Best Selling Cookbooks for Your Mum on Mother’s Day!

It doesn’t matter how long your mum has been cooking, every once in a while she is bound to feel that she wants a little more inspiration when cooking and the chance to discover a new recipe or two. The following best selling cookbooks offer a wide variety of recipes from famous chefs, respected cooks and up-and-coming culinary artists. In these cookery books she will find healthy meals, sweet bakes and everything in between!

We also have a few books especially for new mothers, and some options for those whose Mum has a slow cooker but doesn’t use it very often. Simply put, we have some great cookbook gift ideas here for your lovely mum this Mother’s Day!

Cookbooks by Mary Berry

Household name and baking legend Mary Berry has published more than 75 cookery books since her first cookbook in 1970, so she knows a thing or two about cooking! The Baking Bible was published in 2009 and is still one of the best selling cookbooks available today, selling in its thousands every year. Gifting a Mary Berry recipe book for Mother’s Day is always a strong choice and is sure to make your mum very happy indeed.

Jamie Oliver’s Cookbooks

With his cheeky smile and outgoing personality, Jamie Oliver is one of the UK’s favourite celebrity chefs. He has a wide range of excellent cookbooks under his belt, and he always promotes and encourages people to cook and eat well within their budget and capabilities. Here we have picked just three of his recipe books that we think would be perfect for your Mum this Mother’s Day.

Recipe Books from Nigella Lawson

Nigella Lawson has a relaxed, calming method of cooking which appeals to many women (and men) who consider cooking an important part of each day. She has been quoted as saying, “I think cooking should be about fun and family.” and we think that there are a great many mothers who share this view. In our home we have at a couple of Nigella Lawson cookery books and they are used often for main meals, snacks and desserts. Your mum is sure to be overjoyed to open a Nigella cookbook this Mother’s Day!

Cookbooks for Health

These recipe books from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Tom Kerridge and Dr Megan Rossi are all about improving your health through a balanced diet of good food and nutritious ingredients. If your mum has taken up a healthier lifestyle this year, then any of these three cookbooks will give her lots of tasty recipes and helpful information.

Slow Cooker Recipe Books

As you probably know, we love slow cookers on Kitchen and Cook Shop, and ours is used most weeks. They are simple to use and very cost-effective too. One of the best things about using a slow cooker is that your mum can prepare the ingredients, put them in the slow cooker and set the appliance cooking whilst she gets on with her busy day. In the evening, a healthy, nutritious and tasty meal will be ready for her and others in the household. In additional, if she cooks more food than required for that day, she can freeze some meals for the future – very useful on days when your mum does not have enough time to prepare a meal from scratch.

Pinch of Nom Cookbooks

This series of recipe books is written by authors Kay Featherstone and Kate Allinson. There are currently three cookbooks in the range with two food planner books also available. Pinch of Nom cookbooks are packed full of slimming recipes to make with minimum fuss and maximum flavour. These cookbooks have been at the top of the best selling list for quite a while and the authors are over-the-moon that people are using their recipes to make themselves feel phenomenal! Gift your mum one of the Pinch of Nom cookbooks and see what low-fat wonders she can create!

Cookbooks for New Mums

New mothers have so much to do, and so little time to fit it all in, so why not help a new mum with the cooking side of things by giving to her one of the following cookbook choices. They offer advice on how one can use the same ingredients for the baby as for the rest of the family, thus saving time and money… and as we all know, both of these things are extremely valuable when there are babies or young children around.

The Great British Bake Off Recipe and Cookbooks

The Great British Bake Off has been running on television in the UK since 20010, and some people even call it a national institution now! Sure, it’s been through format changes, and some great presenters have come and gone, but it continues to be enjoyed by many in the UK and across the world. If you look past the tent and its occupants, you will find that the real stars of the show are the bakes themselves, and the following books are sure to give joy to your mum this Mother’s Day, especially if she likes the TV show or baking in general.


I hope that this short article has given you some great cookbook ideas for Mother’s Day this year. Buying her any of the above cookery books is sure to give her joy… just make sure you offer to do the washing up after your mum has created another home-cooked masterpiece that you have just finished eating!

Festive Christmas Tea Towels

If you know a budding chef or baker, a tea towel is an inexpensive yet practical and appreciated gift to give at Christmas. Depicting seasonal themes and cheerful characters, a Christmas tea towel is bright and jolly and sure to add a bit of colour to the kitchen.

One of the best things about giving a tea towel as a gift at Christmas is that it’s so useful, especially when the huge amount of washing up begins to stack up and you need extra hands to dry all the kitchenware. If you give a tea towel as a Christmas gift then you might even be excused from helping with the washing up too! Some people keep their Christmas tea towels packed safely away during the year and bring them out only in December, but others use them all year round – and there’s nothing wrong with that at all!

Christmas Tea Towel Sets

Sometimes one tea towel isn’t enough, especially when there’s lots of drying up to do over the Christmas period, so why not buy a set of Christmas tea towels thus ensuring that you never run short in the kitchen. The four tea towel sets below are both stylish and festive.

Santa Tea Towels

One of the most recognisable characters at Christmas is Santa Claus, or Father Christmas as he was called when I was young. This jolly chap is sure to brighten up your Christmas Day after-meal clean up with his rotund belly, bright red garments and bushy beard. You may even forget you’re doing the wiping up if you’re using one of these Santa Tea Towels… maybe!

Reindeer Tea Towels

I think that reindeers add a bit of magic to Christmastime. The tea towels here all have different designs. One is arty, one is cartoonish, and the other two are classy in a silhouette style with bold colours and patterns.

Snowmen Tea Towels

We always think of snowmen at Christmas. With their carrot noses, top hats and colourful scarves, they are happy, joyful characters that add a bit of fun to the proceedings! These snowmen tea towels are sure to make that tedious drying up a pleasure to do.

General Christmas Tea Towels

There are many things that we associate with Christmas, including robins, penguins, toys, presents and Father Christmas, and all are available on season tea towels. Cats too make an appearance and included here are two cat tea towels that are sure to make a great gift for any cat-lover you know!


