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Wilkinson Stainless Steel Cutlery Set
by Holland1
We received this cutlery set as a wedding gift from my husband's "auntie who isn't actually a real auntie". She wanted to get us an expensive silver set, but we didn't want her spending lots of money on something we would never use, so we gave her the option and told her we'd seen this one in Wilkinsons which was exactly the ... kind of thing we wanted, and would be something we'd get more use out of than one that was for decorative purposes.
The set retails at £30, and comes in a nice presentation box which doesn't scream "cheap" or "Wilkos" in the slightest. The box is thick cardboard, and I seem to remember the inside where the cutlery was displayed was a red velvet type insert, but as it's not an actual presentation box we discarded of it and store the cutlery in our cutlery drawer. It does say on the box that it's designed to be stored in, but I find this impractical for something we use daily, and I don't really see the point of keeping things in boxes for special occasions.
The set contains 20 pieces, which is made up of 6 place settings (knife, fork, dessert spoon per person), and two serving spoons. This is adequate for our needs, as it's only really at Christmas that we entertain for more than this number. The serving spoons are a great addition in place of teaspoons, because we have lots of teaspoons from various places, and it's not essential that they match the other cutlery as we only usually use them for making brews or eating yoghurts.
The cutlery is polished stainless steel, and has a good weight to it. It's not hugely heavy, but I notice compared to our previous cutlery, it feels a bit chunkier. I don't think it's heavy enough to cause anyone with mobility problems any issues. The handles are nice and chunky rather than being thin, and I like this as it gives you something to get hold of when you're chasing peas around your plate -not that this is a hobby of mine or anything.
We've been using this set for about six months, and it is still as shiny as when we first had it. This is impressive as we also run the cutlery through our dishwasher, and it still looks in great condition. I sometimes find the dishwasher can make colours on mugs etc quite dull, and I wasn't sure if this would be the same for our shiny new cutlery, but so far it hasn't been a problem.
You'll be pleased to hear I don't intend to review each item separately, needless to say there isn't too much to comment on when it comes to knives and forks. But, I will say that each piece is comfortable to hold and gather food with, as there's nothing quite like a shallow spoon or blunt knife to spoil your enjoyment of a meal. This set is perfect in my opinion, with the knife as sharp as you'd expect without using a specialist steak knife.
The serving spoons are also very useful, as we've never owned any before and used to serve our food with slotted spoons previously. The serving spoons are handy for things like Sunday dinner, or if you're cooking for lots of people and want to let them help themselves. They also come in handy for a raspberry coconut sponge pudding I make, which is far too deep for a normal dessert spoon to cope with!
Overall, I would highly recommend this cutlery set. It's affordable, and a little nicer than most sets we saw within the same price range. The stainless steel effect makes the cutlery shiny and the six place settings is ample for dinner parties. They also retain their shine after being through the dishwasher. This set would also make a nice gift for anyone setting up home around Christmas time......
(Review may also appear on Ciao under the username Gingerkitty)
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Sheffield Cutlery
by rufusdog
We had always wanted a nice posh cutlery set that we could bring out for special occasions. My Mum was bought a set years ago and when she died the set went to my sister. She had never used it so when she found out we wanted a set she passed it on to us. The set is made by Sheffield Cutlery and it is absolutely ... beautiful.
The set comes in a canteen which is black leather looking with velvet inside. There are spaces where the cutlery sits so you can put it all away and keep it nice. The set is made silver plated with the knife blades made from stainless steel. There are 6 each of two sizes of knife, fork and spoon plus two larger spoons that can be used for serving.
The pattern on the handles is very pretty and I think it is called King. The handles are quite bulky with the pattern raised on them. The large size knife and fork are really big which is why my sister never wanted to use them but we think they are fine and we use them for the adults of the family at Xmas and other times, and use the smaller ones for the kids. We do not have lots of different courses so it works out fine.
When we have finished using the cutlery we wash it up as normal in the sink with washing up liquid, make sure they are properly dry and then store them away back in the box. We find that this way they are still fine to use the next time they come out. If now and then we leave one out by mistake you notice that the colour had gone a bit brown so to clean this to a nice shiny sliver colour again I found a cheap way of doing it. I get a plastic box like a food storage box that the piece or pieces of cutlery will fit in and lay a piece of tin foil in the bottom. Then fill up the box with boiling water and add some vinegar then drop the dirty looking cutlery into the water and leave it to soak for about ten minutes. Then I take the cutlery out and give it a good polish with a dry tea towel and hey presto, the shine has come back again. I am not sure how this works, it must be something to do with a chemical reaction with the vinegar and the tin foil but it is cheap and easy and works every time.
We have been using our set of cutlery now for about 10 years and use it about 20 times in a year and it all looks just as nice as when it was first bought back in the 80s. You can still buy from Sheffield Cutlery, it is very expensive, a set the size that we have would now be about £700 to buy but they are a good thing if you can afford them or want to buy something special for a present for someone. You can buy a set of just one of each item if you wanted to and then build up your collection but that way you wouldn't get the canteen to keep them in so you would have to make sure you have somewhere dry and dark where the air can't get to them to tarnish them.
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Tesco Polypropylene Cutlery Set
by angelboouk
~Cutlery Set~
This cutlery set is a 12 piece set which is aimed at children and could be used for picnics :
*4 knives
*4 spoons
*4 forks
Presented in a net bag with a simple tag, there are 12 colourful pieces of cutlery. They can be found alongside the household and picnic items in Tesco stores. ...
This cutlery set is priced at just £1.47.
~My Thoughts~
I bought this little cutlery set last Summer. I had a Clubcard voucher which worked out that I got more points value than the cutlery set actually cost and thought they would come in handy. They are cheap enough.
This set is immediately noticeable on the shelves. The net bag protects the cutlery well and each item is brightly coloured which is very attractive on the eye. There is a mix of bright green, blue, bright pink and orange coloured cutlery. My son was immediately impressed by this cutlery set.
We started off using these for when we went out on picnics. Since the weather has turned, they have been kept in the regular cutlery drawer and my son likes to use them. He is quite good with using cutlery but can be a little clumsy with proper (sharp) cutlery so these are perfect for him to use and feel a bit more grown up.
This cutlery set is of a decent quality. Each item is well manufactured and a good length to hold and use - moreso by a child. The colours are vibrant. The spoons have slightly curved sides which make them ideal for scooping out yoghurt or using when eating ice cream. The spoon doesn't hold much as you would expect and is a little bigger than a teaspoon but not as big as a tablespoon.
The fork features four smooth ended prongs which are good for picking up small bits of food. My son can use the fork easily to lift up sliced sausage, chips etc but I find it a little more fickle to use as I am so used a proper sized fork. It is fine for eating pasta salad at a picnic though. The knives aren't amazing. They have an almost smooth 'blade' - a slightly serated edge which isn't sharp at all but can cut through very soft food like pasta and chips.
I'm sure these would be find in a dishwasher but I don't have one. I pop them in the sink with some washing up liquid and water and any marks come off easily. The cutlery have a plastic feel which makes them feel a little 'greasy' when they are drying in the dish drainer but once full dry, they feel a bit more normal. After nearly a year of regular use, they still look good with no colour loss or scratches.
~Conclusion~
This is a decent wee set of cutlery perfect for picnics, buffets and for young children due to how smooth they are. I prefer regular cutlery but my son loves this cutlery set and enjoys selecting a different colour to use throughout the day. They are inexpensive and definitely a good purchase.
Thanks for reading :)
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