Laguiole Steak Knife and Fork Set, 1 Place Setting

Olive wood, juniper or buffalo horn

Olive is a Mediterranean wood, light and warm in tone, with a satin finish. Juniper, a hardy wood from the Mediterranean mountains, is satin-finished too, and its pale blond to honey colouring is broken up by small knots. Buffalo horn has been used on Laguiole knives since the 19th century, and here it's polished to a glossy black. Whichever of the three you pick, it goes on both handles, so the pair always matches. The fork's handle also follows the same design as the knife's.

Video · 0:40

Watch the juniper set for one

One steak knife and one fork with satin juniper handles, pale blond to honey.

View this set

A place setting for one, or one each

Plenty of households lay the same one or two places at the table every single day. A single set means you own exactly what you use, in a handle you chose. Or buy several, each in a different handle, and everybody at home gets cutlery they'll recognise as theirs. Nothing stops other firms using the Laguiole name, and lots of mass-produced cutlery does. On this pair, made by hand in France, the blade bears its maker's name, Laguiole en Aubrac.

Adding to the table later

All of the handles here are also sold as a set for two, as steak knives in twos, fours and sixes, and as table forks in sixes. Start with one place setting, live with the handle for a while, then buy more in that wood or horn when the table grows. As each handle comes from a natural material, the colour and grain will vary slightly between pieces bought at different times.

Questions about knives and forks

Care instructions arrive with each order. Wash both pieces by hand, pat them dry straight after, and keep any wood or horn handle well clear of a dishwasher.