On the Counter – carving knives

RAVE REVIEWS

Service from Harts was fi rst class, both in terms of advice before I purchased The MasterClass Deluxe Carving Set and in terms of the delivery, too. Linda A To see more of what our customers say about us, visit www.hartsofstur.com/ reviews.

HARTS TEAM TIP

Allow beef to rest for 10-15 mins before carving – place foil over it to hold in the heat. Keep your knife aimed at the same angle for each slice and carve across the grain for the tenderest result. Charlotte

THEM UP

Ensure your carving skills are a cut above with the right tools for the job

Tala Performance Stainless Steel Carving Tray RRP: £17.50 Harts Price: £10.00

Apollo Rubber Wood Carving Board Harts Price: £13.96 Tramontina End Grain Pressed Teak Chopping Board

Made in Brazil from pressed teak, this hardwearing board features a groove around the edge to collect those precious juices when carving meat.

Harts Price: £79.99

Master Class Deluxe 2-Piece

Traditional Carving Set

High quality and safe, this set is a great choice for lovers of roast dinners. Made from excellent carbon steel, the fork features a retractable knife guard. Comes with a 10-year guarantee. RRP: £50.99

Harts Price: £44.95

Victorinox Fully Forged 2-Piece Carving Set

RRP: £189.99

Harts Price: £129.95 Cole & Mason Berden Extra Large Acacia Wood Carving Board

Crafted from sustainable wood, this double-sided board is practical and stylish. One side features channels to collect meat juices, while the smooth reverse is ideal for chopping. Measuring 46 x 34 x 3cm, the board is also super-easy to clean. RRP: £50.00 Harts Price: £40.00

Denby Carving Board with Groove RRP: £40.00 Harts Price: £28.00

Global G-251138 4 Piece Knife Set G-2 20cm Chef’s Knife

GS-5 14cm Vegetable Knife

GS-11 15cm Flexible Utility Knife

GS-38 9cm Paring Knife

RRP: £600.00 Harts Price: £249.95 Taylor’s Eye Witness Brooklyn Copper 2-Piece Carving Set

RRP: £30.00 Harts Price: £15.00

I.O.Shen Carving Set RRP: £169.95 Harts Price: £149.95

PREPARE TO SAVE

When time and finances are under pressure, planning is key

Few of us have hours to spend cooking on weekdays and hungry families often don’t want to wait more than a few minutes. And most of us must consider our shopping budgets, particularly in recent times. Batch cooking is far from a new idea but something that is seeing a resurgence in these tough economic climes, especially for larger families.

Thinking ahead pays off when it comes to avoiding the temptation of easy but expensive takeaways or convenience meals.

Spending a regular afternoon – or even a full day – cooking up large quantities of healthy, but low-cost food and freezing in suitable containers means you have a home-cooked meal to hand, saving valuable time and money down the line. It also means you can create meals to suit your family’s dietary needs, such as nut allergies, gluten, and lactose intolerance, while at the same time regulating unhealthy sugars, salt and other additives.

Slow cookers also provide a fantastic way of throwing a few ingredients together the night before and putting on to cook in the morning, before leaving for work. There’s something quite wonderful about arriving back and being greeted by the smell of dinner.

Although you’ve made it yourself, it’s the next best thing to someone cooking for you!

Spaghetti with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

A rich and delicious pasta sauce. Great to batch cook and freeze ahead to create a quick and easy midweek meal. As well as using with pasta, this sauce doubles up as a great pizza topper too.

UNDER £2.00 PER SERVING

SERVES 4 25g capers, finely chopped 50g cocktail onions, drained and chopped 2 red peppers 1.5 tbsp. olive oil 1 small garlic clove, crushed 85ml vegetable stock 400g wholewheat spaghetti 50g parmesan cheese Handful of basil leaves, roughly chopped.

1 Using a hot grill or naked gas flame, roast the peppers, turning regularly for about 20 mins until the skin turns black. Remove and place in a bowl and cover with cling film and allow to cool. 2 Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the garlic and capers and cook for 2 mins. Stir in the peppers and continue to fry for a further 3 mins.

3 Add the vegetable stock, bring to the boil, and allow it to reduce a little. 4 Pour the contents of the pan together with the cocktail onions into a blender and whizz until smooth.

5 Cook the spaghetti according to pack instructions. Drain and stir in the red pepper sauce. 6 Serve sprinkled with parmesan shavings and a handful of basil leaves.

HINTS AND TIPS

Once the skins have charred, put the peppers into a plastic bag as this will make them sweat and the skins will come off more easily. Switch the parmesan cheese for a vegan alternative to make this dish vegan.

Recipe courtesy of Opies Foods, www.opiesfoods.com

Sage The Fast Slow Pro Cooker

With the combined benefits of a pressure cooker and slow cooker in this awesome appliance, you’ll be serving up perfect meals time and again. Choose from 6 settings for steaming, reducing, searing, sautéing, slow cooking, or pressure cooking, then adjust temperature and time and let the cooker take the strain. Once cooked, the Fast Slow Pro will keep your food warm for up to 2 hours.

Harts Price: £198.95

Swan Nordic Slate Grey 3.5L Slow Cooker

A sound pick for larger families, this generously sized slow cooker has 3 heat settings, and a toughened-glass lid that lets you check on the cooking progress. The handy “keep warm” function is great for those who eat at different times… or enjoy heading back for seconds! It comes with a 32-page recipe book full of clever ideas and is backed by a 2-year manufacturer’s guarantee.

