Here’s a little something to brighten up a Monday morning – I’m very pleased to announce my first Fabulicious Food! giveaway from my new home.   

If you were to ask any chef what the most important piece of equipment in their kitchen is, I’m sure their answer would be – a good quality, sharp knife.  Sharp, is indeed, the first word that springs to mind when I think of my Global knife, although I suppose any old knife can be sharpened.  But finding a knife that carries a mark of quality is an altogether different matter.

Throughout many of my recent foodie adventures I have spotted and encountered many Global knives. Many of my cooking and tasting notes (both from cookery school classes  I’ve taken and more recent blogging events) feature the word ‘Global’ – scribbled down, capitalised and underlined. Japanese knives and in particular, Global knives, are used in many professional kitchens. Global knives are now also officially endorsed by the mighty Roux Family who have enjoyed a strong relationship with Global for many years with Global also being the sponsors of The Roux Scholarship.

Michel Roux Jnr, Chef Patron of the iconic restaurant ‘Le Gavroche’ now personally endorses a range within the brand, called the Michel Roux Jnr Range. His knife sets are available as a 3 piece starter set, 6 piece intermediate set and a 9 piece professional set. There are also some pretty nifty block sets in the range, so, if you’re looking for something very special to add to your Christmas wish-lists, I’d definitely recommend sticking on one of those. All of the knives and blocks in the range carry Michel Roux Jnr’s signature.

It’s fair to say, with this much prestige (and being a tiny bit of a fan of Michel Roux Jnr) I was eager to own one of these coveted specimens myself and so when I spotted Helen’s giveaway at Fuss Free Flavours, I immediately set about tweeting like a mad woman to win.  Luckily for me, the stars were shining brightly and I did win one – a GS-39 Fluted Vegetable chopper, which is a stunning knife and perfect for me. 

Since using it, I’ve found that my Global knife makes chopping and preparing food in the kitchen a breeze. I am able to finely chop vegetables without the need to bring out the food processor or mini-chopper, though it must be said, I do take the utmost care when using it. My fingers are kept well out of the way and with little people in the house my Global knife is kept well out of reach and never goes near the dishwasher. It is well-looked after and has definitely become my most treasured kitchen possession.   

Apart from being endorsed by the Roux family (all of them use Global) there is some pretty impressive manufacturing techniques behind Global knives. They were first designed in 1985 by Mr Komin Yamada. He was commissioned to design a range of knives that would appeal to both professionals and amateur chefs, that were comfortable and easy to handle and that would meet the most demanding requirements. Taking his inspiration from the Samurai sword, Global knives are made from the finest high carbon stainless steel available for producing professional quality kitchen knives and balanced by hollow handles filled with sand.  Global knives are also smooth and seamless, making them more hygienic. The are also extremely comfortable to handle.

In the UK Global knives are distributed by a small firm in Sheffield called Grunwerg who have over 60 years of experience in developing new brands and ranges and if you are looking for an excellent quality sharp knife, I really don’t think you could do much better than a Global.

GIVEWAY NOW CLOSED

WINNER – CRAIG COCKBURN