years, at home, on the line, and in two restaurants. Here are the five pans that earn their place on the hob, ranked by what they actually do.
Read the guide →
Best Chef's Knife UK 2026: I Tested 14 So You Don't Have To
Six weeks, 14 knives, four onions a day. The five blades worth your money, from a chef who's been swearing at bad knives since 2007.
Read the guide →One product, no hedge.
Staub Cocotte 24cm review: the brown that Le Creuset can't match
The matte-enamel French cast iron that turns a £15 chicken into the best meal you'll cook all week.
Wüsthof Classic Ikon review: the bruiser of the rack
The German workhorse that does what a Japanese blade can't, and lasts a generation doing it.
MAC MTH-80 review: twelve years on the line
The most-bought professional knife in restaurant kitchens you've never heard of, for good reason.
De Buyer Mineral B review: the £68 pan that retired my non-stick
French carbon steel, 28cm, and a seasoning curve that turns it into the most useful pan in the kitchen by week three.