Our online shop is still running in accordance with Social Distancing measures to help you get your essential cooking equipment, and our usual lovely range of products as well. All of our deliveries are being carried out using contactless options through UPS and Royal Mail, to keep you safe. Thank you to all of our customers, who have placed orders with us online whilst our stores are closed, we really appreciate your support!
We are hoping to open our bricks and mortar stores in Rugby, Banbury, Northampton and Heart of the Shires, on the 15th June 2020, dependent on the on-going government announcements and advice to businesses. Please check the Our Shops section of our website, and follow us on Facebook and Instagram (@AbraxasCookshop) to keep up to date with our re-opening plans.
We’ve had so many lovely messages and comments from our customers who have used this time to do some home baking and cooking, that we thought we’d share our thoughts on of one of the most useful implements you can have in your kitchen – Robert Welch Knives!
Enjoy!
When Robert Welch left the Royal College of Art in 1955, he set up with just his drawing board and a camp bed in a little rented room in a disused workshop in the 18th century Silk Mill at Chipping Campden in the English Cotswold Hills. From the start, Robert was passionately driven to design highly functional, affordable products which possessed a timeless elegant beauty. He demonstrated this with his first major success - pioneering the introduction of stainless steel cutlery to the UK.
In the decades that followed, he was joined by designers, prototype makers and craftsmen. Together this small loyal team were responsible for many iconic designs still enjoyed today. This success allowed Robert Welch to expand the business across the whole top floor of the Mill and also establish a studio shop just around the corner. In the early 1990s, Robert Welch invited his daughter Alice, and son Rupert to join his small team and help drive the company onwards.
Over 20 years later, Alice Welch and Rupert Welch still manage Robert Welch Designs, working with a small team of in-house designers to produce a growing collection of award-winning products. Remaining true to their father’s design legacy brings a sense of continuity to the modern company.
Today’s Robert Welch team are fortunate enough to still be working in the same building where it all began 60 years ago. Robert Welch’s passion to create beautiful, functional, timeless products remains rooted in the company’s design DNA, ensuring his memory lives on and that every new product continues to be ‘Designed the Robert Welch way’.
Robert Welch are renowned for their incredibly comfortable ergonomic handles, that minimise fatigue and allow for a consistent and safe grip. The incredible curved handle, that features on all of the Robert Welch Signature range, is crafted from DuPont™ which makes it incredibly hard-wearing, with an impermeable seal around the fully-forged blade for hygiene. At the bottom of the handle there is a permanent Robert Welch insignia crafted from Steel, to showcase the superior quality of these fantastic blades. There are no rivets on the handle which could rust or cause the handle to split over time. Every aspect of the knife has been carefully designed for long-lasting reliability and user comfort.
The core aspect of any knife has to, of course, be the blade! All of Robert Welch's Signature range are crafted from fully forged German DIN 1.4116 Stainless Steel, and hardened to Rockwell 56. This creates a truly versatile and long-lasting cutting edge. The acute 15° angle of the blade, is hand applied in true Japanese style to ensure the knife is incredibly sharp and useful. The blades also feature a full tang, where the fully forged blade continues underneath the handle, allowing for remarkable strength and balance. Finally, the bolster of the knife is fully angled which gives the blade its balance, and ensures you have precise and control when using the full length of the cutting edge.
Whilst Robert Welch Signature knives are made superior and designed to stay sharp, every now and then they may need to be sharpened to maintain their excellent cutting edge. The Robert Welch Signature Sharpener is an excellent addition to any kitchen, and great on all plain-edged knives - not just RW! The ceramic wheel is specially angled to hone the acute 15° cutting edge of Robert Welch Knives.
Hold the sharpener firmly on a flat surface when sharpening. 10-12 strokes from heel to tip of the blade applying gentle pressure, maintaining the blade edge in continuous contact with the wheel on a regular basis will keep your blade edge in optimal condition.
The ceramic wheel is fully replaceable and depending on frequency of use, you should change the sharpening wheel every 12-24 months in order to maintain your knife’s cutting edge to a high standard.
We're huge fans of the whole Robert Welch range! Their wide-ranging product selection is so useful for all culinary skill sets from the budding amateur home cook to the professional chef, and everything in between. We love using the Robert Welch Kitchen Knives at home, and the difference they make to everyday preparatory tasks such as chopping tomatoes, slicing meats and boning fish is incredible! Robert Welch offers excellent value, with a fantastic quality product at an affordable price! Check out the wide range of kitchen knives and scissors here & the fantastic Stainless Steel Cutlery here. You won't be disappointed...
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