What do you give the man who has everything for Father’s Day? A hand-made Japanese knife, says Richard Bath.
I undoubtedly love eating more than I like cooking, but if I’ve got to spend time in the kitchen then I want to be surrounded by the best of everything. And if the saucepans have to be Le Creuset, then the knives have to be the sort of razor sharp, handmade Japanese implements that can carve through everything from butter to tin cans, and all organic matter in between.
A recent addition to my knife draw is this all-rounder from Katto that features an 8.5 inch Japanese AUS-10 steel blade and is hand-carved in rosewood (walnut and beech are also available). Helpfully, if you’re looking for a gift for the man who has everything, Katto offer an engraving option, or if you’re feeling more prosaic, a scabbard.
Katto do great sets of three knives, but my chef’s knife is sufficient for all my needs, and barely a third of the cost of the trio. And, if it loses its edge (which hasn’t happened yet), the company offer a free postal sharpening service where you put it in the post and it’s back within the week.
All boys like toys, and with Father’s Day rushing up (it’s on June 18th, which for purely random reference is also the last day of the First Ashes Test at Edgbaston) this perfectly balanced £95 knife is a gift which will last a lifetime.
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