Fragrant Knives, the passion project of chef and food anthropologist Sean Warmington-Wan, is proud to announce its UK launch – introducing home cooks and professionals to the Chinese Chef’s Knife (RRP £88) on 9th September 2025..The debut marks a new chapter in the evolution of premium, everyday kitchen tools. Over the past decade, Japanese knives have carved out a firm place in UK kitchens – praised for their sharpness, heritage and craftsmanship. But the Chinese knife, an equally beautiful yet functional staple in homes and restaurant kitchens across Hong Kong and southern China, has remained largely overlooked in the West. Fragrant Knives is here to change that.
Founded by chef and food anthropologist Sean Warmington-Wan, Fragrant Knives introduces the UK to its first product: a modernised version of the classic Chinese Knife, 菜刀 (‘vegetable knife’): a do-it-all blade that chops, slices, minces, smashes, scrapes and glides between prep and plating with ease.
The knife is designed in Hong Kong and crafted in Yangjiang, the capital of Chinese blade-making since the Tang dynasty, using high-carbon stainless steel for sharpness and durability. It’s finished with a stunning hand-carved Chinese rosewood handle and intentionally shaped to feel intuitive in the hands of any cook, whether or not they’ve ever used a Chinese-style knife before.
The idea for Fragrant Knives began when British-Hong Konger founder Sean was gifted a traditional Chinese chef’s knife by his grandmother. Using it both at home and in professional kitchens in London and Hong Kong, he quickly found it tougher, more adaptable, and more aligned with what ordinary people need for cooking every day., That realisation became the foundation for Fragrant Knives: a brand built on the belief that a great knife should not only cut well, but suit the rhythm and reality of everyday cooking.
That seed of an idea grew into a Kickstarter campaign that raised over £11,000 in just two weeks, with the first production run shipping out to backers around the world. Now, Fragrant Knives is officially launching in the UK – introducing a practical, heritage-driven alternative to ultra-specialist tools that are often too fussy or high maintenance to be a solid workhorse for home cooks.
Founder, Sean Warmington-Wan commented on the launch, “Having fallen in love with using this kind of knife, I knew that I had to bring Chinese knives to the world: I’ve seen enough beautiful Japanese knives rusted, chipped or unused in knife drawers in the UK to know that a bulletproof, stainless steel Chinese-style chef’s knife is the solution.”
The Chinese Chef’s Knife Chinese (菜刀) is available to buy from the Fragrant Knives website from 9th September 2025.
