Celebrate our Training Award with 20% off

There's a morning in early October, when one steps outside, to find that summer has left without a word, and one realises one's only wearing a shirt… Well, this week was that morning.

So, I hope you’ll forgive me if everything below is vaguely about staying warm.

​The Housewares Awards

But before I start, on Wednesday night, Jeanne went to the annual Housewares Awards Dinner at the Royal Lancaster Hotel, Hyde Park, where we won the Excellence in Training Award. I’m not much of a gong person, so awards tend to sit somewhere on the periphery of my consciousness.

However, if there’s one thing we’ve taken seriously at Art of Living, it’s training, ever since we achieved the Investors in People standard back in 2001**. ​ So, this one means rather more to me than the average piece of silverware. ​ Apparently, the judges were unanimous, which is rather gratifying. ​ A very deserved 'well done' to all four of our Art of Living teams who made it happen. ​ **now lapsed due to high cost of the 3 yearly review process.

Shops Delayed Opening Time on Wed 14th October

As part of our commitment to continuous improvement and staff development, both shops and the warehouse will open late on Wednesday 14th October, at 11.00am, so the team can take part in training.*

This is in addition to our regular weekly late openings, when we open at 10.00am for product training and team meetings:

Reigate: every Tuesday
Cobham: every Friday

*This is the training invite that went out to everyone in the company.

"Dear Everyone,

​

​I’d like to invite you all to a training session being run for us by Autism By Experience on neurodivergence in the workplace, at the warehouse in Redhill on Wednesday 14th October, starting at 8.30am.

​

You might reasonably ask why we’re doing this.

​

One of the things we say is important to us at Art of Living is that we value each other. That means recognising that we are all different, with different strengths, ways of thinking and ways of working. Understanding a little more about neurodivergence is one part of helping us do that better, and of creating the sort of workplace where people can feel understood, respected and able to do their best.

​

It’s not just about autism, but about understanding some of the different ways people experience the workplace, and what we can all do to communicate and work well together.

​

All the best,

​

Em (General Manager)"

So, my apologies if this does inconvenience you, but I hope this warning will reduce that likelihood.

Two pans, with one difference

The Kuhn Rikon Allround Grill Pans are square, 27 x 27cm, and made from 18/10 stainless steel with no coating. They have an induction-ready base, go in the oven up to 240°C, and can be put in the dishwasher.

The only real difference is the base!

The ridged one (£99.95) gives you the stripes and lets fat run off to the side, which is what you want for steak, chops and anything that should look as if it's been near a flame.

The smooth one (£94.95) is actually a square frying pan that has been given a grander name. I don't hold that against it. It's the one I'd reach for with fish skin, or a row of scallops, or just my Saturday morning fry-up, where I want contact all over rather than in lines.

Now for the challenge.

Uncoated means not non-stick, and a stainless pan will punish impatience. Get it properly hot, add the oil (or not, if you're experienced/brave), then the food. Reduce the heat by a third and then leave it alone. When the food is ready to turn, it lets go of the pan by itself. If you try to move it earlier, it will argue.

There's a square glass lid too, sold separately, which I mention only so you don't open the box and go looking for it.

And, because there’s no coating to worry about, there’s none of that slightly precious “don’t get it too hot / don’t use this utensil / don’t look at it in a funny way” business.

Nor of course, are there any PFAS nasties lurking.

This is what Andi Healey, our Website Development Manager, had to say after first getting his hands on one.

​"The best pan I've ever used."

I said that almost immediately, and I meant it.

I tried the Kuhn Rikon Allround Grill Pan on my gas hob at home. I preheated it properly, then laid a couple of sirloin steaks across the ribs. The Maillard reaction happened quickly, with a proper sear building on the raised ridges while the fat drained into the channels below.

As soon as the steak released, I turned it, and in about six minutes it was cooked exactly as it should be.

As it is also oven safe to 240°C, you can sear on the hob and finish in the oven without changing pans. That makes it a sensible choice for thicker cuts, or if you prefer using the reverse sear method.

​Washing up by hand was easy. The steel very quickly came up very shiny and very slippery, which is not what I expected from a pan that had just seared a steak at high heat.

It was a sample, so I begrudgingly had to give it back. Em and I have both worked at Art of Living for over ten years, and she's a qualified chef, so you can imagine how much our kitchen cupboards are bursting at the seams with the cookware we already have.

I've made some space for this one, and, honestly, I can't think of higher praise for a pan.

As well as the ridged version that I used, there is a flat one, and a glass lid that fits both.

Handy if you can't keep your cats off the kitchen worktop while you eat your dinner!

 

 

Use code WARM20 to get 20% off if you're shopping online. 

Tell us who you are if you're in the shops.​

Le Creuset, now portable

Ok, now onto some new colours for Le Creuset's On the Go range including Sea Salt, that pale grey-green that looks like a quiet seaside morning. Putting Le Creuset's marketing department's wild imagination to one side and replacing it with mine, Swedish Noir. When I look at the pale grey-green (Sea Salt) mug that I frequently use, I see Kurt Wallander driving through a poorly lit landscape with that sad mildly resigned expression on his face that defines Swedish "whodunnits".

The travel mug holds 350ml and is double-walled and vacuum insulated, with a copper layer that keeps the outside from sweating. It has a one-handed lid (if you've got strong fingers) that doesn't leak and an opening wide enough to get a brush into. Hand wash only please.

Yes, £32 is a lot of money for a travel mug, but it's also the kind of object you'll be glad of at 7.40am on a cold platform.

There’s also a food flask, lunch box and two water bottles in half litre and litre versions (for the weightlifter in you!).

Nice range, thoughtfully designed, beautifully made that will last you years and years (so, good for your wallet and the environment).

Use code WARM20 to get 20% off the whole On the Go range if you're shopping online.

Tell us who you are if you're in the shops.

Black+Blum Explorer Flask Duo (Vacuum Flask)

The original 1 litre flask that I spoke about a year ago was an immediate hit.

This one is a new, larger, size and I love it.

It's a 1.4 litre, vacuum-insulated, stainless steel flask, with two steel cups, one screwing on top and one underneath, each holding about 200ml.

It has a pouring lid and a carry strap, and the claim is that drinks stay hot or cold for 24 hours. I wouldn't test that, but it will certainly outlast a walk or a picnic.

It's a sharing flask, so the second cup is the point.

The flask and cups can go in the dishwasher; take the strap off first. It weighs a fraction under 800g empty, so it's more of a rucksack flask than a handbag one.

This is a simple, beautifully executed design that exemplifies Dan Black's work. As with all Black+Blum products it's build quality is obvious as soon as you have it in your hands.

Really quite magnificent.

Over this next week you may take 20% off any Black+Blum product including this new larger size, or its smaller brother.

Please use code WARM20 if you're shopping online or just tell us who you are if coming into Reigate or Cobham.

So, there we are. From understanding each other better, to understanding how an uncoated pan releases a scallop.

There’s quite a lot to be said for knowing how things work.

Though I suspect the scallop may be the less complicated of the two.

I hope you have a pleasant and peaceful weekend,

Warm regards,

Andrew