Hugo Arnoldhas some suggestions for gifts that will make the cook happy
STEAK KNIVES
For all the fuss about turkey, there is nothing to quite beat the luxury of a perfectly cooked steak. Until, that is, you start to eat it without a good steak knife. Steak knives come in many forms, but Laguiole are something of a benchmark. A set of six (below) will set you back €355, but they come in a seriously attractive wooden box and will be with you forever. From Terroirs, Donnybrook, Dublin 4 (01-6671311). This shop also stocks some superior hampers, filled with gourmet treats. The Countryside Box (above) costs €129.
MANDOLIN
Shaving doesn't get better than this. A Japanese mandolin (€50 from Kitchen Complements, Chatham Street, Dublin 2 (01-6770734, www.kitchencomplements.ie), cuts anything from apples to aubergines in paper-thin slices. Perfect for potatoes dauphinoise or beetroot carpaccio.
TEA INFUSER
The growth of dark chocolate producers and coffee roasters in Ireland is now being matched by the supply of loose leaf tea merchants. This is a welcome development in moving us away from the ubiquity of the tea bag. But who wants to scoop out tea leaves? A stainless steel tea infuser only costs around €5, and would make a good novelty stocking filler.
JAPANESE KNIVES
If you are in need of a blade, the Japanese Knife Company (www.japaneseknifecompany.com) has anything and everything from a few euros up to stratospheric prices. This really is a one-stop shop, with passion and experience aplenty. Plus there is no fuss about delivery, they use old-fashioned mail and the delivery time is only a few days.