If you’ve got even half-decent kitchen knives, then keeping them sharp is the most sustainable (and ultimately, the most cost-effective) way to go. It’s also the safest; you’re actually less likely to cut yourself with a sharp knife than a blunt one, as you use less force and so are less likely to slip. Getting professional knife sharpening in London sounds bougie but read on – it might be cheaper than you think.
The first thing you need to decide is the type of service you want. Are you happy to drop your knives off and wait for them to be sharpened, or even send them off by courier? Or would you rather stay at home and have everything come to you?
Okay, next: what do you need sharpened? For most of us it will be a motley collection of kitchen knives but does that include serrated blades like bread knives? What about steak knives, scissors, garden shears or penknives? Fret not, Cheapos, we’ve got it all covered.
London Sharpening Service
One of the most established companies, London Sharpening Service will come to your home and sharpen up to 8 kitchen knives for their standard minimum price of £69.00 (inc. VAT) with additional knives charged at £5.50 each and repair to chipped and damaged knives included free of charge. Service is provided across Zones 1-6; check the website for details.
If you’ve broken the tip off of a favourite knife by overenthusiastically separating frozen burgers or prising off a random lid – what, just me? – then professional sharpening and repair could be for you.
Blade and Butler
This is a courier service where you pack your knives up and send them off to be sharpened. Once you have booked the service you will receive protective sleeves and a secure box with prepaid postage for your knives. Send them off and receive them back by courier. Repairs are included and coverage is London and the surrounding areas; check the website for details.
This company is great if you only have a couple of knives to sharpen as their packages start from just 3 knives for £29.99, with 7 knives coming in at £63.99, repairs included. Be careful unpacking those babies, they’ll be sharp.
Elite London Sharpening
Another home visit service, Elite London Sharpening has a twist; it’s run by an ex-chef who was never happy with the sharpness of his knives and went fully old school with whetstone and leather honing to find an answer. You know those old movies where the barbers sharpen their cut-throat razors on a leather strap? That.
A home visit plus sharpening up to 8 knives is £58.00, with additional items charged at £6.00 each. If you’re after craftsmanship and personal advice on knife care, this is your guy for knife sharpening in London. He covers mainly South London, but can do anywhere inside the M25 on Sundays.
Knifeman Direct
Knifeman Direct gives you the option of a home visit, or you can arrange to drop your knives at branches of Amy’s Housewares across North London. There is a minimum callout charge of £60.00, and to squeeze maximum value out of a visit you can get an impressive 17 knives sharpened for £61.00.
Now I’m a keen home cook but even I don’t have 17 kitchen knives; I do, however, have friends with knives that I could split the cost with, which makes this kind of pricing an absolute steal.
My Mobile Sharpening Guy
A convenient at-home service with a minimum callout charge of £60.00, which gets you a generous 15 knives sharpened. Standard repairs are included and coverage extends across the whole of London. This is the one for you if you (and your friends) have different items requiring sharpening. They will do mixer blades and a wide range of tools: gardening, building, hairdressing, you name it. See the website for details and pricing.
