Tools worth keeping.
MAINEOFFER is a small, independent British brand making kitchen knives and boards for people who cook every day.
We make a small range of tools and try to make each one properly. That is the whole idea.
A kitchen knife or a chopping board is not an ornament. It is something you pick up several times a day, and the difference between a well-made one and an adequate one is felt in the hand every time. We would rather make fewer things that are right than many that are merely acceptable.
The products are designed around how they are used: the length of a blade for the board it meets, the thickness of a board for the weight it needs to stay still, the shape of a handle for the grip it will be held in.
Five principles.
Functional design
Every dimension has a reason. Blade height, spine thickness, handle shape and board thickness are chosen for use, and then refined until they feel right.
Attention to materials
Good steel and well-chosen timber do much of the work. We use a small number of each and learn how they behave, rather than chasing novelty.
The appeal of everyday tools
The objects you use most are the ones worth getting right. A good knife and a good board make ordinary cooking more pleasant, and that is enough.
Small-batch production
Making in small quantities lets each piece be checked and finished with care. It also means some pieces are limited or made to order, and we say so honestly.
Made to be kept
Oiled timber, repairable finishes and honest materials mean a piece can be refreshed rather than replaced. We publish care advice so that you can look after what you buy.
Plain speaking.
We describe our products as they are, we say when something is limited or made to order, and we do not make claims we cannot support. Where the law restricts what we can sell or how we deliver it, as it does with knives, we follow it and explain it.