We hope that you have enjoyed reading this gift guide and now spreading a bit of festive cheer this year with a Christmas Tea Towel as a gift or for your own home!

Gift Idea: Keeping it Natural with Wooden Bowls

As humans I think we have a strong connection to natural products and wood is a material that we like to have in our homes, more than perhaps stone, metal or even glass. Each product made from natural wood (note: not machine-made wood such as MDF) has its own colour, tone and pattern, thus meaning that every wooden item is unique. You know that you are the only person on the planet possessing an item with those exact markings and shades. I believe this makes us feel a little bit special and perhaps reminds us of our own uniqueness too.

One of the nicest wood-made gifts you can give is a wooden bowl. It not only looks amazing but is practical too. Wooden bowls can be used for daily dining, or they can be used to hold salad, fruit or sweets. A bowl made from wood can also be used purely for display purposes due to its stunning natural patterns and hues.

Of course, there are other reasons to purchase and use wood-based items. Buying a natural product is often eco-friendly and biodegradable, especially if you choose to use disposable wooden products for parties or picnicking. Another thing to consider is that more and more producers of wood items are small businesses or individuals in poorer countries who now have the opportunity to sell their natural wares to us via companies that care for the environment, practice sustainability, and work towards improving the welfare of its producers.

Yes – there’s something quite special about wood!

Acacia Wood Bowls

Acacia trees are very fast growing which makes them perfect for many uses. As a hardwood, it is a very good wood for furniture making and for use in construction, and, as you can see, it is also very beautiful so it is used in carving and bowl making very often too. Acacia has a lovely tone so musical instruments are made from it and in Hawaii it’s used to make surfboards and canoes. We love the deep, rich colour of the wood and its prominent grain.

Rubberwood Bowls

Rubberwood is a light-colored tropical hardwood usually obtained from trees grown in rubber plantations. It is often promoted as being “environmentally friendly” because it makes use of plantation trees that have already served a useful function, that being the production of latex. You may also see Rubberwood products advertised as Hevea due to the Latin name of the Pará rubber tree from which the wood is acquired: Hevea brasiliensis. This wood has a dense grain and very little shrinkage making it a stable construction material and it’s great for making furniture, toys and kitchen accessories – especially bowls!

Bamboo Bowls

Technically a grass, bamboo is one of the fastest growing plants on the planet. Many of the larger woody bamboo species are tree-like in appearance and are often called “bamboo trees”. They even grow to be forests, the only grass that does this. Bamboo has so many different uses. It can be used for food, textiles, construction and, of course, as a replacement from many types of products were traditional hardwood might be used, such as furniture or tableware. Bamboo is light in colour but can be stained to create different tones. It is strong, durable and very eco-friendly.

Coconut Bowls

Another ‘wooden’ product we have here which isn’t actually made of wood, but is growing very popular, are coconut bowls. This amazing looking tableware is made from the shells of coconuts that have been cut, cleaned, sanded and polished. They are food-safe, neutral in taste and recyclable. Of course, when you buy a product such as this you are helping to reduce the amount of plastic being created and reducing your own carbon footprint. We also love the patterns and colours in these coconut bowls and spoons!

Other Wooden Bowls

I’m no expert on wood (although I do like to tinker with a bit of woodworking) however I would imagine that many different types of hard wood might make great bowls for food use if treated correctly. Softer woods might pose a problems for some uses but if a bowl was to be used only for display only, a soft wood bowl might be fine. The following bowls are just a small example of four different woods that you might like to incorporate into your dining usage or home decor.


We hope that you have enjoyed reading this short article on giving a wooden bowl as a gift idea or for using in your own home as daily tableware or as a display piece.

5 Great Cookbooks from Jamie Oliver, Yotam Ottolenghi and More

It’s quite common for publishers to release cookbooks at the start of autumn in preparation for the Christmas rush on gift buying that happens in the following couple of months, and in 2020 this was no exception. With the COVID-19 lockdowns and a general rise in interest in healthy and affordable cooking at home, more and more people are looking at buying recipe books for their friends and family, or for themselves.

The following books are just a few of the many released or updated around September 2020. Included are hit books from established chefs, award winning cooks and a recipe book especially created for your Halloween bash at the end of October!

7 Ways: Easy Ideas for Every Day of the Week by Jamie Oliver

7 Ways: Easy Ideas for Every Day of the Week by Jamie Oliver

Jamie Oliver’s recipe and cookbooks keep coming and they always fly off the the shelves. His latest book, 7 Ways: Easy Ideas for Every Day of the Week is no exception. In his book, Jamie has taken 18 of the nation’s favourite staple food ingredients; such as chicken breast, mince, eggs, mushrooms, etc., and using his skills and knowledge, he has created 7 new ways of cooking them. Each recipe is exciting and easily manageable, requiring a minimal amount of time, effort and extra ingredients. Recipes include: Sesame Roast Chicken, Mushroom Cannelloni, Sticky Ginger Beef, and much more.

7 Ways, the most straight-forward cookbook Jamie has ever written. Simple, affordable and delicious food designed for all the family. Cooking dinner just got easier and tastier.”

Ottolenghi FLAVOUR by Yotam Ottolenghi and Ixta Belfrage

Ottolenghi FLAVOUR by Yotam Ottolenghi and Ixta Belfrage

In this new cookbook Yotam Ottolenghi and his co-writer Ixta Belfrage bring you innovative vegetable dishes that are full of flavour and utilize exciting ingredient combinations to inspire and thrill. Ottolenghi FLAVOUR contains simple recipes for every day of the week. Each dish is low-effort but high in impact on the eyes and tastebuds. In the book, the authors explain how flavour is created, what you cooking processes you can use to get the most flavour out of your vegetables, and what produce pairings work exceptionally well together. Recipes include: Spicy Mushroom Lasagne, Romano Pepper Schnitzels, Miso Butter Onions and more.

Packed with colourful photography and innovative creations, Ottolenghi FLAVOUR is a must for vegetable lovers everywhere!

