WEST CORK FARMER, food producer and knifemaker Fingal Ferguson combines form and function in his handmade knives. He caught up with Ruth O’Connor to talk about where his inspiration comes from, the passion that drives him on, and why knifemaking is a noble craft.
What inspired you to start your business?
Growing up as part of the fifth generation at Gubbeen, food has always meant happiness. The Gubbeen kitchen I grew up in was a rustic old farmhouse kitchen with an always-on Aga, the dog at your feet and benches along the table. Falling in love with the chef’s knife, one of the tools of the kitchen, was always going to happen.
How did you first get involved in the business?
I’ve been making knives for sale for about 15 years. before that I learned to make and restore knives with my neighbour and good friend Rory Conner who is the absolute GOAT. He is the OG of knifemaking in Ireland – the pioneer of Irish bladesmithing.
With Rory being a neighbour and friend, I saw it as a fascinating and noble craft and went to him to learn how to sharpen a knife and make a couple for myself. I then became enthralled by it.
My involvement in the food world through Gubbeen Cheese and the Gubbeen Smokehouse hyper-accelerated the growth of my business, maybe even before it should have, and the support of others kept me at it. I find myself now making knives that are an integral part of what we do at Gubbeen.
How has your practice evolved over time?
There are trades that you could spend the rest of your life perfecting. Take cheeses and salamis – they are incredibly easy to make as a product but incredibly hard to make consistently and that’s where the skill comes in. When it comes to my knives, it’s that classic idea of form and function. The object must work. After that, beauty is a perk, and then you can consider the finer details of what really result in an artisan product.
Do you make one knife, or several, at a time?
There is luxury in being able to take on a single knife project that I become obsessed with, but overall I am trying to be more consistent with my time by making several knives at the same time. If you stay at a machine for a long period of time and build up muscle memory you are honing and fine tuning that skill until eventually it becomes second nature.
The other element is that there are multiple steps in making a knife and everything along the way, if done in batches, is so much more efficient than doing each step individually for each individual knife.
My love of process comes from the food world because, for example, we wouldn’t make one cheese or one salami at a time. The beauty of knives though is that, unlike food, they don’t go off if you have to walk away from them.
What steps are involved in the making of a knife?
Preparing the materials, cutting out the blades, hardening and heat treating the metal, polishing and grinding and shaping the blades, adding handles, the refinement process in making the knife perfect and then the sharpening.
Was timing on your side when it came to launching your knife business?
When my parents started making their cheeses they did it out of love. Their business grew and they happened to be in the right place at the right time in terms of people’s growing interest in artisan foods.
When I started making the salamis with the Gubbeen Smokehouse it was the early wave of that in Ireland, and again, when I started making knives it coincided with the emergence of social media and other elements of the world becoming a smaller place so timing has been purely luck but the knives have now become another integral part of what we do at Gubbeen.
Who are your customers?
I would guess that it’s a 50-50 split between professional chefs and home cooks. It is the highest compliment to see an old knife of mine still being used and bearing the patina of use.
How important is community to what you do?
Sam Gleeson, Luka Scannell and Jack Dolan have all helped me at some stage in the workshop and have all gone on to become brilliant knifemakers themselves. We recently held the West Cork Hammer-In which was a gathering of knifemakers – we are not afraid to share skills and knowledge. Knifemaking can be a lonely existence at times so leaving the workshop and joining others to share knowledge and push the boundaries of what we can do is important.
Is there an element of gatekeeping when it comes to skills?
There is never a lack of willingness among the community for people to share skills and techniques but there is an unwritten rule of ‘this is my thing don’t copy it’ in terms of style – it’s a silent understanding between people. In the food world, several cheeses on a cheeseboard make it more interesting, and similarly, in the world of knifemaking, it is variety, camaraderie and community that strengthens and elevates our craft and community.
What has been your proudest moment so far?
This year has been one of the most introspective and interesting years for me – I worked with some incredible knifemakers in Austria including Tobias Hangler and Benjamin Kamon and then Mareko Maumasi came to Cork from the US and we decided to hold the hammer-in where we met in the workshop of Mark Keeling. This year I have found myself working with some of the world’s most renowned culinary knifemakers – broadening my skills and mindset. As a result I’ve never been so proud of the knives I make as I am right now.
Fingal Ferguson’s knives start at under €100 for a paring knife with an average price for a chef’s knife of between €300 and €400. Due to demand, and to avoid waiting lists, he sells his knives via knife drops. Find him at online at www.fingalfergusonknives.com or on Instagram @fingalferguson. This coming Saturday, 16th November, he will take part in the renowned Damasteel Chef Invitational Online – A virtual showcase of the world’s best Damasteel® culinary knives. To register your interest go to www.damasteel.se.
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