A limited run. When they’re gone, they’re gone.
A limited run. When they’re gone, they’re gone.
Price range: £295 through £1,150
Four knives in exceptionally figured English walnut, chosen to cover virtually everything a kitchen asks of you without a redundant blade between them.
Walnut (Turkish, admittedly, but the principle stands) has been prized for centuries as a gunstock material for good reason: exceptional strength-to-weight ratio, beautiful figure, and a grain that rewards the hand.
English walnut takes that further with its depth of colour and the striking interplay of heartwood and sapwood, but it comes with a catch – often being too porous for a knife handle, absorbing moisture and eventually compromising the wood.
These pieces have been with Henry Lee, an arborist and stabilisation specialist in County Durham, for a month. Where there was moisture and air, there is now fully thermoset resin, forced in under pressure until every void is filled. The result looks like wood, feels like wood, and yet behaves like the modern composite it has effectively become. It will not move, warp, or degrade. It will just get better looking as you burnish it with use.
The four knives in this edition were not chosen at random. Between them they cover the full range of what most kitchens actually ask of a knife: the Agile Yeoman for slicing, impromptu carving, and in-hand work that needs a point; the Stout Yeoman for precise in-hand work and anything intricate; the Good Chopper for flat-edge chopping and dicing; and the Classic Ultra for rocking through everything else. Together they handle ninety-nine percent of kitchen tasks without functional overlap, and without requiring you to ever pick up a knife that feels too large for the job.
We have enough stabilised English walnut for approximately twenty knives. When they are gone, this material moves to the Gallery of Prior Work. It will not come back.
Please note that every handle will be subtly different (while equally as beautiful)
CATRA – the global authority on cutlery performance – rank our knives in the top 2.5% of all blades ever assessed for initial sharpness and edge retention. Each blade in the English Walnut Quad is hardened in-house to 60 HRC using a nitrogen atmosphere process, taking the steel from 1080°C to -75°C in a controlled cycle that maximises carbide formation, edge stability and corrosion resistance. The blades are ground to a unique concave profile – a geometry that reduces drag and improves slicing performance without sacrificing rigidity. Each knife is sharpened to 15 degrees per side.
Washing
Wash by hand and dry immediately. The steel handles dishwashers, but the handle materials don’t, and the blade will dull faster regardless. Ten seconds at the sink is the right habit.
Day-to-day maintenance
A honing steel realigns the edge between sharpenings. Two or three passes per side before heavy use is enough. You don’t need to do this every time – just when the blade starts to feel less certain.
Sharpening
We offer complimentary workshop sharpening once a year for the first three years. After that we sharpen at cost. If you prefer to sharpen at home, our blades are ground to a 15-degree bevel – specify this if you use a third-party service, as most sharpen to 20 or 22 degrees as a default.
Storage
A magnetic strip or knife roll is ideal. Loose in a drawer accelerates dulling and risks chipping the edge. If a drawer is the only option, a blade guard solves both problems.
Handle care
Timber handles benefit from a light application of food-safe cutting board oil once or twice a year. Composite handles need nothing beyond normal washing.
Yourself
“Be yourself. No one can say you’re doing it wrong.”
– Charles M. Schulz
Essentials & Maker's Choice — Default Handle
Each knife has a default handle that is held in stock and available for next working day despatch.
Essentials & Maker's Choice — Alternative Handle
If you'd prefer a different handle from our standard range, we'll despatch within 7 working days.
Knife Builder & Sets and Collections
All knives designed through our Knife Builder, or ordered from Sets and Collections, are despatched within 3-4 weeks. If you have a particular date in mind, get in touch — we're often able to help.
All orders are delivered by Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed in specially-designed tubular Savernake packaging. A signature and age verification will be required on delivery.
International Delivery
We charge a £40 flat rate for delivery worldwide.
Lifetime Guarantee
With proper care, our knives are guaranteed for a lifetime of use
Unique Concave Geometry
Our signature blade profile. A cutting edge with only the thinnest sliver of near-parallel steel to follow through.
CATRA Top 2.5% Worldwide
Independently ranked in the top 2.5% of all knives ever assessed for sharpness and edge retention
60 HRC Hardness
Hardened in-house to 60 HRC using a nitrogen atmosphere and cryogenic treatment to -75°C
Individually Crafted
Every knife is made by hand in our Wiltshire workshop, from steel selection through to final edge
Like some more options?
Our configurator lets you choose from 18 blade designs, with full control over handle material, shape, spine pattern and accent colour.