Dumplings and Noodles by Pippa Middlehurst

Dumplings and Noodles by Pippa Middlehurst

I was particularly drawn to this recipe book because of the eye-catching cover and also the fact that I’m interested in ramen! In the cookbook Dumplings and Noodles: Bao, Gyoza, Biang Biang, Ramen and Everything in Between, author Pippa Middlehurst discovers the traditional cooking methods behind some of our favourite Asian dishes. In this book you will learn how to make over 70 recipes with step-by-step techniques to help you achieve dumpling perfection and awesome wontons!

Recipes include mouth-watering dishes such as Barbecue Pork Bao, Miso Ramen, Aromatic Lamb Biang Biang and Dan Dan Mian, all accompanied by stunning photography and interesting information for food fans.

Cook Slow: Light & Healthy by Dean Edwards

Cook Slow: Light & Healthy by Dean Edwards

TV chef Dean Edwards releases his latest book Cook Slow: Light & Healthy: 90 Easy Recipes for both Slow Cookers & Conventional Ovens as a follow up to his previous publication Cook Slow which was very well received by critics and home chefs alike. In his latest book, Dean wants to show us that your slow cooker is a versatile and amazing machine that can be used to cook light and healthy dishes and not just stodgy, winter stews that some might believe a slow cooker is only useful for. Its pages are packed full of amazing recipes including: Coconut Fish Curry, Teriyaki Beef, Baked Aubergine Katsu Cury, Maple Baked Figs with Granola and much more, including vegan and vegetarian dishes.

If you don’t own a slow cooker, fear not as all the recipes can be made in a conventional oven, however we would really recommend you invest in a slow cooker. Prices start under £20 and the electricity savings alone are a huge incentive to owning one, but we also love them for their practical usefulness and the fact that they make food taste amazing!

The Wicked Baker: Cakes and Treats to Die For by Helena Garcia

The Wicked Baker: Cakes and Treats to Die For by Helena Garcia

Helena Garcia, self-proclaimed creative witch, stylist and crafter, was a contestant on the Great British Bake Off TV show were she wowed the judges with her ghoulish bakes. In the cookbook The Wicked Baker: Cakes and Treats to Die For, Helena offers you a wide selection of spooky sweet treats and bakes, not only for Halloween but all year round! Make her Mummified Eclairs, Brain-shaped Cinnamon Buns, Cookie Bats, and the impressive Haunted Tree Cake. All the recipes are clearly explained with step-by-step instructions and the excellent photography really helps you visualise the final bake.

Yes, you too can become the Ghostess with the Mostest this Halloween with The Wicked Baker cookbook!

Easy to Hold Glass Tumblers – The Bormioli Rocco Sorgente Glasses

If you find holding glasses difficult or uncomfortable then these unusual and stylish drinks glasses from Bormioli Rocco may be the perfect drinks tumblers for you. Perhaps you no longer have the strength in your hands that you once did, or maybe a medical condition makes holding regular drinks glasses difficult. Suffer no more… And don’t let the strange design fool you – these tumblers may look awkward to hold, but they are anything but that!

The Bormioli Rocco Sorgente Whisky Glass

The manufacturer calls these whisky glasses but in reality these are too big to be used for straight spirits, however they are perfect for mixers, soft drinks, juice or water. Each glass has a capacity of 420 ml (15 fluid ounces) and when empty they weigh 800 grams (28 ounces) so they are neither small nor light weight, but this all helps to make them a stable vessel for your drink. They stand 11 cm tall and have an 8.5 cm diameter.

As you can see, the design is quite unique. It has a timeless style that I don’t think will ever look old. When a glass is shaped like the Bormioli Rocco Sorgente above, or our favourite glass, the classic Blade Runner Cibi Double Old Fashioned Glass, it will never look out-of-fashion because it has an ageless design. In 10, 100 or 1000 years, these glasses will still be as appealing then as they are now!

You can purchase the Bormioli Rocco Sorgente Glasses on Amazon UK as either a pair of glasses (£7.99*), or as a box of six glasses (£14.99*).

*Prices shown are at time of writing and are subject to change at any time.

Our thoughts on the Bormioli Rocco Sorgente Glasses

What makes these Sorgente design glasses from Bormioli Rocco different? We took a long look at all the reviews and came up with the following observations. Buyers say that these drinking glasses are:

  • Stylish glasses that are easy to grip.
  • Comfortable to hold.
  • Great tumblers if you find holding regular glasses difficult.
  • Larger than normal glasses so may not fit small hands.
  • Definitely NOT a whisky glass – far too big – but great for mixers or juice, water, soft drinks, etc.
  • The packing is not altogether great and it is not gift boxed.
  • Some say the glass is a bit too thin and prone to breaking, whilst others think the opposite.

Reviews of the Bormioli Rocco Sorgente Glasses

There is nothing more honest that the reviews of real buyers and here are our top picks.

Amazon purchaser Pete writes of these Sorgente Glasses:

“These are marvellous glasses, larger than it seems from the photograph, these will easily hold a bottle of beer, so if you are measuring liquor into them, be careful. The shape, while curious, is excellent. It fits the hand very comfortably, and the ridges and twists in the glass make them extremely easy to hold and allow a firm grip. This is important for me as my hands do not function as they used to, so ordinary straight glasses can be a bit of a challenge. These are absolutely perfect and I can now comfortably hold a glass again without worrying overly much about it slipping out of my fingers. The glass is high quality, and these have a nice ring when clinked. It may not seem like it from the shape, but they are just as easy to clean as a straight glass. The base is nicely weighted and the size of the glass means it is not easy to knock one over. All in all an excellent drinking glass that is going to get a lot of use.”

Likewise, S. Smith says:

“Great glasses. Unusual design makes them stand out. I like a chunky glass and these are nice and solid in the hand. The contoured shape makes them easy to hold and no worries about them slipping out of your hand. Went through dishwasher ok.”

