This was a really difficult list to put together, there are so many things that I really would be lost without. I have tried to keep to the important things, without reverting to the obvious (such as wooden spoons). I hope you enjoy it.

Sharp Knives
These are almost the most important thing to have in your kitchen. How can you slice, dice, chop and score without good knives? These do not have to be very expensive professional knives, but just a good set of sharp kitchen knives. Personally I would recommend at least a carving knife and a few multi-purpose knives that can also be used at the table when serving steak.

Cleaver
The cleaver is a very versatile kitchen implement. It can be used to break heavy bones, to cut hard-skinned squash and pumpkin, and is perfect for dicing veges and chopping fresh herbs. You can also use the side of a cleaver to crush fresh garlic.

Wooden chopping board
So, now that we have got both sharp knives and a cleaver, we need a suitable board on which to cut. I always prefer wood, mainly because it does not blunt the knives, but also because it provides a solid and firm surface on which to cut. Try to get a solid piece of wood, as opposed to separate pieces that have been glued or laminated together (they often split). For those of you concerned about health, wooden boards may be more hygienic that plastic board – the jury is still out. Try to have two or three different sized boards, and when preparing food, avoid putting raw meet and vegetables on the same board.

Grater
The grater can be used to grate almost anything (except for meat). Although we mainly use ours to grate cheese, it is also used in our house to grate fresh onion (add to a potatoe salad for a variation), cucumber, carrot, courgettes and potatoes (to make potatoe burgers). Try to get a grater that has several different sized holes.

Pestle and Mortar
This is great for grinding up herbs and spices, and also for making dressings. (For a simple salad dressing, mash a few fresh herbs with salt and pepper. Then add some olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and you have a great dressing.) Although fresh herbs are always better, dried herbs really release their flavour when they have been bashed about a bit. This is particularly useful with the range of ‘rubs’ that are now available. We actually have three Pestle and Mortars, and they are all used.

Grill Oven
Lois inherited our grill oven from her mother. It is really old (and looks so), but it is the best grill I have ever used. This is not to be confused with an oven; it is a standalone counter-top grill. We use grill everything from burgers to fish to melted cheese on toast. I personally prefer to grill rather than fry meat, it is so much more healthy. Our grill also has a rotisserie attachment, which is great for cooking whole chicken or cuts of meat. You can also use the top to keep food warm, or to heat up breads.

Wok
We love stir-fry’s – they are quick and easy to make, and there are so many flavours to experiment with, especially with the huge range of oriental ingredients now available. The Wok is really the only way to ensure that the veges are crisp and retain their fresh flavour. Of course you can use a wok for loads of other things, such as steaming dim sum, or for frying samosa’s or spring rolls.

Dishwasher
This has to be the number one think in my kitchen. For day to day cooking it’s a nice-to-have, but it is an absolute lifesaver when hosting a dinner party – it just makes life so much easier.

Ok, so its only a list of eight, but all of these are used in my kitchen on a regular basis, and all would be missed if they were not there. They really do make for better cooking and tastier food.

Related posts:

1. Garlic, herb and chilli ciabatte
2. Tomatoe Soup
3. Baltazar
4. Croque Monsieur