I adore knives. Not in a stabby way (at ease ex-husband), but as kitchen kit goes for any keen cook, along with your pans, your knife set is essential and the first area I invested in after replacing all the budget starter home items. Look after them, and they will see you right for a very long time.

My current knife set is from a brand known for their quality and I’ve been happy with them over the years, but what I have seen an interest in from professional chefs and keen home cooks is a turn towards handmade knives - with beautiful hammered blades and intricate handles made of fine woods.

And look how beautiful this Katto it is - so much character. You have a choice of blade and also wood handle - I opted for the dark Rosewood. This means you need to wash and dry your knives after use but that’s a good habit to have anyway and I’ve always thought wooden handled knives felt better to use.

Katto knives are available in chef’s knives, santokus, utility, bread and just launched - a 7” agile nakiri.

My preference for santoku over chef knives is a few years old now, they just feel better to me and I seem to work quicker than with a heavier chefs knife - the downturned point also lends itself to less mistakes. The 7.5” Katto santoku is no different - it feels well balanced, robust for heavier chopping (coped well with some tough winter squash) but light and sharp enough to thinly slice onions.

I’ve been wanting to use it for a few weeks for reviewing properly and despite being a rather glamorous item looking stunning on my magnetic rack, I’m happy to report that the Katto knife is very much a functional item for the kitchen and I’m sure going to enjoy using mine on the daily.

I haven’t encountered any issues at all with it - you’ll want a smaller knife for more intricate work, but that’s a job for a different knife like their utility, which would make a great pair with this or the chef’s knife.

This is a super knife, from a lovely brand (read the about us page on their site) with a sustainable ethos.

Extra shout out to their presentation and packaging too - loved the coin tradition, the tote and the attention to detail on the brand was a really nice touch. Along with Julie Andrews, brown paper packages tied up with string are also one of MY favourite things, so I appreciated the whole experience of receiving and unboxing the knife.

Watch the unboxing video here.

Also, with the option of personalisation and a nice leather scabbard, I’m sure any keen cook would be happy to find a Katto Knife or two (or a set!) under the Christmas tree this year.

katto.shop

AD I was sent this item for honest review, words and thought my own.

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Gin has had an enormous boost in popularity over the last few years, at all levels of the market, and for all tastes.

But what about vodka? Not a spirit that is so enthusiastically spoken about as a standalone, yet remains a solid staple in cocktails. Enter X MUSE vodka (pronounced tenth muse) - here to challenge this at the premium end of the market. X MUSE has been created with quality and culture in mind and hails from somewhere not necessarily associated with the spirit. You may be thinking of Eastern Europe, particularly Russia, but this vodka is made in Scotland, yes, famous for spirits, but of the Whisky kind.

Taking three years to develop, X MUSE uses water from an ancient aquifer, producing exceptionally pure water, taken from the 100 acre Bennington Estate near Edinburgh amongst a sculptured landscape called Jupiter Artland. (Look at the site and you can see the bottle design influence.)

Photo © Graeme Yuill (cc-by-sa/2.)

And it’s all steeped in art. If you know your Greek mythology, you recall the Nine named Muses who represented the arts. The Tenth Muse had no name and “represents all that is unseen, not captured, defined or understood.” You’ll cleverly find the brand strap line under the waxed bottle top: ‘Plura Latent, Quam Patent’ (more is hidden than revealed). Nice touch.

It’s all rather beautiful, the bottle is stunning sculptural piece that plays with the light, the white wax and textured paper label all exude that feeling that this is not your average bottle of voddy. I doff my hat to the design and marketing teams involved, the brand story is exquisite. You can read more on their website.

But to the taste Fran! X MUSE is the first barley blended vodka, inspired by the Whiskey traditions of Scotland. Two heritage varieties of barley are used; Plumage Archer and Maris Otter, prized for flavour, distilled separately and combined to produced this luxurious, rich, smooth vodka. It’s one of the very few vodkas I would drink neat, and is surprisingly characterful/complex.

Taste profile: Citrus, apple, cereal and pepper.

As for a cocktail at home, I didn’t want to diffuse this vodka too much so chose to make a Caipiroska , similar to a caipirinha, but prepared with vodka instead of cachaça.