Happy buyer W.F. Smith notes:

“Excellent value for money. Attractive, lovely to hold. We tend to be good at breaking and chipping! Hence our glasses and crockery gradually get binned or recycled. We were down to our last two tumblers and I bought these. They look hard to chip or break. They are easy to pick up even from the top. They are lovely to drink from. I shall be using them for all drinks other than wine and even that I may…! So pleased I have bought another set.”

Therese offers her view and writes:

“While you may think these are difficult to hold, it’s actually the opposite, allowing better grip when slippery condensation occurs from ice cubes. Also great for having water on your bedside table as you grope around in the dark hoping you don’t spill water in your bed!”

Contented buyer Lee-anne notes of these unusual glasses:

“Love the feel of these in the hand they give you grooves to place fingers and with no effort afford a better grip a nice side effect of the beautiful, as we say in this house “wobbly glasses”.”

Christine Gaunt wasn’t so impressed and wrote:

“Ordered as a whisky glass but was too big. This was a gift but packing is not great so unable to give.”

Finally Karena gave these glasses 3 out of 5 stars and said:

“Like the shape, sturdy enough but a bit thick and cheap looking. Okay but not as nice as I had hoped.”

Conclusion

We really like the Bormioli Rocco Sorgente Glasses. Originally we were looking for new drinking glasses to replace our dwindling supply but the fact that these Bormioli Rocco designer tumblers not only look great but are easy to hold too appeals to us. We both do a lot of typing and our hands can become quite fatigued by the end of a busy day. I also know of a couple of people that, due to medical conditions, could really benefit from easy-to-hold glasses and these would make great gifts for them.

Gifts for Tea Lovers

Did you know that, after water, tea is the most widely consumed drink in the world? Tea originated as a medicinal drink by ethnic groups in an area that encompassed north Burma and southwestern China, whilst records of tea drinking date back to the 3rd century AD!

Jumping forward to modern times, approximately 63% of Brits drink tea daily – that’s a lot of people. With that in mind we thought that a quick roundup of Amazon UK’s best selling tea accessories would be good for those seeking gift ideas for avid tea drinkers. We hope you find it useful.

Tea Bag Storage

Specially designed to hold teabags in their paper sleeves, these tea storage boxes not only look great but are very practical too. Some are available in different types or shades of wood, and often you have the choice of size depending on how many compartments you require. Those with a clear top allow you easily choose your teabag of choice, or give you the opportunity to show off your ‘collection’!

Tea Caddies

It is important to protect loose tea from moisture and sunlight. An airtight container such as a tea caddy is vital because it will preserve the flavour of the tea and keep it dry. They were originally designed to hold loose tea, but many people nowadays use tea caddies to store tea bags in. Whatever you wish to store in a tea caddy we are sure that you will find one to suit your home on Amazon UK where we found the following striking tea caddies.

Tea Strainers and Tea Infusers

If you use loose tea in a tea pot it is advisable to pour the tea out through a tea strainer even if your tea pot has a built in strainer. The finer mesh in a tea strainer such as the couple shown below ensures that even the finest of tea leaves does not escape into your cup.

There are a huge variety of loose teas easily available now and the two tea infusers seen here allow you to enjoy a great deal of specialist teas and other infusions without leaving leaves in your drink.

Teapots and Teapots with Infusers

Some people insist that making tea in a teapot with loose tea leaves is the ONLY way to make a real cuppa whilst others prefer to use teabags in the pot for convenience. Arguments can get as heated as boiling water, I can tell you! We don’t care though. As long as we have a brew on the go, we are happy.

If you enjoy experimenting with different infusions, an infuser teapot makes things simple and easy. The glass pot allows you to see the colour of the liquid to ensure you get the strength you require.

Teabag Coasters and Tidys

We put our used teabags in the compost (or sometimes mix in with soil) so after being removed from the mug, we put the teabag to one side. One of my pet peeves is seeing used teabags discarded on the worktop so I insist that we have a teabag tidy close to hand at all times. You could use any small dish or saucer, but the following teabag coasters and tidys look much better!

I hope that you’ve enjoyed reading this short list of great gifts for tea drinkers and that it’s given you some ideas of what to buy the tea lover in your life.

Heart Shaped Gifts for your Kitchen and Home

In recent articles we have given you some great examples of heart shaped kitchenware that might suit your lucky Valentine this year including the following gift idea articles (see below), however if you are still searching for heart shaped gifts then read on.

Heart Shaped Kitchen and Home Gifts

In this article we are going to offer you some more lovely heart shaped gifts suitable for people that love to cook and bake, and we also think that they make attractive heart shaped items for your home.

These are some of our favourite love heart products for the kitchen and dining room. I think that heart shaped chopping boards are both very pretty and very useful, whist the heart ravioli stamp is a lot more specific to a particular person – one whom makes their own ravioli of course! Other gift ideas (especially for Valentine’s Day) are more to do with food presentation rather than cooking, such as the serving platters and heart shaped coasters. Whatever heart design gift you chose, I am sure that the recipient will be very pleased.

That wraps up this year’s suggestions of heart shaped gifts. I hope you have found the perfect cookery gift for lovers of love hearts! Don’t forget to check out our full list of Valentines ideas for baking, cooking and gifts in our Amazon shop.

Heart Shaped Dishes and Ramekins

How better to show someone you care than by preparing for them something tasty made in heart shaped bakeware. Individual ramekins are a lovely way to create an intimate atmosphere over dinner, and a dish in the shape of a heart can show lots of people that you care about them. It doesn’t matter if you’re making something sweet or savoury, baking your food in heart shaped dishes really does show that you are “cooking with love”!

Heart Shaped Ramekin Sets

Whether you’re planning a cosy evening in on Valentine’s Day with your loved one, or a throwing party with lots of guests, all who happen to really like crème brûlée, these heart ramekin sets are perfect!

Large Heart Shaped Baking and Serving Dishes

Ramekins are perfect for individual sized portions, but personally I like something bigger to eat! Any dish prepared or served in one of the following heart shaped dishes would be perfect. There’s no denying that all these heart dishes look very stylish and they are sure to make your food look even more appetising.

For more ideas take a look at our full list of Valentines Baking, Cooking and Gift Idea in our shop on Amazon.



