Cole & Mason London Chocolate Wood Salt and Pepper Mill Set, 220mm, Precision+ Carbon/Ceramic Mechanisms, Salt and Pepper Grinders with Adjustable Grind, Beech Wood, Gift Set

Not cheap but very luxurious and well crafted. These mills are stunning and easy to fill/use giving an appropriate portion of salt/pepper.

These are classic salt and pepper grinders in a classic design. They’re made of beech wood, and the internals are made of high grade carbon steel for pepper to shred the peppercorns to maintain flavour and the salt grinder consists of ceramic intervals in order to avoid corrosion over time. These will last your lifetime. The grind is easily adjusted and the output is perfect. These will add a look of class to any dinner table, they are neatly marked S and P for obvious reasons on the top. Some people may prefer a more modern design or even electric grinders but for absolute classic look and reliable use these are just lovely. They come in a presentation style box so are perfect for a new home gift for someone. They are a little pricey but this is reflected in the quality of materials and good design.

I love these quality salt and pepper grinders. I have tried inferior grinders, which have failed fairly quickly. I have been using these for a month or so with no problems so far and expect them to last for a long time. These are not cheap, but as the adage goes 'buy cheap, buy twice'.

This is a beautiful, classy salt and pepper set. They look absolutely gorgeous. The work really well and grind salt and pepper finely, but don’t disintegrate it into dust. I gave four, rather than five, stars because mine did come with a small colour imperfection on the front. I wouldn’t mind this on a cheaper set, but for £60 I kind of expect perfection.

Depending on your perspective, this thing is either sublime or ridiculous. For every person who sees this as the epitome of elegance and sophistication, I think there’s probably at least one other person who thinks it’s more appropriate for French waiter cosplay with a towel over the forearm and “would you like some fresh ground pepper, Monsieur?”Snark aside, I think this would make a great purchase or gift, presuming the recipient or purchaser has a flair for the theatrical in the kitchen, because this pepper mill is a massive 15 inches tall, so it will definitely make some kind of impression (one way or the other).Scale aside, there’s no denying that it’s very attractive and beautifully finished, with a lovely satiny feel. It’s almost as much a sculptural piece as it is a kitchen utensil. There’s not much to say about operating it. You just turn the big knob. When I first tried to use it, the pepper came out as fine as dust. It took me a minute to realize that the knob on top didn’t just work to secure the lid but also to control the size of the grind.I’ve always thought that one of the reasons for having such a massive pepper mill is to store a large quantity of peppercorns inside, but compared to other more contemporary designs, you really can’t get a lot of pepper into the central reservoir as it’s a pretty narrow space since the walls of the pepper mill are relatively thick. And because of the narrow opening, filling it is a bit tricky. I used an improvised funnel made of parchment paper which worked pretty well. I think there may be purpose-made accessories that you can buy that are more suited to the task.Because of the type of milling mechanism used, this mill is not compatible for grinding salt (they sell different grinders specifically designed for that). Also, the pepper mill didn’t come with any pepper, so if you’re gifting it, you may want to keep that in mind.

I had high expectations of this pepper mill based on the reviews I read. First impression out of the...bag...this has a nice appearance and quality feel. I discovered from their website that single mills come in a plastic bag, but if you buy the set of 2 then they come in a nice gift box. There is a sticker on the hanging tag that says "Made in China". I found this odd because the company name, "Cole & Mason England" would lead me to believe their products are made in England. There is part of a British flag in their logo. The model of the pepper mill is "London". And the price of this product is in line with what you'd expect from a British or US made item. The fit and finish of the mill are pretty good for the most part. The exterior finish is nice, there are no significant tool marks or chips in the wood, and the exterior hardware looks to be of good quality. When you remove the nut on top you can start to see the made-in-China coming out. There is a top wooden cap that you rotate to grind your pepper and it drives a square shank rod. That rod then turns the grinding mechanism. The wooden cap and body are not separated by any kind of wear material, so it will be wood on wood when you operate this. That will create wood dust over time, and could eventually lead to excess play between the components. The metal rod is made from aluminum. The steel nut may damage those aluminum threads if you're careless when refilling, but they should be fine under normal use. The function of this mill is excellent. I filled it with some regular old black peppercorns and tested it out. Initially you'll need to play with the tension on the top nut (it adjusts how coarse or fine the pepper is ground). I had it dialed in within just a few seconds and it works really well. The cheap plastic pepper mills from the grocery store don't put out much pepper and are hard to turn. This baby puts out plenty of pepper without much effort. I got the matching salt mill and it also does a great job. Lots of salt and a uniform grind with minimal effort. I do wish there was more of a visual difference between the salt and pepper mills. They look identical except for the top nut has a small "P" or "S" to distinguish them. Overall I'm pretty happy with this pepper mill. It looks great, works very well, and should last quite a while. Nice product, but taking off a star because there is room for improvement on the internals considering the price.

