Pre-Xmas Offers on Beautiful Mills, Everyday Le Creuset, and a Moment to Pause

I’m sitting down to write this while the usual distractions hover nearby,  Excel (that I love and can draw me in for hours), emails, Christmas card writing, and the gentle insistence that my attention could always be elsewhere. Outside, it’s cool and a bit damp, but also calm, and that feels like a good place to begin.

Before anything else, thank you. For reading these weekly emails (if you do), for coming into the shops (if you have), and for trusting us online, which I suspect is probably the biggest ask.

I was talking with an old friend the other day about the art of good conversation and good listening.  And, one of the things I’ve enjoyed most over the past year isn’t actually something we sell at all, but the conversations that happen around what we do. Some are brief, some meandering, some end in agreement and others very much don’t, but almost all of them leave me feeling that a proper conversation still has real value.
By that, I don’t mean ‘talking at one another’ or ‘trying to win a point’. I mean the quieter kind, listening long enough to be changed slightly, or at least to understand why someone else sees things differently. The sort that allows for pauses, uncertainty, and the occasional change of mind.

It feels as though those sorts of conversations are ones to treasure. Things move quickly now. Opinions are formed fast and delivered even faster. It seems there’s not much patience for nuance or for sitting with something unresolved. This rather harks back to Nick Cave’s thought (that I mentioned a month or two ago) that its ok 'to not know', to not always be decisive, and to feel ok with that and not judge oneself

And yet, in the shop, or in reply to these emails, I’m aware that conversation hasn’t disappeared. It’s just waiting for the right conditions. A bit of time. Sometimes a cup of coffee, or a shared interest, or even a disagreement, but one that’s handled kindly….. where we seek to understand the other.

Christmas, at its best, seems to be a place for that.  A few days when we’ve a little extra time. In other words a chance to slow the pace, sit at a table a little longer, and talk, not to persuade or perform, but simply to connect.
Of course our shops are open extensively across the festive period (details at the end of this email) and our website is still taking 'Next Day' orders for pre Christmas delivery until midday on Monday 22nd December.
So, before I wish you a Christmas adieu, allow me to tell you about a couple things that may tickle your fancy…

Robert Welch Palm Salt & Pepper Mills
We’ve just taken delivery of a new line from one of my favourite suppliers, Robert Welch, their Palm salt and pepper mills, available in two heights and two finishes. As you can see from the photographs, they’re stainless steel, and to my eye at least, they sit head and shoulders above the usual rather worthy, but forgettable examples. In fact, they are some of the most beautiful mills I recall seeing.  Ever.  And Paul reminded me that they would, therefore, make "excellent Christmas presents".

They’re fitted with mechanisms by the renowned Danish company CrushGrind, who, if memory serves,  were the first people to use ceramic mechanisms back in the mid-1990s. This was at a time when nylon mechanisms (for salt) were still common, and were, frankly, awful.

CrushGrind mechanisms, by contrast, are superb. Being ceramic, they are largely unaffected by damp and therefore corrosion, so, won’t gum up*, and are equally happy dealing with salt or pepper without complaint.
They’re easy to fill (simply pull off the lid) and straightforward to adjust using a discreet knurled knob at the base. A small tip: if you’re adjusting from coarse to fine, turn the mill upside down and give it a couple of turns to clear the mechanism before turning clockwise and grinding away.

They’re available in two sizes,  one just over 16cm, and a taller, rather elegant version a little over a foot high. Salt and pepper are distinguished by a subtle white or black ring between the body and lid, repeated again at the base. They’re available in polished (Bright) and brushed (Satin) finishes. They’re not inexpensive,  but then, if you never have to replace them, are they really? If you’d like to try them, we'll be discounting them by 20% off this weekend, no code needed.

*BUT don’t use them over a steaming saucepan. The steam will be absorbed by the salt and it will then tend to cake and need cleaning out to restore its operating efficiency. This applies to ALL mills, not just Robert Welch. To avoid this situation, grind into a cupped hand. Better still, use a Salt Pig.

Le Creuset 3-Ply Stainless Steel Range

Best known for its iconic brightly coloured cast iron cookware which its been producing for the last 100 years in Fresnoy-le-Grand, Le Creuset also produces (mainly in it's China factory) a very high quality range of stainless steel Saucepans, Frying pans, Casseroles and Saute pans.  A range that's maybe a little less glamourous than its French cast iron cousins, but this is likely to be the range you actually use everyday. 

With its three ply construction, this range from Le Creuset has excellent heat distribution significantly reducing the likelihood of burning and this gives consistent and evenly cooked results.

We currently have pretty good stock across much of the Le Creuset 3-Ply stainless steel range, much of it uncoated, including four sizes of frying pan (coated versions are also available, for those still unwilling to give them up - see my views on coated pans from 2 weeks ago).

Back to the pans. We now have good stock of the  3-Piece Saucepan Set, normally £435. Using code LC3PC, it’s available at £375, saving you £60. When I checked this morning, purely in the interests of research,  that appeared to be an unbeatable price.

There are a number of offers across the range at the moment, which we’re price-matching daily, so you should be buying at very competitive prices without having to spend your morning comparing tabs.  We've highlighted just a few of those here below .......

Opening hours
The shops are open right up to and including Christmas eve. The exact time we close will depend, to some extent, on demand. My guess is 5:30pm unless it’s very quiet, in which case it may be a little earlier.  My advice, if there’s something you NEED for Christmas Day, don’t leave it until the last hour.  

The websites are naturally open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If you want delivery before Christmas, then please choose NEXT DAY delivery option before Midday on Monday 22nd.

We take three days off at Christmas to recharge our batteries, so the shops will be open again on Sunday 28th December. And Shops and Warehouse open on Monday 29th through to Wednesday 31st, normal hours.  Closed New Years Day and back to normal on Friday 2nd Jan 2026.

EDCs
I should apologise here. Two weeks ago I promised to write about Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals and their relationship with cookware (and beyond).  My expert contact at Imperial, has instead taken her family skiing. Being the generous soul that I am, and not wanting to be taken to task by her children for them missing out on the slopes, I agreed to wait. So, more on EDCs early in the New Year.

As the year comes to a close, I’ll finish by thanking you again, for the conversations, the questions, the disagreements, and the generosity of spirit that so often accompanies them.

I’d like to wish you a warm and peaceful Christmas, however and with whomever you spend it.

Warm regards,

Andrew

PS In late breaking cake news, I can report that my friend Martin Turner our Riedel account manager saw fit to bestow on me the best fruit cake I have ever tasted in my 70 years.  Which sadly didn't seem quite big enough to share, so Pooh-like I disappeared off home with my ill-gotten gains.  I will though, generously share a photo (of whats left).