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.