The 10 Best salt and pepper sets

Whether they’re for hard work in the kitchen or to adorn the dining table, it’s worth getting a stylish, sturdy shaker

1.Marks & Spencer pinch pots

Don't grind it, pinch it with these solid oak trays from trusty M&S. They are made in a dovetail joint design with the bottom tray sliding beneath the top one, cutting down by, well, about a half, the mess as you move it around the kitchen/dining room.

£15, marksandspencer.com

2. Milly Grinders

These are styled to look like salt and pepper shakers, but are in fact grinders. Just turn upside down, turn and you are away. Again they have a tendency to produce thick grinds, but some would say that's a good thing.

£18 each, josephjoseph.com

3. Joseph Joseph

A very pretty mill, but then you would expect as much from upmarket Joseph Joseph. It's clever, as well, with a twin-chamber mechanism. Hit the button on one side for pepper and the other one for salt. Comes with a 10-year guarantee.

£32, selfridges.com

4. Norm Bottle Grinder

OK, so this grinder has flaws: you only get one for a start and that costs only a smidgeon less than £30. It also makes quite a noise. But that said, it's beautiful, all laid-back and minimal. Huge, too, so you just add a massive bag of sea salt or peppercorns and then forget about it.

£29.95, selfridges.com

5. Bodum Twin

Another twin mechanism design (with this one you turn the silicone band and it switches between seasonings) this time from Bodum. It's comfy in the hand and ideal for cooking. The see-through window is also a bonus, as you know when it is running low.

£35, bodum.com

6. Rocker Mini Salt & Pepper Shakers

If you haven't been converted to the pleasures of sea salt rocks and peppercorns, and prefer your seasoning a little finer, check out these stainless steel shakers that rock back and forth on their curved bottoms.

£20, nickmunro.com

7. Cole & Mason Buzz Electronic Mill

You get both a pepper and a salt mill in this double pack. The chrome grinders can be set to coarse or fine grinds. The standout feature, though, is undoubtedly the push-button electric mechanism, which emits a pleasing growl as it crunches up the seasoning.

£45, johnlewis.com

8. Debenhams black and white hippo shakers

Who doesn't want to a couple of hippos to dispense your ground salt and pepper? They're pottery made with holes in their snouts and cost only a little more than £5 for two.

£5.20, debenhams.com

9. Alessi LilLiput

Playful is the best way to describe these small resin salt and pepper shakers, which have been designed by Stefano Giovannoni for chic kitchen brand Alessi. The little shakers can be made to dangle, via internal magnets, on the stainless- steel stem in the middle.

£22, alessi.co.uk

10. Sainsbury's Red Pepper Mill

These are wonderfully country-kitchen and traditional. You can imagine a set nestling against an Aga somewhere in deepest Wiltshire but they are just as good for a city flat. They do make a grind that tends to the thicker side of things, but that's no criticism.

£5.50 each, sainsburys.co.uk