Designed with Jeremy Lee for Quo Vadis at 100
Designed with Jeremy Lee for Quo Vadis at 100
Price range: £265 through £1,500
A set of four knives designed with Jeremy Lee MBE, Chef Patron of Quo Vadis, for the restaurant’s hundredth birthday in 2026. The four blades he reaches for most: a paring knife, a slender carver, a heftier chef’s, and a chopper-style mid-size. Made in Wiltshire from handles in London Plane, all from a single tree that fell in Soho Square in April 2022 – five minutes from Quo Vadis’s door, and never to be made again. Same CATRA-rated blades as all our knives, top 2.5% globally, hardened to 60 HRC and sharpened to fifteen degrees a side.
Quo Vadis turns a hundred this year. The restaurant on Dean Street has had four sets of owners in its century, the last of them being Sam and Eddie Hart and, since 2012, Jeremy Lee MBE as Chef Patron. Laurie and Sam have known each other for over thirty years.
In April 2022 an old London Plane fell in Soho Square – made the BBC News, mostly because it nearly took out Paul McCartney’s offices. Westminster Council, who would ordinarily have had it burned, instead gave nine tonnes of trunk to Fallen and Felled, a London mill that gives the city’s salvaged timber a second life. The boards have been drying ever since. The handles on this set are from that one tree, five minutes from Quo Vadis’s door.
We worked with Jeremy on his ideal set, the four blades he reaches for most. We turned the drawings into mock-ups, then prototypes, then refined the handles to his hand. His knives are substantial workhorses, and the London Plane has been stabilised using an extensive process that renders it immaculate as a handle material, in terms of both function and looks.
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 Quo Vadis Centenary Set 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. This set uses conventional blade geometry – and is unique amongst our custom knives as a result. 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
“To have power over oneself is the greatest power of all.”
– Seneca
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.Â