Heart Shaped Cake Tins

Whether you’re baking a cake for your Valentine or making a tiered wedding cake, heart shaped cake tins are a brilliant way to represent love in cake form! Cake pans come in different designs and you may prefer one type over another. Some cake tins have removable bases whilst others have a springform clip to allow the baked cake to be removed easily. Whatever you preference, below are a few different heart shaped cake tins that are sure to make baking brilliant!

Single Piece Heart Shaped Cake Pans

Some bakers prefer to use single piece baking tins to avoid any cake batter leakage. Baking in a single piece cake pan is as old as time, however as you need to invert the cake after baking you may find that it is not so easy to remove compared to a springform cake tin or pan with a removable base.

Springform Heart Cake Tins

Springform cake tins have an adjustable latch or buckle that allows you to remove the sides of the pan after baking thus making it easier to remove the baked cake. One advantage that springform cake pans have is that you do not need to invert the cake to remove it from the pan which is an essential need for some delicate bakes, such as cheesecakes, or cakes which toppings on them, however some bakers experience leakage with these types of cake tin.

Multi-tiered Cake Tin Sets

If you are making a tiered cake for a wedding or engagement party the following heart shaped cake pans might be just what you need to make the perfect centre piece. With three and four tier options the following cake tins are sure to make your tiered heart shaped cake dazzle!

Other Heart Shaped Cake Tin Sets

The final three cake tin offerings below are all a little bit different. Firstly we have a five piece cake pan set for when you want to really ‘wow’ your guests with a heart shaped cake of mighty proportions. The second cake tin from Wilton has a very clever design where you can bake a cake with a heart shaped center. The cake itself is round, but when you cut into the cake you will find a perfectly formed heart and everyone will congratulate you on your baking skills! Finally we have a 4 piece fluted edge mini heart shaped baking tin set when you want to make a frilly and delicate cake (or four).

For more heart shaped valentines ideas for cooking and baking take a look at our full ideas list on Amazon.



Heart Shaped Moulds for Baking

Are you planning on baking something sweet for your loved one this Valentine’s Day? If so, creating a tasty gift in the shape of a heart is perfect! Heart shaped baking moulds can be used to make chocolate sweets, flavoursome desserts, baked cakes, cake decorations and much more. Of course, these heart moulds can be used all year round for embellishments on engagement and wedding cakes, to make wedding favours and so on. Read on to view our favourite selection of great heart shaped moulds for baking.

Bulk Baking Hearts

If you plan on baking lots of heart shaped treats at any one time, look no further than the following baking moulds that offer you the chance to bake up to 165 hearts from one single purchase! You can also see a full list of valentines baking, cooking and gift ideas in our Amazon shop.

Modern Heart Shaped Baking Moulds

A heart shaped mould may not be an item you use often, except around Valentine’s Day, but it is useful to have in your kitchen cupboard. The following heart moulds will not take up too much space to store but are very useful when the need arises for one. Having a baking mould shaped like a heart might even get you to bake more often, which is always a good thing!

Unique Heart Shaped Bakeware

These three heart moulds are a little bit different. The Wilton mould makes baking a breeze – just add chocolate buttons! I think the alphabet heart shaped moulds are great, and the ten cavity hearts mould in the shape of a heart looks neat. Any of these baking moulds would make baking for Valentine’s Day more productive.

Don’t forget to take a look at our full ideas list of Valentines baking, cooking and gift ideas in our Amazon shop.



Heart Shaped Cookie Cutters

Heart shaped cookie cutters are an essential item for both the aspiring or experienced baker. Of course, when we think about heart shaped bakes we immediately think of Valentine’s Day, but heart designed bakes are also very commonly used in wedding cakes and engagement bakes. Or perhaps you might simply want to bake the love of your life some cookies to let them know how much they mean to you – and that sounds perfect to us! Below are some of our favourite heart shaped cookie cutter sets.

Heart Shaped Plastic Cookie Cutters

Plastic is a very common material for making cookie cutters and other pastry design shapes. They are easy to clean and safe for kids to use so get your youngsters into the kitchen and get them baking lovely heart shaped goodies with you this Valentine’s Day!

Heart Shaped Metal Cookie Cutters

Some people prefer to use metal implements in the kitchen. These heart cookie cutter sets are made from either stainless steel or aluminium. They are stylish and durable and offer many years of heart shaped baking pleasure.

Valentine’s Day Cookie Cutter Sets

Here we have picked out for you three brilliant sets of cookie cutters that are perfect for your Valentine’s Day baking! Theses cookie cutter sets have heart shapes, of course, but you can also cut out more complex biscuit shapes and even the word “LOVE” with the metal cutters included.


For more inspiration on heart shaped bakes take a look at our full ideas list of Valentines Baking, Cooking and Gift Ideas in our Amazon shop.

Perfect Party Drinks – Punch Bowls, Ice Buckets and Drinks Dispensers Galore

As I write this article we are heading into party season as Halloween and Christmas draw near (although 2020 is bound to be a little different than normal) and you might be thinking of what drinks to have at your bash and how to serve them. In this short article I will be looking at a few best selling items that might give you some ideas on how to present your drinks, how to serve them, and how to keep them as cool and as fresh as possible.

Party Punch Bowls

Punch bowls aren’t as popular as they used to be, but don’t let that stop YOU from having a party with a tasty punch that everyone can enjoy. Made from glass or plastic, a punch bowl is especially good for children’s parties. There are a huge range of punch recipes online but the classics usually include fruit, fruit juice, a fizzy drink, an alcoholic drink, some herbs or spices, and ice. If you are holding a party with teenagers present, make sure that none of them steal a bottle of vodka out of the drinks cabinet and sneak some of it into the punch!

Brilliant Open Ice Bowls

Ice bowls are fantastic in the summer months for keeping beer, cider, wine or bubbly cool, and of course they are useful for winter parties where lots of people are gathering in one place and heat is created. Drinking a warm beer or white wine is not very pleasant so these ice bowls are very useful to serve bottled or canned drinks. Just fill with ice and enjoy the happy looks on your friends faces as they cheerfully grab another cool beverage from your bowl. Some of them can also be used as punch bowls but don’t use them as an ice bowl and a punch bowl at the same time – it just doesn’t work!

