Nut Cracker - Kitchen Kit of the Month

There's something about Christmas that brings out the nostalgia in everyone. So instead of buying bags of ready-cracked nuts, as we do during the rest of the year, we feel the need to buy elaborate trays full of nuts still cosy in their shells.

Once you’re stuffed full of mince pies and chocolates, it’s time to get cracking on a good Christmas nut selection (I won’t excuse the pun).

The only problem is getting at the nuts themselves. There’s something about Christmas that brings out the nostalgia in everyone. So instead of buying bags of ready-cracked nuts, as we do during the rest of the year, we feel the need to buy elaborate trays full of nuts still cosy in their shells.

This means we need to crack them, and without the aid of a good nutcracker, this can develop into a trial of brute strength and frustration.

There’s a simple solution: buy a decent nutcracker. There are lots of expensive nutcrackers on the market, some resembling surgical equipment, and a fair few novelty items. For simplicity’s sake, I recommend you go for the Alessi Crack Nutcrackers, £39 on Amazon.

It looks just like your classic nutcracker, but cleverly has fittings for different-sized nuts. Most importantly, it works without you breaking your wrist, and looks good.

Otherwise, there are two nutcrackers I haven’t used but which have been recommended to me, which look very slick indeed. The first is the Menu Nutcracker, by Bruce Christesen, a sleek rubber dome on top of a silver plate. You pop the nut inside and press down on the dome, which cracks the nut with its metal underside, £23.50.

Or try Royal VKB Nut Cracker, a slinky Dutch design where you put the nut inside a small glass and twist its rubber top, £15. The fringe benefits of these latter two designs are that the bits of shell remain inside the cracker and not all over your floor.

If you feel compelled to get a novelty item, try this Maggie Nut Cracker, which, quite terrifyingly, shells the nuts between her iron thighs, £9.99 Bluw Maggie Nut Cracker.

We can only assume she won’t be taking any prisoners when it comes to your Christmas nuts.