In the middle ages, your kitchen prep equipment would have consisted of nothing more than a great big knife, maybe a rolling pin - and a pestle and mortar set. Not just for grinding spices, the pestle and mortar was the food processor of its day. It serves as liquidiser, mixer and mincer too, if you want it to!

Essential equipment for the home apothecary too - and it's always advisable to keep a special pestle and mortar for working with essential oils.

Our elegant porcelain example is made by the famous kitchen ceramics specialists Mason Cash.