Luscious Ice Buckets with Lids

Lidded ice buckets serve a dual purpose. They can be used to keep ice cubes cool when the lids is kept on, but you can remove the lid and use them as ice buckets for bottles of wine or beer. They are often supplied with a tong or scoop to help remove the ice chips or cubes, and as you can see, they are very stylish in looks.

Dapper Drinks Dispensers

Drinks dispensers with taps are a very clever way of serving punch or fruit juice or any other beverage that you might serve at your bash. A sealed lid keeps unwanted insects or objects out of the drink and the tap feature makes it easy for party goers to serve themselves. These drinks dispensers come in a range of sizes and shapes, and some have removable compartments for ice and/or fruit slices to keep the drink cool or infuse flavour.

Awesome Party Drinkware Accessories

Here we have a few ideas of what you might also need drink-wise at your party. Wine coolers can be used all year round but are especially useful at gatherings, whilst a corkscrew and bottle opener is an essential item for your home. Ladles are needed for your punch bowl if you have lost or broken one, and finally you might be tempted to make a few cocktails at your ‘do’, so why not make them in style á la Tom Cruise and impress all your friends with your shaking skills and cocktail making recipe knowledge (by practising in advance of course)!


We hope that you’ve enjoyed reading this short ideas list of what we feel are useful items to have for serving drinks and keeping them chilled at your party, whatever you might be celebrating. Have fun and drink responsibly!

The Vivo Casserole Pot by Villeroy & Boch – Cast Iron Quality and Great Value

The UK is not the warmest or sunniest place on Earth, and as we have more than our fair share of dull days we like to eat warming foods like soups, stews and casseroles using seasonal (especially autumnal) vegetables such as butternut squash and other squashes, leeks, marrows, parsnips, swedes, cauliflower, turnips, potatoes, sweet potatoes and pumpkins.

Autumn Vegetables

In our household we often use a slow cooker to cook casseroles and stews but sometimes I think back to my youth when these dishes where cooked in a lovely big cast iron dish. I remember the inviting fragrance of cooking meat and vegetables wafting through the house and being drawn to the kitchen to listen to the stew bubbling away on the cooker or feeling the warmth of the oven with the pot inside cooking our evening meal. As these memories return to me I have been thinking about purchasing a casserole pot and the Vivo by Villeroy & Boch looks to be far and away the best option available for both price and quality.

The Vivo Casserole Pot by Villeroy & Boch

There are so many things to like about the Vivo casserole pot:

  • Made from quality cast iron
  • Suitable for almost all hob types including induction
  • Great size 4.2 litre capacity
  • 24cm diameter that fits on most hobs and inside ovens
  • It has a self-basting pan lid to keep dishes succulent
  • Smooth base to avoid scratching hob surfaces and work tops
  • Highly respected manufacturer
  • Great value at around £30

A cast iron pot will last for many years and often they are passed down from generation to generation. One advantage that a cast iron pot has is that it can be used for searing meat on the hob at a high temperature and also can be used to slow cook food at lower temperatures, either on the hob or in an oven. The Vivo Casserole Pot by Villeroy & Boch is even better in that it can be used on almost all hob types, including induction hobs which is a great benefit to many buyers.

There are a few things to consider when buying this excellent cooking pot: It’s a heavy item weighing over 5kg so don’t expect it to be lightweight, and it gets hot and stays hot, so oven gloves are a must. It’s also important to season the pot before the first use and stick to the included care instructions to ensure that it stays perfect forever.

If reviews on Amazon UK are anything to go by, this best selling casserole pot is almost faultless, and those that have bought one are mightily impressed and happy with their purchase. Happy buyers love making casseroles, stews, fish and meat pies, and roasting chickens in this pot and they say the food tastes amazing. Many adventurous bakers use this casserole pot as a Dutch oven to make artisan breads and sourdough loaves too which gives fantastic results according to their very positive reviews.

The Vivo Casserole Pot by Villeroy & Boch

The Vivo Casserole Pot by Villeroy & Boch costs in the region of £30.00 which is absolutely excellent value as it will probably last your entire lifetime, continually giving you fantastic meals year after year! Get one today and enjoy your very own home-cooked comfort food this autumn and winter.

Mother’s Day Gifts for Kitchen Queens!

Is your mum a Kitchen Queen? Does she enjoy making, baking and creating fantastic food for herself and others? If so, we think that she might like to receive any of the following kitchen items as a thoughtful gift on Mother’s Day.

This Mother’s Day gifts guide is packed full of best selling kitchen appliances to make life easier for your mum. It’s been especially written to include gifts for mums that love being in the kitchen but sometimes wish that they had the tools to make tasks simpler and quicker.

Remember though… Some mums may not fully appreciate being given a kitchen appliance as a gift, even if they adore cooking, so don’t forget to also buy your lovely mother an additional present, such as flowers or chocolates, too!

For Ladies Who Breakfast, Brunch and Lunch!

To begin our look at great gifts for your mum, we look at kitchen appliances to make her morning and midday as easy as possible. Help her to start the day with a tasty fruit juice, healthy smoothie or berry-packed crepe, then as lunchtime comes and she feels peckish, she can enjoy a homemade soup, omelette or panini made with fresh vegetables, cheese and any other ingredients she may have to hand.

Cooking Up a Storm!

If your mum is a whizz in the kitchen, she will love having new appliances to help her whizz up the ingredients to create a range of amazing meals! These best selling food processors are sure to give her the confidence to attempt new recipes and improve on old favourites.

Cook Healthy and Save Time!

I think that most mothers would love to be able to save time in the kitchen, but still create healthy meals without compromising on taste and quality. The kitchen appliances below aim to maintain a balance between speedy cooking with an emphasis on healthy results. Modern air fryers allow you to use a tiny amount of oil to get a crispy outcome, whilst electric pressure cookers and all-in-one machines allow you to make fantastic meals with the minimal of fuss. Of course, a slow cooker is just that – slow – but this allows your mum to cook an entire healthy meal whilst she is working and doing all the other things that keep our mums so busy throughout the day!

