Present ideas for amateur chefs

It is always a challenge to find unusual gifts for aspiring cooks.

Alessi, the Italian kitchen company, produces designs for the kitchen that are so innovative that they can be found in museums around the world. In particular, the MySqueeze citrus juicer and the chili scruncher make lovely presents that can be used either in the kitchen or at the dining table. The Alessi MySqueeze lemon squeezer is made from high quality, mirror polished, stainless steel and not surprisingly won a Creativity Award . The chili scruncher looks like a chili pepper in style and is made from polished steel and red transparent rubber. It is ideal for chopping, spreading and storing chilies.

To compliment a stylish kitchen the multi coloured Kenwood Kmix in Barcelona candy colours will sit perfectly on a kitchen counter.

For the serious cook a sauté pan is an excellent gift for adding to a saucepan set. A cross between a saucepan and a frying pan it is ideal for cooking fish, vegetables and meat in.

Laguiole French cutlery, recognized by its bee symbol, has been made in France for decades. Their contemporary jeweled, translucent cutlery designs will brighten any dining table.

For exceptional value, but extremely useful presents consider the following.

To cook the perfect poached egg a poachpod is simple to use and foolproof. It is ideal for someone with limited kitchen space as it can be used in any size saucepan and is easily stored.

The Tala dry measuring metal cone is every cook’s best friend. It is a simple and affordable alternative to weighing scales.

Onion goggles are the perfect protection against eye irritation caused by onions when being chopped. They may look odd whilst being worn but will certainly help to make chopping onions a painless task.

A good cook can never have too many recipe books. For the cake baker, the Primrose Bakery Book and the Whoopie Pies cookbook have calorie laden ideas. Their recipes are perfect for afternoon tea or children’s parties.