Michael Wignall was incredibly kind to invite me to take part in his 'Plate Up' exhibition a few years ago alongside amazingly talented craftspeople such as Ambrose Vevers. I had only been making knives for a handful of years at that stage and was humbled to be invited. It was at the opening night of the exhibition that we first had a chat about working together on some knives for his new restaurant - The Angel at Hetton.
One of the initial prototypes:
I created several prototype knives to showcase potential handle materials as well as a variety of blade shapes.
The final prototype below:
Michael had a clear vision for the elements he wanted to incorporate in the knives - including copper and a variety of highly figured wood species. We settled on a design that showcased the fantastic figuring of the wood and gave a nod to the Japanese style of kitchen knives that Michael uses. Being so close to Sheffield, it was only right to use Sheffield-made SF100 stainless steel for the blades.
The handles made use of maple, walnut, ash and elm burr wood, teamed with moss in tinted resin and fronted by hammered copper - a nod to many of the features both in and surrounding the restaurant. To top the design off, the Angel at Hetton logo is subtly engraved into the end of each of the handles.
