A good set of knives is without a doubt the most important building block for a well-functioning kitchen. They do most of the work when it comes to cooking, and while a lot of people overlook the need to invest in good quality, sharp knives, they are the number one thing that will make your life easier and help you to enjoy spending time in the kitchen.

Whether you’re a keen cook looking to improve your setup, or somebody who finds cooking a bit of a chore, getting the right knives will make your life so much easier, and you’ll find yourself wanting to cook more often.

Good knives are also safer than a cheap set that doesn’t stay sharp. Believe it or not, the sharper the knife, the less likely you are to slip and injure yourself, so you need a blade that will hold an edge.

We understand that buying a full set of good quality knives can be a little bit expensive, so if the thought of that is absolutely out of the question, don’t worry. The good news is that you only really need a few knives to get started, and these core knives can do just about everything you need to.

Once you’re feeling confident in the kitchen, you can treat yourself to more specialised knives for certain tasks, but for now we thought we would run you through the ones that you really need.