I had high expectations of this salt mill based on the reviews I read. First impression out of the...bag...this has a nice appearance and quality feel. I discovered from their website that single mills come in a plastic bag, but if you buy the set of 2 then they come in a nice gift box. There is a sticker on the hanging tag that clearly says "Made in China". I found this odd because the company name, "Cole & Mason England" would lead me to believe their products are made in England. There is part of a British flag in their logo. The model of the salt mill is "London". And the price of this product is in line with what you'd expect from a British or US made item. The fit and finish of the mill are pretty good for the most part. The exterior finish is nice, there are no significant tool marks or chips in the wood, and the exterior hardware looks to be of good quality. When you remove the nut on top you can start to see the made-in-China coming out. There is a top wooden cap that you rotate to grind your salt and it drives a square shank rod. That rod then turns the grinding mechanism. The wooden cap and body are not separated by any kind of wear material, so it will be wood on wood when you operate this. That will create wood dust over time, and could eventually lead to excess play between the components. The metal rod is made from aluminum which should be adequate. Stainless would be better, but as long as you don't cross thread the steel nut it should last quite a while. The function of this mill is excellent. I filled it with some coarse Himalayan sea salt and tested it out. Initially you'll need to play with the tension on the top nut (it adjusts how coarse or fine the salt is ground). I had it dialed in within just a few seconds and it works really well. The cheap plastic salt mills from the grocery store don't put out much salt and are hard to turn. This baby puts out plenty of salt without much effort. I got the matching pepper mill and it also does a great job. Lots of pepper output and a clean cut with minimal effort. Overall I'm pretty happy with this salt mill. It looks great, works very well, and should last quite a while. Nice product, but taking off a star because I think the internals should be better for the price.

This 130mm chocolate wood salt mill was the first mill I've owned from Cole & Mason, and after this purchase, I was hooked. I loved it so much, I purchased the matching 130mm pepper mill (I keep the set at the dining table) and a large pepper mill to keep next to the stove for cooking.Anyhow, regarding the 130mm salt mill, the chocolate wood is truly stunning. I love the gold hardware on top (there's a dainty little 'S' for salt). It has a great weight to it and definitely has a 'fancy' look and feel overall. It absolutely elevates my dining table and adds a classy touch. The mill is easy to fill - you twist the gold hardware until the top comes off and opens up the chamber, where you can add the salt. I use coarse sea salt and it grinds into the perfect consistency every time. I typically use the finest setting, which grinds it into something like a course powder - it's so fine and perfect for adding a little extra salt to an already finished meal or seasoning fries, etc. The courser settings are be great for seasoning meat or using while cooking. It grinds smoothly no matter the setting and handles the job with ease. I will say, it leaves a little bit of salt behind on the tray I store them on. It doesn't bother me, and is probably because I use such a fine setting so some inevitably slips through onto the tray after use - but I thought it was worth noting.I absolutely recommend this salt mill. And combined with the pepper mill - would make the most fabulous housewarming or Christmas gift.

I got both this and their pepper grinder of the same size. I will say that I wish I had got a size or two up, but that's on me and this is great for just keeping on the table. This is a really attractive grinder but I honestly had to look into the differences in a salt and pepper grinder.As it turns out, Cole & Mason have a nice explanation on their site, which explains why this pepper grinder has a steel mechanism.Pepper can be a little tough on the ceramic grinders, so steel is more ideal for grinding pepper.The chamber held about 13.5g of black peppercorn (more than that and the top part wouldn't sit inside). It has lasted a couple of weeks so far for just "final touch" seasoning at dinner time. I like a slightly larger grind too, so I'm sure making it finer would extend the use time. Grind size is adjusted with the knob on top.I do wonder if there is room for some design efficiency that would allow more capacity without making them too much larger, and still being able to get the top part on, but overall these are attractive and functional, and look nice on the table.