The best Christmas presents for someone who loves cooking

The best present for someone who loves cooking is the thing they reach for every day and would never buy for themselves. Not a gadget for the back of the cupboard. A knife that makes them want to cook tonight, a pot they will still be using in twenty years, a board that looks good on the counter. Here is what we would buy, by budget and by person, from twenty-one years of helping people choose.

Everything here is designed by Season in London. Free UK delivery, next working day when you order by 12pm, or come and see it in our shops in Islington, Crouch End, Balham and West Hampstead.

Our one pick if you only buy one thing

A proper chef's knife: the Season S4 Chef's Knife, £100. Nothing changes how someone cooks more than a really sharp knife. The S4 has a 67-layer Damascus blade around a hard steel core, a 15 degree edge and a rosewood handle, with a lifetime guarantee. Onions stop being a chore. Add the Season Whetstone (£35) and it stays that sharp for good.

Gifts under £50

• Season Whetstone with Bamboo Base, £35. For anyone who already owns a good knife. 1000 grit to sharpen, 6000 to polish. Pair it with the Knife Sharpening Guide (£6), which holds the angle for you, and our guide to keeping a knife sharp.
• Season S4 Paring Knife, £55. Just over the line, but the small knife people use more than they expect: fruit, shallots, garlic, trimming.
• Walnut Double Sided Chopping Board, from £50. Dark, handsome and kind to knives.
• Season Gift Card, £10 to £100. When you know they love cooking but not what they already have.

Gifts under £100

• Season Cast Iron Casserole, 26cm, £100. The pot for stews, braises, ragù, soup and bread, in colours you will not find anywhere else: Blue Mussel, Fennel Seed, Sumac Seed, Blue Steel, Toasted Oat and more. Enamelled cast iron that holds heat and goes from hob to oven to table. The 24cm (£90) feeds four; the 26cm feeds six and fits a loaf.
• Season S4 Chef's Knife, £100. See above. If they prefer a shorter, flatter blade, the S4 Santoku 18cm is the same price.
• Season Teak End Grain Chopping Board, from £70. End grain lets the blade slip between the wood fibres, so knives stay sharp and the board heals after each cut. Heavy, beautiful, and the thing everyone notices in the kitchen. Read end grain or edge grain if you are choosing.
• Season Tri-Ply Stainless Steel Frying Pan, from £50. The pan for a proper sear and a sauce from the pan juices. Oven safe to 240°C, works on induction, no coating to wear off, 10 year warranty.
• Season Cooking Class Gift Card, £65 to £130. A place on any class in our London shops, for one or for two, taught by people who cook for a living. Delivered by email with your message, no expiry. The best present for the person who has every pan already, and the one you can still buy on Christmas Eve.

Gifts for £100 to £450

• Season S4 3 Piece Knife Set, £200. Chef's knife, bread knife and paring knife: the three blades that do almost everything, and nothing they will not use.
• Season S4 Steak Knife Set, £180. Four S4 steak knives for the one who does steak night.
• Season S4 7 Piece Knife Block Set, £425. Five S4 knives (chef's, bread, carving, utility, paring), scissors and an acacia block. The whole system on the counter.

By person

For a boyfriend or husband who loves cooking: the S4 Chef's Knife (£100), or the knife and the teak end grain board together. If he cooks big weekend dishes, the 26cm cast iron casserole.

For a mum who loves cooking: the cast iron casserole in a colour she would choose herself (£80 to £120), or a cooking class gift card so you can go together.

For a girlfriend or wife: the casserole in Blue Mussel or Sumac Seed, or the S4 Santoku 18cm, lighter and nimble in the hand.

For a dad: the S4 Carving Knife (£90) for the roast, or the steak knife set.

For a beginner: one good knife and a board. That is the whole kitchen, really. S4 Chef's Knife plus a teak end grain board, about £170.

For someone who has everything: a cooking class gift card, or a whetstone to bring their own knives back to life.

Questions people ask

What is a good Christmas present for someone who loves cooking? Something they will use every day and would not buy for themselves: a really good chef's knife, an enamelled cast iron casserole, or an end grain chopping board. If they already have the kit, a cooking class.

What is the best cooking gift under £100? For most people, a proper chef's knife such as the Season S4 Chef's Knife (£100) or a 26cm cast iron casserole (£100). Both are used constantly and last for years.

Will a knife make a good present? Yes, if it is a good one. A sharp knife is safer than a blunt one because it goes where you tell it. Add a whetstone and it will stay sharp.

Is there anything I should know about giving a knife? UK law says knives can only be sold to over-18s, so the person who takes the delivery will be asked for ID.

What can I buy at the last minute? The Season Cooking Class Gift Card and the Season Gift Card are delivered by email, ready to print or forward.

How fast is delivery? Free UK delivery, next working day when you order by 12pm.

Not sure? Come in and ask. Our shops in Islington, Crouch End, Balham and West Hampstead are full of people who cook, and they will tell you honestly what is worth having. Cook like it matters.