Ingredients

• 50ml Vodka

• 2 tsp Sugar

• 1 Lime

• 1/2 glassful Crushed Ice

Preparation

1 Cut the lime into wedges and place into shaker.

2 Use a muddler to mix the lime and sugar, not squashing too much or else will become bitter.

3 Add crushed ice and vodka and shake well.

4 Pour shaker contents into serving glass and garnish with a lime wedge.

5 Garnish with a lime wedge.

You can also see it used in some of these delicious sounding cocktails on their website.

Priced at £60 per 70cl bottle.

https://xmusevodka.com

AD I was sent a bottle for review, words and thought my own.

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I return to one of my Brighton Favourites, Med., who have undergone a bit of a reinvention and relaunched as Med 22Black.

Along with a lick of darker paint and a moodier vibe, the small plate menu has been updated to include more of the flavours and style from their well received Espina pop up at The Golden Pineapple bar in Ship Street and a stronger focus on the drinks menu.

You'll still find the sunny, Mediterranean vibes everyone has come to love, but with more prominent Asian influences and more edgy pairings, with some junk food inspo thrown in for good measure. Sounds like a fusion disaster, but somehow it works, and it works very well.

Occasionally the experimentation and drive for innovation is pushed a bit too far or misplaced; the impressive bone marrow Yorkshire pudding, packed full of succulent beef and sat on a green pond of East End Liqour, utterly delicious in itself had no place on the menu here (sorry chef Will).

The Marmite and furikake dressing on the hispi cabbage was a wallop of intense saltiness that was a touch too much. The delicate beauty of artichokes were sadly engulfed in the flavours of refried bean and tomato salsa. But we let them off, because without pushing the boundaries, you can't have the creative cooking that results in dishes like tuna crudo, uplifted with kumquat and avocado. Or silky, umami rich hoi sin glazed aubergine nor the tomato and blood orange salad with olive oil ponzu. And dammit, the cheeseburger tartare, something that goes against everything I thought I believed in in food, is a plate licking must order with it's tangy Maccy D sauce nailed.

But respect to classic flavours are still honoured here. I challenge you to find a better taramasalata in town - velvety and decadent. Perfect for the prawn crackers served with it and better with their delicious airy bread. I loved seeing a classic gnoccho fritto from the Emilia Romagna region, exactly how you'd find them there, pillow light and nestled simply next to cured meat. And fat juicy prawns were rightly left in the safe hands of Basque cooking and a piquant pil pil sauce.

Don't miss the drinks, impossible to choose from the cocktail list from the seasonal serves to the house classics. My sherry Monocle aperitif was the perfect way to kick off dinner. Leave the car at home and dive into the wine list too, carefully selected but extensive with some interesting natural and low intervention wines. We chose an orange wine, Casa Balaguer Tragolargo Blanco, crisp and floral with a pleasant fizzy farmy funk expected from the naturals.

Polishing off the feast, a giggly rhubarb trifle topped with smile making sprinkles. If you can't have fun with dessert, where can you?

As always, they have created food I want to eat, and even food I didn't know I wanted to eat. The menu is almost irrelevant because to me it doesn't matter, I'd happily try everything. Come with a group, sample it all.

Med. I loved you, Med 22Black, I love you more.

I dined as a guest of Med 22Black. Words and thoughts, as always, my own.

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Totally off the radar is a pizzeria tucked away in Ovingdean. A place I've walked and run past many times, the only nod to it a small wooden hanging sign. I'd assumed this was just another food truck in someone's garden or a pop up of sorts. But no, turn the corner and you'll find a beautiful little restaurant, which actually sits in the location of the former Old Vienna Cafe. It's surrounded by dahlias, fairy lights and trees and beyond adorable.

Whilst the restaurant itself is closed during Covid restrictions, delivery and pick up is available and remains immensely popular, turning out an average of 150 pizzas a night in high season. I live for these quirky back street discoveries, totally unexpected and exceeding expectation.

First things first, the 36 hr prove dough is unique. Neapolitan at heart, yet crisp with a French influence. Owner and former chef Chris Phillips describes the core of the cornicione almost croissant-like and I see what he means. Those that find Neapolitan too soft and prefer a crisper base this is the one, but the all important chew is still there too - I've not had a pizza quite like it. It's specifically been crafted to travel better for delivery (makes sense as that's their core business) and the oven is spectacular too - a proper, roaring wood fired beast.