Mix, Zap and Freeze!

These three best selling kitchen appliances are not commonly consider as gifts, but we still think that they will make your mum happy. Baking mums will love the Kenwood KMix stand mixer – and you get to enjoy all the tasty cake and baked results if you’re lucky! Of course, most homes have a microwave now, but this top selling 20L oven is probably a great upgrade on her present microwave that is perhaps a few years old and looking tired, as microwaves often do. Lastly we have an ice cream maker. Not perhaps the most common gift item for the chilly UK climate, but once you’ve tried making your own ice cream, it’s hard to go back to store-bought tubs. Plus she can make sorbets and yoghurt desserts too.

Essential Yet Simple!

There are some items in the kitchen that are often overlooked but play a major role in making daily kitchen tasks easier and quicker. We think the following three choices are unusual but ultimately very useful gifts for a kitchen queen (aka your mum) – just make sure you buy her some chocolates or flowers as well!


Alcohol Gift Sets for Valentine’s Day

Like many others, I am reducing my intake of alcohol this year, but on special occasions, such as Valentine’s Day, I am happy to make an exception and have a drink or two, especially if I have received a wonderful bottle of something special from my lovely partner. She knows I like beer and wine so perhaps I’ll get a nice surprise this year!

If you are looking for a gift to make your loved one smile this year then we think that the following choices will really help you find a great alcoholic present for your Valentine. As expected there is a huge range of options for you; from beer to wine to spirits and everything in between! One of the first ports of call is to look on Amazon UK at their Best Sellers in Beer, Wine & Spirits Gifts page.

Our personal favourites are shown below. I’ve displayed them here just to give you a small sample of what delights you may give to your Valentine this year on the 14th February. Of course, alcohol gift sets such as those shown here can be given as gifts all year round, so whenever you choose to give your present – drink responsibly, keep safe and have fun!

Pink Gin Gift Sets

If you’re looking for a ‘girly’ drink for your girlfriend, wife or lover, one of the most popular alcoholic drink choices is a pink gin gift set. Gin is one of the trendiest drinks at the moment and pink gin is the prettiest of them all. It has a lovely flavour and aroma that reminds the recipient of warm summer days and floral garden fragrances. Many gift sets include chocolates which makes the gift even more desirable, and you are sure to make your Valentine very happy indeed!

Prosecco Gift Sets

Despite a fall in recent sales (mostly in 2020 due to COVID19), prosecco is still a drink that people crave more than other sparkling wines. As with pink gin, it is marketed towards women, however many men enjoy drinking prosecco too. It is an ‘adult’ drink with a sweetness that ranges from dry to brut, so the gift of prosecco can be consider sophisticated and stylish – exactly like your Valentine! As with the gin sets seen above, many prosecco gift sets include chocolates so you really will be in your partner’s good books when you give the gift of prosecco!

Champagne Gift Sets

Receiving the gift of champagne is an experience that lingers in the memory for a long time – sometimes forever. When you give champagne, you are telling someone that they are very special and dear to you. At Valentine’s, the gift of champagne can be used to note a memorable year such as your tenth Valentine’s Day together, or simply give a bottle of champagne to show your partner that you really care for them in ways they cannot begin to imagine! It truly is a gift for lovers.

Sparkling Wine Gift Sets

Why not give a unique bubbly gift set this Valentine’s Day. Enjoy the pleasures of a cava from Spain or a sparkling rosé wine instead of the more common prosecco or champagne. Whoever receives your gift will impressed that you’ve chosen something unique for them – just as they are unique in their own special way.

Wine Gift Sets

Wine is a gift that almost any adult who drinks alcohol would be happy to receive. There are so many different grapes, tastes and colours that the range of wine options is huge, however we think that the following choice of wine gift sets are a very good place to start. You can spoil your Valentine this year and not break the bank – which we think is great!

Beer and Real Ale Gift Sets

If your partner is a beer drinker then you have a massive range of Valentine’s Day gifts to choose from. From large worldwide brand lagers to small independent breweries, you are sure to find an ale or beer gift for your other half. Beer may not be considered as sophisticated as champagne or as classy as a bottle of spirits, but it is guaranteed to bring a smile to the face of your loved one – and really that’s all that matters!

Whisky Gift Sets

If pink gin is said to be marketed at women, then whisky is probably at the opposite end of the marketing spectrum. Many women enjoy whisky too but we suspect that most whisky gift sets have been designed with men in mind. The following choices would make fantastic Valentine’s Day gifts for the man in your life. As expected, there is a massive choice of whisky gift sets available but to save space we have chosen just six of our favourites below.


I hope that we have been able to help you choose a wonderful alcoholic gift this year for your special Valentine. Don’t forget that if you want a special glass to drink your gift out of this year, we recommend you have a look through our website for great drinks glasses ideas!

Top Selling Bamboo Steamers

In our household we use our steamer all the time to cook nutrition-packed vegetables and, on occasions, fish fillets. It’s so simple and quick! At present we have a metal steamer but I am thinking of buying a bamboo steamer for a couple of reasons:

  1. A bamboo steamer absorbs some of the water so condensation is less likely to drip on the cooked food
  2. In general, metal steamers get hotter than bamboo steamers and sometimes the bottom of the cooked items are a bit dry

Our metal steamer works well but it does sometimes suffer from the problems noted above. Another reason I want to get a bamboo steamer is purely aesthetical – they simply look so cool, and are much more authentic if you plan on steaming Asian foods such as dim sum, dumplings or bao buns. We also very much like bamboo on Kitchen and Cook Shop as you can read here and here!

From doing some research, the only drawback with owning a bamboo steamer is that they are more delicate than metal steamers so require careful cleaning and dry storage. Bamboo is porous so only the very smallest amount of detergent should be used and the steamer must dry fully at room temperature before putting away to prevent the build up of mould.