Harts Price: £34.99 Crock Pot 5.6L Digital Slow & Multi Cooker

Big, brilliant and versatile, this striking machine not only slow cooks, but steams, sautés, roasts and bakes. With a 5.7L capacity, it caters for up to 6 people and comes with a roasting rack and rice measuring cup. The ovenproof metal bowl is removable, so food can be served directly at the table. RRP: £131.99 Harts Price: £109.94

Crock Pot 5.6L Hinged Lid Slow Cooker RRP: £54.99 Harts Price: £36.95

Judge 3.5L Slow Cooker

RRP: £60.50 Harts Price: £29.95

Crock Pot 12-in-1 Express Multi-Cooker

RRP: £89.99 Harts Price: £84.95

RAVE REVIEWS

I ordered a multi cooker to replace my old slow cooker. I was really impressed with Harts of Stur’s speed at replying to a question, and their website and prices are great! I highly recommend both Harts of Stur and the Crock Pot Multi Cooker. Rose D To see more of what our customers say about us, visit www.hartsofstur.com/ reviews.

Tower 1.5L Stainless Steel Slow Cooker Harts Price: £16.99 Crock Pot Duraceramic Sauté Slow Cooker

RRP: £109.99

Harts Price: £99.95

HARTS TEAM TIP

Place foods that take longer to cook at the bottom of the slow cooker pot, where the heat rises from. So for a recipe containing potatoes and mushrooms, add the potatoes fi rst, then the mushrooms on top and stir well before serving. Maddie

Chicken Casserole

This is a great way to use up a leftover roast – turkey works just as well.

SERVES 4 8 pickled walnuts, halved 50g butter 50ml oil 2 onions, sliced 250g lardons 25g fl our 650g cooked chicken, shredded 200g carrots, sliced 700ml chicken stock 250ml white wine Salt and black pepper 100g frozen peas UNDER £3.00 PER SERVING

1 Pre-heat the oven to 180C. 2 Heat the butter and oil in a shallow pan. Add the onions and lardons, fry until the onions have softened and lardons have browned. 3 Place in a casserole dish together with the chicken, walnuts and carrots. 4 Stir in the fl our well and pour over the stock and wine. Season to taste. 5 Cover tightly and bake in the oven for approximately 20 mins. 6 Remove from the oven and stir in the frozen peas. Cover again and return to the oven for 10 mins. 7 Serve immediately with delicious, crispy and buttered jacket potatoes. Recipe courtesy of Opies Foods - their products include pickled onions, walnuts and capers, www.opesfoods.com

KitchenAid Set of 4 Prep Bowls & Lids Empire Red Harts Price: £19.49

Lock & Lock 5-Piece Round

Nestable Rainbow Set RRP: £26.99

Harts Price: £14.95

From the Lock & Lock stable comes the highly practical Modular Containers range. These BPA-free boxes come in a wide range of sizes and are suitable for use in microwaves, dishwashers and freezers. The containers have locks on all 4 sides and a lip on the lid for effi cient stacking

CONTAIN YOURSELF

Lock & Lock Modular Rectangular 910ml

RRP: £8.49 Harts Price: £7.75

Kilner Fresh Storage

Container 1.4L

RRP: £21.00

Harts Price: £14.70

HARTS TEAM TIP

Label meals destined for the freezer unless you fancy taking pot luck! Chilli, curry or sausage casserole can all look quite similar when frozen! Charlotte

Zwilling Fresh And Save Vacuum Box - Set Small, Medium and Large Plastic Harts Price: £44.95

Pyrex Cook & Freeze 19cm Rectangular Dish with Lid

RRP: £7.99 Harts Price: £7.19

Lock & Lock Eco 3-Piece Set

RRP: £9.25 Harts Price: £5.95

OXO Good Grips 1.2L Container

RRP: £14.00

Harts Price: £13.30

MasterClass Stainless Steel Storage 2L Food Container

RRP: £34.99

Harts Price: £27.95 TOP TIPS

• Plan your meals carefully in advance, using any leftovers from the fridge or after checking what’s lurking at the back of your cupboards and buried at the bottom of the freezer. • Tinned and frozen foods can be great money-savers. It is also worth scouring supermarkets for items reduced in price, especially late in the day. • Buy smaller portions of meat and bulk out your meal with proteins such as chickpeas or black beans, which are far cheaper and have health benefi ts too. • Another option is cheaper cuts of meat. They will likely need longer cooking, so a handy tip is to add about an extra quarter of a cup of water to your meal (if it’s in the slow cooker) for an hour or so longer, as this will keep your food from drying out. • Invest in a set of suitable containers to store family-sized or single-portion meals and cut down on wastage.

Freezer bags are another option.

GREAT APEEL

Paring knives (also called peeling knives) are an absolute must-have

I.O.Shen 105mm Pointed Paring Knife

All I.O.Shen knives use the very latest technology to construct a blade that is not only amazingly sharp but also retains a long-lasting edge. RRP: £82.95 Harts Price: £73.95

18+ ONLY

Knives are not for sale to anyone under the age of 18. All knives and bladed products require age verifi cation delivery. For details visit www.hartsofstur.com/blog/ ordering-a-kitchen-knife-usingonline-age-verifi cation.

MasterClass Acero 9cm Paring Knife

RRP: £8.29

Harts Price: £6.95

Victorinox Swiss Classic Black Paring Knife Twin Pack

RRP: £10.99 Harts Price: £7.69

Rockingham Forge RF-1280 Series Paring Knife

RRP: £11.25 Harts Price: £10.74

Kasumi 8cm Paring Knife RRP: £125.00 Harts Price: £89.95

Furi Pro 9cm Paring Knife Manufactured from Japanese high-carbon stainless-steel, the seamless construction and innovative patented handles make this knife a winner. Comes with a 25-year Furi guarantee. RRP: £32.95 Harts Price: £19.95