Also noteworthy is the stealth provenance at play. There's almost an insane attention to detail here which pizza thrives on. Being a simple product it leaves no margin for error or corner cutting - skill, process and your ingredient quality are for the World to see which is why I love it so much. Easy to do, difficult to master.

As always I try a simple topping to gauge a pizza - a Napoletana or a Margherita. The menu is unusual in places so The Ocean One was closest with a tomato base, fior di latte cheese, anchovies, capers and roasted chilli flakes. That base is the absolute one; light, airy, chewy, tasty...everything it should be but even better. A good measure of a good pizza is that you should be easy able to eat the whole thing and not feel like you're going to keel over, and I was able to wolf this down with ease.

On The Pepperoni One a Hungarian pepperoni is used over an Italian one because of the intense smoke and nothing like the greased slick sausage you'd typically find.

Looking at the menu, there's a touch to every ingredient and the first time I've felt the need to try the more creative options. Although my first visit was an invite, I knew I had to return pronto.

Despite my very, very strong opinions on Hawaiian pizza this was the first time in my life I was convinced to try one, and no I wasn't drunk or being at held at gunpoint. My first visit I'd point blank refused but Chris came out with the maple glazed pineapple that is pre roasted in the wood oven. I knew then that this was not your average pizzeria.

Cue the Marks and Spencer's sexy music... "This isn't pineapple pizza, this is Wild Flour pineapple pizza...". They cook the ham as a joint and by roasting the pineapple it means you're not chugging down on chunks from Del Monte. Pre roasting removes the juice and whilst it remains sweet, it's subtle, stickier, slightly candied and with the quality ham is really quite a delicious thing.

Hell we may as well break down all my barriers now. Garlic bread - another insane thing commonly found on menus that weirdos order as starters to a pizza along with the likes of dough balls and chips. But here, the butter is sous vide and garlic infused before it hits the dough, altering the burning point and avoiding that acrid taste. Truly a surprising highlight on the menu and a must order.

And on and on; mushrooms are baked in the oven with balsamic reminding me of my Italian aunt's preserved ones, chilli flakes are roasted...the halloumi salad I had, the cheese had been marinated in paprika, honey and black pepper before a stint in the wood oven, imparting a glorious sweet, sticky chew.

My limit was reached with the special, where they go REALLY out, this time The Chilli Dog One with gourmet hot dog sausage, ground chilli, lightly pickled onions, American mustard, bacon crumb. I have no doubt that the gourmet junk food brigade would be all over this one and the chilli alone was delicious as I scooped it up - give me a bowl of this any time. On a pizza? Too far for me. They've also had an Indian pizza in the past that proved popular, inspired by the Goan dish Dal Makahni and was 6 months in development. You know what? I'd probably order it.

Dessert pizza - ha she'll hate this right! I despise those awful, sickly Nutella pizzas to end flabby garlic bread and pizza doughball dinners which you'll finish digesting sometime in 2022. Yet here, the dough is shaped into a fluffy doughnut shape, yes with Nutella, but with homemade candied orange, roasted pistachios to give a saline edge and a side of marscapone. This had a huge Sicilian vibe, think cannoli filling, which I was all over. Ridiculously good, grown up and totally different.

Starting 3 years ago in a back garden further up the road, and now at home here for a year with a full scale wood fired pizza and permanent premises, the dough has been a labour of love. As much as this would make any Italian grimace, Wild Flour are not tied to tradition, they do what feels right which is often misguided approach in the wrong hands. But here the intention is right and they have the craft and vision to turn pizza on its head.

I knew on my first visit but returned to make sure and can safely say this really is the best pizza in the Brighton area. People of Ovingdean I apologise - your secret is out.

Website: www.wildflourpizza.co.uk
Address: Greenways, Ovingdean Brighton BN2 7BA

I was invited on the first occasion but returned as a paying customer. Words and thoughts, as always, my own.

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Since my my 2015 best pizza in Brighton round up (the most popular post on the blog ever) I've eaten a lot of pizza around these parts. Regular readers will be well versed about my passion for pizza, even featuring in Daniel Young's Where To Eat Pizza tome. Its craft and simplicity never gets old and well, it's just a comforting, lovely thing to eat with family, with friends, with dates, with just yourself. There's never a bad occasion for a pizza.

