Meet: Katto

Founded by friends Josh and Thomas, London-based Katto believes cooking to be an experience which not only creates delicious dinners, but also adds a sense of calm and escapism to your everyday. Good cooking starts with good tools and this is reflected in their ethos for fewer, better more opportune things, that last forever, and make dinners better. Using the best materials combined with handmade techniques, each piece is designed to have minimal impact on the environment. We recently partnered with Katto to create a bespoke oak handled bread knife, and caught up with Josh over a coffee and a croissant.

Tell us a little bit about how and why you began Katto?

The idea for the business actually came from a pretty bleak period in my life. In 2016 I had a mental breakdown which culminated in being diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. Cooking was one of the few things which seemed to calm my mind. Having discovered this, I became slightly obsessed with getting all the kit. The only problem was that what I wanted - beautiful, handmade, sustainable tools - were way out of my budget. So along with my best friend Thomas, I decided to create them. 

Why Japanese steel?

Everything we make at Katto aims to marry brilliant form with exceptional function. Japanese knife blades are the perfect embodiment of this. They’re aesthetically striking, beautiful even. But more importantly, the hardness and edge you can achieve using a steel like Japanese AUS-10 is just second to none.

Why is sustainability important to you?

Primarily because it’s the right thing to do. But also because our customers demand it. They want packaging which is 100% recyclable (and recycled). They expect us to use electric delivery vehicles. And most importantly they want their knife, or pan, or chopping board to last for yonks. 

What is your most used / cannot live without kitchen utensil?

My Katto x Pophams oak-handled bread knife of course! Failing that it would be a proper Microplane (accept no substitutes), or my Ooni. Not for pizza, mind you - far too faffy. Instead I use it to get a cast iron skillet screamingly hot for steaks, or tuna, or charring brassicas.

What do you like most about running your own business? And what have you learnt from it?

I honestly love it all - the variety, the freedom, the fact that you can decide something in the morning and then make it happen in the afternoon. It’s taught me so much; but primarily that enjoying work is crucial for mental health. And that the vast majority of human beings - customers, suppliers, colleagues - are brilliant and kind and supportive.

What’s your favourite piece in the new cookware range?

I adore the sauté pan from our new cast iron collection. It’s perfect for relaxed, informal, oven-to-table cooking. I use it to slow cook something rich and delicious and then plonk it in the middle of the table with a green salad, a torn loaf of sourdough and a bottle of fantastic red wine. What could be better?

What’s your go-to dish when cooking at home?

At least once a week (usually when my vegetarian wife is out) I’ll liberally season and roast a couple of chicken thighs until the skin is crispy and salty; and serve them with some soy-smacked cucumbers, a little mound of egg fried rice and a blob of gochujang. Culturally inappropriate, I’m sure. But also very delicious.

Favourite place to dine in London?

My friend Jim has a pub in Notting Hill called The Pelican which marries wonderful, unfussy, modern British food with jolly service and an incredibly accessible wine list. Closer to home (I’m a South Londoner), you’d struggle to beat a dozen oysters, a barnsley chop and the house Barberesco at Franklins in East Dulwich.

What's your favourite Pophams pastry?

I love an almond croissant. And the one at Pophams is excellent!