Team Principal explains what 30+ years’ experience has taught him about buying cutlery

What I’ve learned about buying good cutlery in over 30+ years of making it.

Most people buy cutlery twice in their lives.

Once when they first set up home — unless it’s a wedding present, but if not then usually in a hurry, without much thought, grabbing whatever looks reasonable at a price that feels manageable. Then once more, years later, when they finally decide to do it properly.

I want to help you do it properly the first time.

I run Tricketts of Sheffield, part of Chimo Holdings, a cutlery manufacturer that has been making fine silverware in this city since 1880 — part of a Sheffield manufacturing tradition that stretches back 700 years. Over more than thirty+ years in the trade, I have handled more knives, forks and spoons than I could possibly count. I have learned what makes genuinely good cutlery — and I also know how easy it is to be misled by cutlery that merely looks good, in posh packaging.

Here is what I wish more people knew before they bought.

Weight & Balance are the first things to Check – and the Most Honest

Pick up a fork. Hold it the way you would at the dinner table.

If it feels light, almost insubstantial — put it down. Light cutlery is almost always a sign of thin gauge metal, low-grade manufacture, or both and is usually imported from the Far East. It will feel cheap every time you use it, it will not last, and no amount of attractive packaging will change that.

Good cutlery has weight. Not heaviness for its own sake, but a sense of solidity and most important “the balance” that tells you — immediately, before you have looked at a single specification — that something has been made properly. When you pick up a well-made piece and it settles naturally in your hand, you simply know.

However unquestionably the most important difference between good and poor quality cutlery comes down to the knives. They’re the single most important item in a set of cutlery — and historically, they were the only piece of cutlery. By definition, “cutlery” means something that cuts, so strictly speaking, only knives qualify. Spoons and forks are technically flatware, not cutlery. This distinction between good & poor knives deserves its own article, but for now, here’s a short video I made explaining it;

or if you’d rather read it, here’s the written explanation.

Understand What You Are Actually Buying

The cutlery market is full of terminology that can be confusing — or deliberately obscuring. So here’s a plain-English guide to what actually matters.

18/10 Stainless Steel is the grade you want for everyday cutlery. The numbers refer to the chromium and nickel content of the steel — and what they mean in practice is corrosion resistance & strength. Lesser grades 18/0 or even 13/0 will pit, stain and discolour over time, particularly if you use a dishwasher. 18/10 will not. If you are buying stainless steel cutlery, always check for this specification. If the seller cannot confirm it, that tells you something.

Silver Plate is exactly what it sounds like — a base metal coated with a layer of 99.9% pure silver. There are two main types worth knowing about:

EPNS (Electroplated Nickel Silver) uses a nickel base. This is the traditional choice — the cutlery your grandparents likely had on their Sunday table. It is beautifully weighted, with a warmth to the finish that stainless steel simply does not replicate. Over years of use, a well-made EPNS piece develops what the trade calls a patina — a subtle, characterful depth that actually makes it more beautiful with age. It requires a little more care than stainless — whilst hand washing is usually stated as preferable, today they are dishwasher safe, and an occasional polish keeps it looking its best — but for many people that care is part of the pleasure of owning something genuinely fine.

EPSS (Electroplated Stainless Steel) is silver plate on a stainless steel base. It tends to be lighter and a little more forgiving in everyday use, though it will not develop the same character over time. A good middle ground for those who want the look of silver without the maintenance commitment of EPNS. Many sellers try to sell EPSS as EPNS just calling it silverplated cutlery – so check on the back – if it doesn’t say EPNS then it probably isn’t.

Sterling Silver is 92.5% solid silver throughout — hallmarked, and the pinnacle of the cutlery maker’s craft. It is an heirloom purchase rather than an everyday one for most households, but if you are looking for something to pass down, nothing else comes close.

Inherited Cutlery

I should briefly mention here that if you have inherited some quality cutlery from your parents or grandparents which has seen better days but has sentimental value then we do have a special department that specialises in restoring/replating cutlery. It has its own website www.cutleryhospital.com

Buy a Pattern You Will Still Love in Twenty Years

Now back to buying new cutlery. Cutlery trends exist — but good cutlery outlasts them.