Quite a few new players have stepped up in more recent years which has raised the dough game, but not always enough to knock the established pizzerias off their perch though. And although the original post listed some absolute howlers (and boy, were there some true horrors), I've got my positive pizza pants on, and sticking to only the good in this update.

A word on full reviews and images - some may be quite historic but pizzerias are typically my "night off" or family nights. Pizzerias are the restaurants I frequent the most, and I normally don't repost full blog reviews but I'm confident in knowing the ones I have linked to have remained consistent.

1. Wild Flour

(Full review)

Top spot goes to Wild Flour, tucked away in Ovingdean, the attention to detail is immense. Each element is crafted - they even roast the chilli flakes. This remains the only time I've ever willingly eaten a Hawaiian pizza - hams are baked in the wood oven and hand carved, the pineapple maple glazed and roasted.

The 36 hour dough is a Neapolitan with a croissant-like twist and cooked in their magnificent wood fired oven.

Topping vary from the safe to the wild. Don't miss their wood fired doughnut shaped pizza for dessert.

Price of a Napoletana: £12
Home Delivery? Collection and Delivery

Website: www.wildflourpizza.co.uk
Address: Greenways, Ovingdean Brighton BN2 7BA

2. Fatto a Mano

(Full review)

Brighton's major pizza player and the one we owe to introducing good pizza to the masses of the city. Authentic and a temple to true Neapolitan pizza close to home in their simple but stylish restaurants.

I've lost count of the pizzas I've had here, my staple order of a Napoletana never fails, washed down with a Hugo or a glass of wine or five, it remains one of the best value places to eat. The menus are refreshingly short, toppings traditional, and the staff are glorious.

Equally good for date night or family meal (but shame they dropped the kids eat free deal), they hit the ground running and have stayed true to their ethos since.

Price of a Napoletana: £8.50
Home Delivery? Collection and Delivery

Website: www.fattoamanopizza.com
Address:
London Road: 77 London Road, Brighton BN1 4JF
North Laine: 25 Gloucester Road, Brighton BN1 4AQ
Hove: 65-67 Church Road, Hove BN3 2BD

3. Yamino

Bringing us something totally different to Brighton, Yamino serves up Roman pizza by the slice.

Lighter, airier and crisper than Neapolitan, and sold al taglio, or by the weight back in Rome but here in handy portions so you can mix and match a few to try out the excellent toppings. You'll need 2 or 3 at least for a good feed but you'll want to try more.

They are always playing around with flavours but don't miss the potato and onion one!

Price of a Napoletana: £n/a
Home Delivery? Collection

Website: www.yamino.co.uk
Address: 4A Montpelier Place, Brighton, BN1 3BF

4. Nuposto

(Full review)

I think Nuposto remains one of the most underrated pizzerias in Brighton. For me the dough is exceptional. So good you'd almost never know their ovens were gas - the chew and the leoparding is consistently on point and the toppings on the more traditional options good quality and the perfect balance.

They get lost for their tourist trap location, garish branding and too much diversity on their menu as they launched into offering pasta as well as a hefty starters list which masquerades them as an anglo-Italian rather than the real deal.

Look past that, don't get distracted on the menu and you won't be disappointed. Particularly great for family dining.

Price of a Napoletana: £8.50
Home Delivery? Delivery
Website: www.nuposto.com
Address: 14 West Street, Brighton, BN1 2RE

5. Purezza

(Full review)

I'll hold my hands up and say I was more than skeptical about an exclusively vegan pizzeria. What is pizza if not meats and cheese? But they make their own "mozzarella" with Italian brown rice and have developed the best vegan cheeses I've tried.

Toppings are creative - inspired by their meat alternatives and clever use of vegetables. But at the heart of any good pizza is good dough and here it is pillowy and light, with the fattest cornicone in town - it's a delight to eat. You can also opt for hemp or gluten free bases so this place makes what can be an off limits food accessible to all.

