£19.95
⇨ Use code OFFER15 for a 15% discount on this product
Fans of the great Ainsley Harriott will know that a good cook always keeps Susie Salt and Percy Pepper close at hand. If you're still using the same clogged old S&P shakers you've had since university, perhaps it's time you upgraded to this lovely Milaku salt and pepper server from nkuku. It's hand-carved in India from mango – which is one of the most sustainable woods out there. Mango trees, you see, grow fast and only have a relatively short fruiting lifespan, so the farmers have to replace their trees fairly regularly. The wood is plentiful and makes wonderful handcrafted goods with its attractive grain and tactile feel. This set also includes carved wooden scoop spoons and comes in a gift box, making it the perfect present.
| Dimensions (h x w x d) | 5 x 14 x 7 cm |
| Colour | Natural |
| Material | Mango wood |
| Dishwasher safe | No |
| Food safe | Yes |
| Weight | 0.3 kg |
Like so many of the best things in life, nkuku began with an adventure. It was 2002, and Ali and Alex were on a round-the-world trip when they found themselves smitten with the artisan products they came across in East Africa. As they journeyed on through Africa and into India, they started shipping bits and bobs home with the plan to sell them when they got back.
Moving to rural Devon on their return, the couple set up a travelling market stall – and when that took off, they started collaborating with a family they'd met in India to design and produce beautiful handcrafted homewares. In those early days, they operated out of an old hayloft on Dartmoor, packing orders late into the night while their baby daughter snoozed in a cardboard cot under a pile of coats.
Fast-forward 20-odd years and the business might have outgrown the market stall, but Ali and Alex are still working to the same three principles they started out with: striving to make their products ethical, eco-friendly and handmade. Manufacturing mostly in Asia, nkuku works with social projects, co-operatives, charity partners and small family firms, and they smashed their B-Corp certification right out of the park with a score of 96.4 (you only need 80 to make the grade). Closer to home, they’re also supporting initiatives to clear up plastic pollution on the south Devon coast. They’re all-round good sorts, making beautiful handcrafted products.