Our food preparation equipment department is well populated with a long list of useful items from quality, well known brands.

The Typhoon range includes a number of colourful items in retro or modern styles, such as kitchen scales. The Mason Cash range is traditional in style with mixing bowls and pudding basins in classic creams and feminine pastel colours. There's also a set of four stoneware measuring spoons, the kind your grandmother used to use. This brand is popular with amateurs and professionals alike and is built to last.

The Jamie Oliver range is always good for simple basics and innovative ideas, including wooden chopping boards and a neat finger guard to protect your hands while slicing. Alternatively, you can try Victorinox's performance shield gloves, available in two sizes.

Pasta makers are fast becoming kitchen essentials, taking as they do much of the labour out of the task. Available in chrome, black and red colourways, these neat little units don't take up too much space in the kitchen and are easy to use.

The practical selection from Zyliss features well thought out everyday basics including chopping boards in different sized sets, measuring spoons, a silicone pastry brush and a tomato slicer.

Apart from kitchen essentials, our food preparation equipment department houses some more unusual items – such as cute ice pop making kits from Zoku in bright colours that are bound to get the kids interested in cooking, a sushi rolling set and a handy collapsible colander and steamer.

If you're new to the 'pop' craze, there is a recipe book and starter kits plus all the extras you need to expand your repertoire. There's a chocolate station to add an indulgent finish to your pops, a storage case and even a social media kit with funky stencils so your children can entertain their friends with their kitchen experiments.