Perceval 9.47 Wood Selection - Set of 6

The piece

Atelier Perceval was founded in Thiers, France's knife-making capital, in 1996. In 2005 the Parisian chef Yves Charles asked the workshop for a table knife for his restaurant, and the result was the 9.47. It is a table knife of choice for Michelin-starred chefs. Each knife is shaped, assembled, polished and sharpened in the Thiers workshop. The Wood Selection gives each of the six knives a different natural wood handle.

In use

Give each guest a different wood at a steak dinner, or keep them as a collector's set for special occasions. The 9.47 has a fine, smooth edge rather than serrations, so it slices through a rare steak, a roast or lamb cutlets cleanly instead of tearing the meat. Atelier Perceval also makes kitchen knives in the same style, from the 9.47 Chef Knife 15 to a three-knife set, and Le Sommelier, a Thiers-made corkscrew.

Details & care

• Six 9.47 table knives in a wooden case
• Handles: bocote (warm, with contrasting veins), maple (light and speckled), olive (golden, irregular grain), snakewood (rare, with snake-skin markings), Gabon ebony (dense and black) and guaiac (very hard, with a greenish tint)
• Sandvik 14C28N stainless steel blades
• Overall 217mm; blade 110mm
• Made in Thiers, France
• Hand wash and dry straight away; the wood will develop a patina over time