Gifts for the Home Chef

Japanese kitchen tools that last

A Japanese knife is a gift that gets picked up every single day. The santoku is a multi-purpose knife that slices cleanly through vegetables, meat and fish, so it suits almost any cook. Pair it with a Cypress Hinoki cutting board, made from fragrant Japanese cypress, and you’ve given them a setup they’ll love using for years.

For a cook who loves to experiment, a suribachi is a lovely surprise. This Japanese pestle and mortar has a ridged bowl that grinds toasted sesame seeds into a rich, nutty paste for dressings and sauces, filling the kitchen with a warm, toasty aroma as you work. And if they’ve always wanted to try fresh wasabi, the Hagane-zame grater turns a rhizome into a smooth, fragrant paste in moments. As the UK’s only commercial growers of fresh wasabi, we know just how much difference a good grater makes!

Japanese cooking gift sets and store-cupboard ingredients

Premium ingredients make some of the most welcome gifts because a keen cook will reach for them again and again. Our Sanbaizu – which was awarded 3 Gold Stars at the Great Taste Awards – is a classic Japanese dressing, traditionally made with vinegar, soy sauce and a sweetener such as mirin, and a spoonful brings a bright, sweet-sour lift to pickles, seafood and crisp salads.

A special bottle of Japanese soy sauce is always welcome in a cook’s kitchen. Smoked soy sauce adds a gentle, smoky depth to grilled meat and roast vegetables, whilst aged black hon mirin brings a rich, rounded sweetness to glazes and simmered dishes, giving them a glossy finish that looks as good as it tastes.

If they’d rather cook one dish from start to finish, a Japanese cooking kit boxes up the ingredients for a proper bowl of ramen or miso soup, packed in a gift box and ready to give. For several condiments in one present, choose a sauce gift set.

Finishing touches: Aprons, books and gift cards

Round off the gift with something to wear or read. The Yugeta Shoyu apron, in dark blue denim with bold white kanji, is made for long afternoons at the stove, and a cookbook such as Ramen For Days gives them new dishes to master. Plus, our wider collection of Japanese cookbooks covers everything from ramen to everyday home cooking.

Not sure what they’d choose? The Wasabi Company gift card starts at £10 and lets them pick for themselves.