Design Porn: Falcon Enamelware

I've been coveting Falcon Enamelware for such a long time. I adore the typography on the packaging and the different colours are a really nice touch - as much as I like the traditional blue and white, I have to admit that I'm really quite taken with the red rims.

But there's a sticking point for me. I couldn't quite justify the high price. It's not particularly astronomical - the pie sets start at £44.99 - but given that I've written about Utility and their bargain enamelware, I was struggling to understand why it was better and worth the high price. There's not really much point in swooning over a box that I'm going to put in the recycling.

This is one of the reasons that Falcon sent me one of their pie sets. They wanted to show me just how good it was. When I asked them why it was better, they responded simply by saying 'because it's better'. It's hard to argue with logic like that.

Not familiar with enamelware? It can withstand mega high heats without burning but it's still dishwasher-proof (not microwave-proof, unless you like indoor firework displays). It dates back to the 20s and thanks to our love of all things nostalgic and vintage, it's having a bit of a moment right now.

I'm really impressed. I put the set through its paces yesterday trying out all sorts of recipes. I enjoyed the compliments from the more domesticated folk milling about my kitchen and I like that everything fits so uniformly. I'm such a sucker for uniformity. But it's more than that. My pie set is a really good. I want to make more pies today (stop me, please).

You know how with all of the oven dishes and bowls and utensils you have in your kitchen, you still reach for your favourites because somehow they work better? My Falcon set already feels like that. I can bet that once I've stopped being precious, they're the first things my housemates reach for.

It's taken me a while to get on board with Falcon, but you're going to be seeing the dishes in lots of recipes from now on (I wish the one at the top was mine, last night's chocolate and cherry crumble looked a hot mess didn't really go according to plan).

If you're stuck what to buy a food-lover as a gift ("Another Nigella cookbook! I'll put it with the three you've already bought me!"), one of these sets would be ideal. Yep, there's cheaper enamelware available and I'm not sure I'd splash out on the tumblers and plates but the baking sets? Worth every damn penny.