Visit Amazon UK for the latest and greatest bamboo steamers available in the UK. I’ll let you know when I’ve bought mine and do a review on it.

Bamboo Steamers

The use of bamboo steamers dates back over 5,000 years, and the design has barely changed in all that time. The steamer consists of a layer with bamboo strips that allow steam through and a lid. The most commonly found bamboo steamers have two steaming layers (tiers) and a lid, but they can also be purchased with single steaming layer or three tier plus lid. They are available in a variety of sizes with the most popular being 8″ (20cm) and 10″ (25cm) in diameter.

Metal Banded Bamboo Steamers

It is quite common to find bamboo steamers enhanced with rings of metal. Manufacturers claim that these stainless steel bands help to more efficiently trap in moisture, and make the steamer more sturdy and durable. The addition of metal bands also adds a pleasing look to the bamboo steamer.


Thank you for reading this quick look at some of the UK’s top selling steamers made from bamboo. We hope that they help you make dim sum to perfection!

Top Selling Kitchen Knife Sets

If there were just one item in the kitchen that is absolutely essential, I would say that a kitchen knife would be it. Without a knife you would struggle to prepare even the simplest of meals, unless of course you only eat take aways and canned food!

The first ever knives were pieces of flint crudely shaped to have sharp edges, and these were used even before Homo sapien were around. These ‘knives’ were used for hunting, fishing, and protection, as well as harvesting and preparing food. We’ve moved on a lot since then and now you can find a plethora of options when it comes to kitchen knives.

Many people would say that there are four essential knives to have in your kitchen: A chef’s knife (8″ to 10″), a small paring knife, a serrated bread knife, and a carving knife. Of course, it is always useful to have extra knives to hand so below we have picked out some of our favourites from the best selling kitchen knife sets on Amazon UK.

Not only are knife sets useful to purchase for yourself, they also make great gifts for others. Just make sure you wrap them safely!

Great Starter Kitchen Knife Sets

These four kitchen knife sets are all highly recommended, especially for those on a budget. They make excellent gifts for anybody starting a new home as they are great value and fully functional. They will provide their owner with all they need for cutting, chopping and paring in the kitchen. They also look very neat too!

Stylish Kitchen Knife Sets

If you like to show off your kitchen knives in a stylish way, look no further than these four knife sets. They are made to be displayed proudly in your kitchen, and of course, they are all excellent knives in their own right too – they aren’t just for show. Who says kitchen knives can’t look great and perform well at the same time. Not us!

Colour Coded Kitchen Knife Sets

Some people like to colour code their knives for specific purposes. You may wish to keep a knife for cutting meat only, or perhaps a knife or two solely for vegetables. Other people like to use one knife for fish and nothing else. Whatever your preference, using a colour coded system helps the process and looks great at the same time. Naturally, these knives all perform as brilliantly as they look.

Hecef Kitchen Knife Sets

HECEF stands for “Hi, Enjoy Cooking, Enjoy Food!” and they know a thing about kitchen knives as they are constantly at the top of the best selling list on Amazon UK. All their products are FDA, LFGB, ISO9001, and ISO14001 approved and buyers are very happy using their knives. In fact, you could say that they Enjoy Cooking with them! We love the look of Hecef knife sets and the picks below are just four of our favourites.

Wanbasion Kitchen Knife Sets

I can’t find much information about the Wanbasion brand but they are highly rated on Amazon UK for their kitchen implements and knives. We really like the look of their knifes, and the knife sets that they manufacture seem to be very well priced. They incorporate into their knives features commonly found on more expensive products, such as anti-scratch coatings and ultra fine blades.

Wooden Knife Block Kitchen Knife Sets

I’ve written before how much I appreciate the look and feel of real wood in the home and kitchen. Wooden knife blocks have many positive points to consider including:

  • they keep your knifes safe
  • they keep your knives close to hand
  • the wood helps them to keep a keen edge
  • the can store a large number of knives and other implements
  • they look great and stylish

The following wooden block kitchen knife sets on Amazon UK really appeal to me.


Thank you for reading this roundup on some of the UK’s top selling knife sets. We hope that it has helped you choose your new kitchen knives!

Whisky Glasses and Whisky Gift Sets

Many whisky drinkers feel that it’s important to drink their tipple out of a decent glass – and we completely agree! Whilst some whisky drinkers can be as choosy about their glasses as they are their whisky, we are happy to enjoy our dram out of any glass that has a solid base and room to allow the drink to breathe, ensuring that we are able to enjoy the aroma of the whisky.

Below are some of the whisky glasses that have caught our eye among the many hundreds available on Amazon UK. Most are of the tumbler or old fashioned style glass as we feel that these are the most popular and most useful in the home as they are perfect for mixers and other drinks too. We have also included a couple of Glencairn style glasses that are often used at whisky tastings, which are a great addition to your glassware collection if you buy or receive a Whisky Tasting Gift Set at some point.

Whisky Glasses

You can purchase whisky glasses as singles but it is quite common for them to come as a set. This can make it better value to buy, but more importantly, it is also a great gift idea, especially if you have a drinking buddy whose drinks cabinet you might like to explore but need a reason to do so without appearing rude!

Whisky Glass Gift Sets

If you know a whisky drinker and are looking for a present for them, any of these fantastic whisky glass sets would be a brilliant gift idea. Many of these gift sets include whisky stones – an excellent alternative to ice cubes to keep a good whisky cool without impairing the flavour, strength or purity of the drink.

Our Favourite Whisky Glasses

On Kitchen & Cook Shop we have already written a couple of articles about our favourite whisky glasses. Our absolute favourite glass is the The Cibi Double Old Fashioned Glass as featured in the film Blade Runner. I wrote an entire article about the history of these whisky glasses and their role in the groundbreaking Sci-Fi movie starring Harrison Ford.

The other glasses we really like are the Bormioli Rocco Sorgente Glasses with their unique shape and utterly fantastic price! They are a real talking point and also very good for those that find it difficult or uncomfortable holding straight sided glasses. Read more about these great Sorgente drinks glasses.