What charliemuingus said – chinese supermarket and get something like

£4.50
small cleaver

I use it for everything but chopping through bone (different cleaver for that) – even peal fruit with it.

Also get youself a diamond stone stone. Super easy to use. If you sharpen your cleaver every week you will need a new cleaver in about 5 years.

I also own a few of the German soliegen knives above and some pressed knives but the cleaver is the most used by far.

Had a look in TK Maxx in Bath, and they had a couple of Santoku knives for £12.99, so I’ll get a set of those Procook knives for £14.99. I don’t have a Chinese warehouse too local to me to go to.
Did pick up a nice little paring knife with riveted handle for £2.99, though. 😀
Had a quick Google, and there’s a Chinese warehouse in Bristol; their small cleaver like Earl’s is £34.50… 😯

It doesn’t matter

I bought my mum a henckel japanese chopping knife. She much prefers her cleaver she got for £2 from a local discount shop. I agree.

Anther important this is how to store them. they go blunt very easily if you just chuck them in a draw.

They cost a bit but the Shun Santoku is what I would recommend. You will also need a wetstone for occasional sharpening but it’s actually easier than you might think.

I wonder if any any failed chefs would’ve reached the top if only they had expensive knives.

Nice things are nice to have shocker

Expensive and nice are not synonyms.

Here’s three of my Global knives. Replaced by JL, with a bit of coercion, under Globals now discontinued lifetime warranty

vinnyeh those been in the dishwasher?

my Global chefs knife is 13 years old. 5 of those years used 10 hours a day in a kitchen, the remaining 8 years used daily. OK, the tip has snapped off (trying to undo a screw) and it takes a bit of work to get an edge these days, but it’s served me very well indeed.