Price of a Napoletana: n/a prices around £13
Home Delivery? Delivery

Website: www.purezza.co.uk
Address:
Brighton: 12 St James’s Street, BN2 1RE
Bristol: 79-81 Gloucester Road, BS7 8AS
Camden: 45-47 Parkway, NW1 7PN
Hove: 86-87 Western Road, BN3 1JB

6. Nanninella

(full review)

Although the oven is gas, Nanninella make a darn fine pizza. This adorable restaurant makes you feel like you're on holiday in Italy and the flavours remain traditional and authentic.

Also good are the range of Neapolitan street food starters.

Price of a Napoletana: £10
Home Delivery? Delivery

Website: www.nanninellapizzeria.co.uk
Address: 26 Preston Street, Brighton BN1 2HN

7. VIP

I've only recently returned to VIP and I think they've improved a lot. Bases are more robust and well formed and toppings a better ratio.

Family run, truly Italian and a very nice little restaurant just by Old Steine that makes you feel like you've fallen into an Italian delicatessen. Which...you kind of have.

Their signature oblong shaped pizzas are cooked in their wood fired oven and most of the cheeses and meats come from their own farm in Naples - a huge bonus, and you can taste the quality. I do like the dough here, slightly more robust than others but always enjoyable.

The menu is bewilderingly huge with over 60 pizzas *scream* plus a full Italian food menu in addition. You can also purchase their produce to take home.

Price of a Napoletana: £7.25

Home Delivery? Delivery

Website: www.pizzavip.co.uk

Address:
Brighton: 19 Old Steine, Brighton BN1 1EL

Saltdean: 67 Lustrells Vale, Saltdean BN2 8FA

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Med is the Brighton restaurant I've been waiting for. A swathe of casual eateries have popped up in the city during Covid times and, hand on heart, my enthusiasm had been waning for local food for the first time in decades. Because, if I've been craving anything right now after a spot of enforced abstinence from restaurants, it's going to an actual restaurant. With napkins, plates, nice wines, a bit of pampering and food you eat with, you know, cutlery.

Despite Covid, we have also had a large hole in our dining arsenal for simple, but elegant Mediterranean food. But Med has arrived with sunny small plates of holiday memories, which is what we all need right now, particularly those mourning the loss of their summer holibob abroad.

Although I visited on the opening weekend and my rule of not reviewing until a few weeks have passed, due to common teething issues until a place beds in, plates and opinion have been pretty consistent from the off here. The people behind Med are by no means new kids on the block, having held up a pretty strong local presence with Wolfsmouth and their numerous pub popups, as well as the slicker small plate operation at Paradiso Social. All of that is now concentrated into this new spot and their delivery seems rather faultless.

If you're an eye roller to the small plate format, this could well change your mind. Here it truly does work and you can mix and match to your heart's content without creating either a monstrosity of a meal nor a colossal bill.

Grown up hummus was given a pop of flavour from the unquestionable flavours of crunchy dukkah sprinkled on top, and scooped up with their excellent focaccia is an easy way kick off to things here, washed down with one of their cocktails from the short and sweet menu - a very good negroni sbagliato hit the spot for me.

The main "big dish" option is a market fish of the day. A simple grilled fish to share is a thing of beauty and today the choice was plaice, one of my favourites. De-boning whole fish at the table is an enjoyable ritual, so glad we were left to our own devices with it. Add in the patatas bravas and charred artichokes and courgettes and that's a meal complete.

Of course don't stop there though. Dish of the night for me were clams with chorizo in a fragrant wine broth, served with a spoon I imagine, not to serving the clams with but to ensure you drink up every last drop from the bowl. Do that.

Portuguese style chicken is worth the order, a gooey chourico croquette and piquant romesco.

Most surprising was the cantaloupe melon dish. I've had thousands before, mainly depressing fridge cold wedges at wedding receptions, but this was a head turner; dressed up with avocado and cured cucumbers, with a combination of gorgeous herbs making for a light, fresh, sweet and delicious dish.

Wines have been treated equally well with a carafe working out the same cost as half bottle so you can work your way around the list a little with your meal. The list is nicely curated and unpretentious too.

Dining here was a true delight actually, and it wasn't just the thirst for returning back to restaurants. It really is good full stop; the attention to detail is everywhere. Crowd pleasing, simple food, which hits that sweet spot of being well executed but relaxed and priced honestly.