What would you invest £230 of homeware vouchers in?

kerri_gt

I have a set of Prestige Stainless Steel saucepans I bought to replace my student ones when OH and I got married. I believe they have a lifetime guarantee - one of the handle grips does seem to now slid a bit when draining water out for spuds etc so I must get this seen to but I love them.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Prestige-Cuisine-Stainless-Cookware-Saucepan/dp/B0002GDDV0

The one we actually got looks to be discontinued (well it was 10yrs ago!) but worth it - although I must admit I get most use out of the two smaller pans and the frying pan.

I also have a Le Creuset casserole dish which I use a lot.

Other things me and OH spent vouchers on when we got married was some nice bedding from JL (though frankly Egyptian cotton was a pain and needed ironing), new pillows, a new bin (wild but necessary) . And if you want a clothes horse, take the opportunity to get yourself a decent one x

angeltreats

I'd buy a really good chef's knife. Try out lots to make sure it's comfortable in your hand and the weight feels right for you, as not all knives suit everyone.

Then I'd look at a 6L stainless steel pressure cooker from a good brand. This can also be used as a large saucepan/stock pot. Mine is one of the most used things in my kitchen.

Then a Le Creuset or similar, good quality enamelled cast iron casserole which will last you forever and you will use almost constantly.

If you've enough left, I'd consider a cast iron griddle depending on the type of cooking you like to do. I find I use this far more than any frying pan. I have this one and when it's been well seasoned nothing will stick to it - I use mine for frying eggs with hardly any oil - and you can do so much with them.

And finally something frivolous that you wouldn't necessarily splash out on normally. For example we have this Alessi serving spoon and the matching spaghetti fork which I bought because they were pretty and I liked them, although as it's turned out they are wonderful to use and very easy to clean and we use them constantly.

pigpen

I'd go with pans and bedding.. nothing like decent sheets to snuggle in, the rest will come over time.

Wash the filters and the hose and any removable bits on the vacuum cleaner.. it works wonders with pongs!

dronid

Pots and Pans first. Something Steel and solid. Good quality knives. Slow Cookers are particularly cheap at the mo from other places but they're very useful and a Pressure Cooker is invaluable for cheap cooking. Ideally shop around for other providers of those items so you can get them cheaper at John Lewis under their 'Never knowingly undersold' tag.

LeaLea89

Congratulations! I would say a good slow cooker (i couldnt be without mine!) a good set of pans, as everyone else has said they last a lifetime!

With your old stuff you could freecycle them or sell them depending on what you want to do, someone else will have the benefit of them as well

CompBunny

WOW thank you so much everyone! I knew OS would be brimming with useful ideas Thank you also for your well-wishes, we are delighted to be married.

We have now also received £140 in M&S Vouchers...my goodness people are so kind and generous. We didn't ask for any gifts!

My wishlist is now overflowing! Its also quite difficult parting with even voucher money as we have always lived so very frugally. I'm a vegetarian so don't cook meat (except on rare occasions for others) which is influencing my choices. Currently thinking the following:
- A decent paring knife with remaining balance of £86. Need to see them in store.
- Knife sharpener £22 - to sharpen the above and my thomas large santoku knife http://www.johnlewis.com/chantry-knife-sharpener-black/p230497825
- Stainless steel pressure cooker £45(as angeltreats said it can double up as a large pan - we don't have one of those!) http://www.johnlewis.com/store/tefal-secure-5-pressure-cooker/p230770466?navAction=jump&_requestid=292639
- Cast iron griddle £25 http://www.johnlewis.com/store/kitchen-craft-cast-iron-griddle/p231620442?navAction=jump&_requestid=294369
- Joseph Joseph chopping board £6.75 - it won't last a lifetime but seemed a good price and my current chopping board is glass - didn't know it ruined knives so thank you for telling me! http://www.johnlewis.com/joseph-joseph-cut-carve-plus-chopping-board-small-black/p231306405
- Slimline airer £12 - I'd prefer the pretty wooden one but the reviews aren't great and this one will actually fit in our (very) little house! Will return if it doesn't seem decent quality. http://www.johnlewis.com/store/john-lewis-slimline-x-wing-airer/p1189572?navAction=jump&_requestid=301969
- 6 egg cups £4.50 - wanted some for ages, we eat loads of eggs and I only had 2 ancient rusting ones. http://www.johnlewis.com/john-lewis-colours-egg-cups-set-of-2/p1355394?colour=Aqua
- 6 bowls that match the egg cups £4.50 (for 6)
- SimpleHuman utensil holder £17.99 . Might be too frivolous... but looks like it will last, not fall over, and hold loads of utensils in a fairly compact footprint.
- 18/10 Butter knife £3.50 http://www.johnlewis.com/robert-welch-norton-butter-knife/p625982

Hopefully M&S stock decent saucepans.

We'd considered decent bedding, but I have severe nightsweats from my illness which means I have to wash the cotton sheets every single day, so posh sheets would just be wasted on us

What do you think? I value your opinions on making sure I don't just waste someone else's hard earned money given as a gift xx

aggypanthus

Your list sounds good to me.

get some towels, they will last years.
Do you have decent pillows?

Jackop

Big ticket stuff for sure. You can add cheaper stuff later but you will always put off a big purchase.

I have a 28cm Le Creuset casserole pot and it really is very good. I use it for everything so it could end up saving you money even though the intial purchase will be expensive.

Also 1 pot for everything svaes you on alot of washing up, can you put a price on laziness?

*15 mins too late, I should learn to refresh! Although everything you listed still looks great!*

aggypanthus

Why do you want a griddle if you are veggies, just for veg?

why pressure cooker for same reason.. just soups?

CompBunny

Thankyou, We are happy with our pillows at the moment - I like to sleep on a "brick" and his pillow is there for mere decoration hehe.

Towels - that is a good idea. Ours are, you guessed it, faded cheapies.

My Mum has a Le Creuset casserole pot and loves it but I can't safely lift hers, so would need to rely on DH every time I wanted to use it...so realistically another no go unfortunately.

aggypanthus - Griddle can do all sorts can't it? (not a rhetorical question!) Quorn, veggies, eggs, bread, tortillas...or do you think its a waste to be rarely used for meat?
Pressure cooker for quickly cooking pulses, potatoes, carrots, grains etc and for the secondary use as just a large pot. Or do you think this could also be a bit of a waste?

xxxx