The classic patterns —Old English, Rattail Bead, even Kings — have been in continuous production for centuries. There is a reason for that. They are not fashionable in the way that a contemporary design might be fashionable; they are simply right. They work on every table, in every setting, at every occasion. Creamhandled knives that your grandparents owned are very much back in vogue as they are now dishwasher safe and are amazingly tactile.

Contemporary patterns can be beautiful, like Baguette, Ascot, Grecian and if your home has a clean, modern aesthetic they will suit you perfectly. Fine quality cutlery, bought well, should last a lifetime. The pattern choice matters accordingly.

My personal recommendation for anyone who is uncertain: choose good quality carefully – you will never regret it.

How Much Should You Spend?

I am going to give you an honest answer rather than a diplomatic one.

Cheap cutlery is a false economy. A set that costs very little will look tired within a few years, will not feel pleasant to use, and will almost certainly need replacing. Over a lifetime of meals, the cost per use of good cutlery is negligible.

That said, you do not need to spend a fortune to buy well. A good quality 18/10 stainless steel set from a reputable Sheffield manufacturer represents exceptional value — it will serve you faithfully for decades. Silver plate requires a higher initial investment but rewards that investment every time you set the table with it.

What I would caution against is the middle ground — cutlery that is priced as though it is good without actually being so. Look for named manufacturers, clear material specifications, and — ideally — the reassurance of British or European manufacture where you can verify the provenance.

The Dishwasher Question

Almost everyone asks this, so let me address it directly.

18/10 stainless steel cutlery can go in the dishwasher without concern. It is built for it.

Silver plate is more nuanced. EPSS silver plate handles dishwasher use reasonably well. EPNS silver plate, strictly speaking, prefers to be hand washed — although the alkaline detergents in dishwasher tablets are hard on the plating over time. In practice, many people do put their EPNS cutlery in the dishwasher and manage perfectly well, but if you want your silver plate to look beautiful in thirty years, hand washing and an occasional polish is the right approach.

Sterling silver should always be hand washed.

Tips: With dishwashers place knives blades DOWN – is much safer for you when loading & emptying and it is actually better for the blades as the water can run off more easily. Remove any excess food as soon as possible especially salt, egg, mayonnaise etc as soon as possible. Also do NOT use “silver dip” anywhere near stainless steel blades – it will ruin them.

Don’t Forget the Rest of the Set

Many buyers focus on the main place setting — table knife, table fork, dessert spoon — and overlook the pieces that complete a proper table.

Soup spoons (excellent for cereals/porridge). Tea &/or coffee spoons. Serving pieces. Butter/cheese knives. A well-considered cutlery purchase thinks about all of these, particularly if you entertain. There is nothing more frustrating than setting a beautiful table and then realising you have no matching serving spoons.

If budget is a consideration, I would encourage you to buy a smaller number of complete place settings in a quality pattern than a large number of settings in a poor one. Six beautiful place settings will serve most households perfectly well and can be added to over time.

Buy From Someone Who Knows What They Are Talking About

This might sound self-serving, coming from someone who makes cutlery for a living, but I mean it sincerely.

The cutlery market is full of products that look impressive and deliver little, especially on the internet. Buying from a specialist — someone who actually manufactures, not just imports from the Far East, who understands the materials, who can answer your questions with genuine knowledge rather than a sales script — makes an enormous difference.

At Tricketts of Sheffield, we have been making quality cutlery since 1880. We know every pattern we sell, every material specification we offer, and every step of the process that produces them. When you ask us a question, you get an honest answer, and the person answering your question is sitting in the factory producing the products.

So, that is how I feel buying good looks like — and it is what your table & efforts in the kitchen deserve.

Chris Hudson MBE
Team Principal,
Tricketts of Sheffield (a brand of Chimo Holdings)
White Rose Works, Carlisle Street, Sheffield