Chef Olivia Burt shows how to do the claw grip, the hand position that tucks your fingertips behind the blade so you cut food, not yourself.
Cooking
Everything we’ve learned about actually cooking — not the photogenic kind, the Tuesday-night kind. Recipes, technique guides and kitchen how-tos, most written around the knives we make and the way Japanese kitchens approach prep: fewer tools, sharper edges, less waste. You’ll find step-by-steps for the things people quietly get wrong (chopping an onion without crying, gripping a knife so your knuckles guide the blade), gift guides for the cooks in your life, and the occasional opinionated detour into why a good board matters as much as a good knife.
How To Hold A Knife – By Chef Olivia Burt
Chef Olivia Burt explains how to hold a Japanese knife, gripping the top of the handle with thumb and fingers for steadier, faster cutting.
Tzatziki
A simple tzatziki recipe using Greek yoghurt, grated cucumber, garlic, mint and dill for a fresh Greek dip you can make at home.
Easy Pancakes
An easy pancake recipe using flour, milk, egg and butter, cooked until golden and served sweet or savoury with your choice of toppings.
Baba Ganoush
A baba ganoush recipe built on roasted aubergine, tahini, garlic and lemon, blended into a smooth dip to serve with pita and raw vegetables.
Mango Coconut Chicken Curry
A creamy mango coconut chicken curry recipe pairing sweet mango with chicken, yellow curry powder, ginger and coconut milk, served over rice.
Eggs Benedict
An eggs Benedict recipe with poached eggs, parma ham and homemade hollandaise, served on from-scratch English muffins for a proper brunch at home.
Eggplant Parmigiana
A classic eggplant parmigiana recipe layering fried aubergine with tomato passata, basil, parmesan and mozzarella, baked until golden and bubbling.
Summer Rolls w/ Peanut Sauce
A fresh summer rolls recipe with rice paper, vermicelli, shrimp and crisp veg, served with a quick peanut sauce. Easily made vegetarian or with pork.
Caramelised Onion Chutney
A sweet and sticky caramelised onion chutney recipe that makes one litre, ideal alongside any cheeseboard, and keeps for six to twelve months.
Guacamole
A simple guacamole recipe using fresh avocado, lime, tomato, onion and coriander, with optional peperoncino and cumin, ready in just a few steps.
Everything You Need To Know Before Throwing A Cooking Party
How to plan and host a cooking party, covering the guest list, dietary needs and choosing an appetiser, main and dessert your guests will cook together.
Homemade Granola
A simple homemade granola recipe with rolled oats, nuts, coconut oil and honey, plus baking and storage tips for clumpy, golden clusters.
Best Father’s Day Gifts Cooking Dads
Skip the knife block for a magnetic strip, add a mortar for his spice blends: ten gift ideas for the dad who actually cooks.
Is Fine Bone China Cruelty-Free?
What Fine Bone China is and how it differs from cruelty-free New Bone China across raw materials, firing, translucency and price. Oishya uses the latter.
How to Kintsugi: 3 Step DIY Tutorial
Broken a favourite mug? Mend it with gold instead of hiding the crack. Three steps with the Minowa kit, from fitting the pieces to the final join.
The Ultimate Guide to Japanese Knives: Finding Your Perfect Blade
A guide to choosing a Japanese knife, covering how to match a blade to your cooking needs and the main types, starting with the all-purpose Gyuto.
beauty: homemade masks
Homemade face masks for wrinkles and blackheads using yoghurt, honey, coconut oil, lemon, citrus and egg white with aloe, plus moisturising advice.
Ideas For Celebrating Big Occasions At Home
Five ways to celebrate birthdays and milestones at home during lockdown, including video call parties, drive-by parades and booking an online experience.
How To Overcome Cooking Fatigue
Seven ways to beat cooking fatigue during lockdown, from online cooking classes and YouTube tutorials to recording family recipes and buying better tools.
12 Cooking Tips You’d Wish You Learnt Sooner
Preheat the pan and your roast veg never need flipping. Twelve small habits like that, including an egg-yolk wash and a warm knife for cake.
Best Valentine’s Day Gifts For Your Loved One
Ten Valentine’s Day gift ideas for a partner who loves food, from a mini projector and breakfast tray to a Japanese knife set and Kintsugi plates.
Valentine’s Day Ideas For Quarantine
Cook the same meal over Zoom, build a blanket-fort cinema, or graze a charcuterie board all day: ten ways to spend Valentine’s at home.
Knife Hacks For Perfect Cutting
Five knife hacks for cleaner cutting, using the spine to scoop food, matching the knife to the task, and pinching the blade for control.
How To Make A Charcuterie Board
How to build a charcuterie board, choosing the board, then slicing meats and cheeses and arranging fruit, nuts, dips and crackers around them.
Cooking steak like a pro (and mistakes you should avoid)
How to cook steak well and the mistakes that ruin it, from underseasoning and stabbing the meat to forgetting how thick a steak should be.
Best Way To Store Kitchen Knives Around Children
The safest way to store kitchen knives with children around, weighing drawers, knife blocks and wall-mounted magnetic strips on safety and care.
How To Organise Your Fridge: Zero Waste
Best-before is a suggestion; expiry is the one to obey, and leftovers go after four days. A step-by-step fridge reset that cuts food waste.
How to Host An Unforgettable Dinner Party
A practical timeline for hosting a dinner party, from the guest list two weeks out to lighting candles and pouring water before guests arrive.
How To Cut Onions Without Crying
Why onions make you cry comes down to a sulphur compound that turns to acid near your eyes, plus tricks like a fan, freezing and cutting the root.