Creating an exceptional carving knife set to commemorate The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee 2022.

Here at Dukeshill, we are extremely excited and overjoyed to be celebrating Her Majesty’s historic 70-year reign with the Platinum Jubilee 2022. And as Royal Warrant Holders for supplying our finest hams to HM The Queen, we wanted to create something truly special for our customers to commemorate such a momentous occasion.

We have been working in close partnership with expert British knife-maker, Savernake, and are delighted to bring you our limited-edition Platinum Jubilee Carving Set. 

Our beautifully hand-crafted carving set has been skillfully created so that you can carve and present the finest hams or roasted meats with the elegance they deserve. We specifically wanted to ensure it was 100% British-made and so has been crafted using the highest quality British steel and English Walnut – hand-finished by Savernake in their workshop on the edge of the Savernake Forest in Wiltshire.

What’s different about the Dukeshill Carving Set?

This style of carving knife has a long gentle slope, a non-aggressive tip and an obligatory comfortable handle. From the most enormous ham you can think of, down to the most delicate rolled shoulder of BBQ lamb, this carving knife will do justice to the hours of preparation that have gone on behind the scenes. It’s not flashy, there are no gimmicks, it’s just an exemplary carving knife, one we think worthy of a Dukeshill customer.

The carving fork has been designed to make it possible to hold it in either a fist or conventional grip, giving you options to maneuver easily as you carve and serve.

Finally, the honing steel is an essential piece of kit for maintaining your knife. It’s important to note that a honing steel does not sharpen your knife, but it does keep your knife sharp. Regular honing will ensure that your knife stays incredibly sharp for incredibly long. When your knife eventually needs sharpening, just note that Savernake will be happy to sharpen it free of charge for the first three years of ownership.

Provenance:
●    100% British – Designed, sourced, and made entirely here in the UK.
●    Sustainable – The blade is made from 95% recycled scrap metal, whilst the packaging is made from sustainable materials and plastic-free.
●    Hand-finished - Thinned, sharpened, oiled & polished by Savernake in their Wiltshire workshop. 

Function: 
●    Perfectly balanced steel hardness (60HRC) for excellent edge retention and toughness. Stays sharp with minimal maintenance.
●    Unique handle design – Savernake has spent several years perfecting its striking handle shape. The result is that their handles look and feel fabulous in the hand and beg to be picked up and used again and again.
●    Individually sharpened blades for a world-class edge.

Aesthetics:
●    English Walnut handle – Elegant and distinctively British.
●    Unique blade design – Long gentle slope and non-aggressive tip.
●    Unique Platinum Jubilee and Dukeshill engraving – Expertly finished with commemorative engraving to mark this very special occasion. 

Making an exceptional knife

We were in awe of the meticulous craftsmanship that Savernake put into creating exceptional quality knives and have been learning with fascination about the effort that goes into making each carving set. From the materials used to the hours of craft – each knife is uniquely hand-made with care and absolute precision.

The steel is called Silver Fox 100, which is a Sheffield steel originally designed for razor blades in 1963. It’s a high-carbon stainless steel, which allows it to be hardened to the optimal 60 HRC. For those new to the world of knife-making, HRC is the measurement used to rate how hard the steel is. It measures how much of a dent a diamond point can make in the metal.

The reason 60 is so good is because if it’s softer then it won’t get very sharp and will be easily damaged or bent out of shape. If you go too hard then you start to become very difficult to sharpen and also brittle, so 60 is pretty much universally recognised as being the perfect balance point. The reason that not every knife is 60 HRC is that it requires good-quality steel, time and skill to get there.

The blades are laser-cut initially and then hardened in a furnace at 1080ºc before being quenched in a freezer to -70º (or below). They are then tempered to their final hardness, which also removes any lingering brittleness.

Once hardened the blades are ground to their desired thickness, and finally, the blade is given a distal taper grind by Granton, probably the oldest surviving Sheffield knife maker with roots going back to 1601. The blades are then hand thinned so that the cutting edge is as fine as possible.

The English walnut is kiln-dried and then stored with Savernake for about 6 months to a year to get used to the workshop’s humidity. Individual blanks are then cut and the rough shape of the handles for both the forks and knives are created on a CNC router. Meanwhile, the handles for the honing steels have a custom resin poured in the bolster material, which is glued up to the walnut after around a week of setting. The honing steel handles are turned by hand on a lathe, before being fixed to the metal part.

The knife and fork handles are then glued and riveted and are shaped and sanded by hand to seamlessly fit the blade, before being given a series of baths over the course of a week to condition, treat and oil them. Once they have dried they are buffed by hand and then everything is cleaned, engraved, inspected and sharpened before being boxed up.

An exceptional journey of true craftsmanship. One that we hope continues with our customers as they care for their bespoke carving set and enjoy the reward of carving an exquisite Dukeshill ham with an exceptionally graceful, handcrafted blade.

You can purchase our unique commemorative DukesHill Platinum Jubilee Carving Set and learn more about Savernake Knives online. 
 

Caring for your carving set - Savernake

Savernake offer a complimentary sharpening and refurbishment service for all of our owners, and are always on the end of the telephone (or email) to help with any questions you may have.

Your blade should require only very light (but frequent) touch ups on a honing steel. While the tv would suggest you go at it hammer and tongs, doing this will just damage your knife.

Careful strokes, with the blade at 20º to the steel, alternating each side four or five times, will do the trick.

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Our English Walnut wooden handles are oiled and buffed by hand. We don’t use any synthetic varnishes or finishes, not least because we’ve yet to find one that lasts long in the kitchen.

Your handles have been designed to be looked after - once you notice them becoming dry we suggest you use some Danish Oil (which is readily available at all DIY shops): 

Apply a generous layer with a lint-free cloth, leave it 10 minutes and wipe off the excess. Repeat the exercise once more and then leave the handles to dry for 24 hours.

If your handles are left to soak by mistake, or damaged in any way, then don’t be afraid to use a little bit of P600 sandpaper to tidy them up before oiling. NEVER wash the set in a dishwasher.

And if it all gets a bit too much, just get in touch. We are always here to help.

We very much hope you enjoy our work.